Ava trudged back to her room, every step heavy, as if the weight of the morning's terror clung to her bones. Her chest still tightened with residual panic, her breaths shallow and uneven. When she reached the safety of her room, she collapsed onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow, as if the soft fabric could absorb the tremors still coursing through her.
"No. I'm not crying like a baby," she whispered bitterly, words small and stubborn against the echo of fear that refused to fade.
But the memory of Leo's smack, the iron grip around her throat, churned violently in her mind. And the words she had thrown at him earlier, the sharp insults, the reckless challenges, struck back at her like stones. Her chest ached with guilt. She had overstepped. Perhaps she deserved the punishment.
A thought gnawed at her, insistent and unwelcome, should she apologize?
The question twisted in her gut, bitter and jagged. Yes. She had crossed a line. It was her mistake. She knew she would have to face him, admit it, and say sorry.
With effort, she forced herself upright, each movement hesitant, her limbs heavy as though bound in lead. Her heart thumped like a drum in her chest, a mix of fear, defiance, and the reluctant, inexplicable respect she refused to name aloud.
"Why am I even going to apologize?" she muttered under her breath, hands trembling. "He already punished me… I know it's my fault. I would have said sorry… if he hadn't choked me to death, I would hav--"
A sudden knock made her start, the sound slicing through her spiraling thoughts. Her voice trembled as she called out, "Yeah… Jessica?"
"No… sorry for disturbing you," came Jack's calm voice as he stepped inside, and her chest tightened immediately.
"I… I'm just… bored," she stammered, struggling to form coherent words. Her palms were slick with nerves, her voice barely audible above the rush of blood pounding in her ears.
He came inside and sat beside her.
This was the first time Ava saw Jack this clearly. She hadn't realized he had so many tattoos running down his left arm. His build was on the bulkier side, but his face still had the softness of a baby, almost disarmingly innocent.
Jack's eyes met hers, steady and unflinching, and in that look was a quiet authority she had learned to recognize, protective, controlled, dangerous even, but not without a sliver of trust. Ava swallowed hard, aware that every heartbeat was measured, every breath heavy with the weight of what she had endured and what was still coming.
Ava felt the tight coil of her chest loosen slightly as Jack offered a reassuring smile, warm, steady, without the slightest hint of threat. "There's no need to be scared of me. I'm not here to harm you."
Something inside her eased, just enough to let her exhale. For the first time in hours, the room didn't feel suffocating. She returned a small, shaky smile, fragile but real.
Jack's voice cut through the quiet, soft but deliberate, fragile yet firm. "Did you eat?"
Ava forced a small, uneasy smile, masking the tension that still twisted in her chest. "Yes… thanks for asking." She reminded herself silently, he's not a bad man.
"I… I'm just here to… console you," he said, stumbling over the words, unsure of their weight, "but it seems… you're okay now."
Confusion twisted in her gut. "Console? For what?"
His gaze flickered, uncertain, like he didn't know how to bridge the distance between them. "A-ah… Mason told me Leo bullied you. I… I thought you'd be crying."
Ava let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, letting a thread of tension unravel. "Yeah… I was. But now I'm okay. I've… gotten used to it."
"Used to what?" His brow furrowed, concern sharpening the angles of his face.
Her voice dropped, quieter than she intended. "Consoling myself. Whenever something hurts… I cry. And there's no one there to catch the pieces. I've been living alone in my apartment for years."
A flicker of surprise crossed Jack's face, chest tightening as he processed her words. "Now I'm… um, I mean, we're here for you." His words stumbled, vulnerable, eyes seeking hers, but she didn't soften. Instead, she gave him a sharp, icy glare.
"Really?" she asked, bitterness dripping from each word. "You're the reason I've been suffering. I didn't want to stay here, but you all forced me. And now… you want to console me?"
He flinched, guilt clouding the calm in his usual expression. "I… I'm sorry, Ava. I know it's all my fault."
She shook her head, voice trembling faintly. "No… it's not your fault. I'm the one who, actually, I'm--"
"I know," he interrupted, gentle but firm. "It's okay. I understand. You know… I never wanted any of this. None of this mafia life. But I had no choice."
She studied him, the weight of hidden pain pressing in on her, mingling with fear and an uneasy compassion. "Then… if you don't want it, leave it. Walk away."
He let out a long, weary sigh, shoulders sagging as though carrying the weight of the world. "I wish I could."
"What do you mean?" she asked, curiosity and confusion mingling.
He hesitated, eyes dropping, burdened by a past too heavy for words. "It's a long story, Ava."
Urgency crept into her voice. "Then tell me. Don't keep it from me. I mean only if you want to. "
Jack's shoulders drooped further, as if unburdening himself might crush him entirely. "When I was three… our parents died. After that, we went to live with our grandmother. She… she was everything a child could hope for. Sweet, loving… beautiful. But we didn't have an adult man to guide us, and money… money was always scarce. So Leo… he left school to work. And he… he started bringing in enough money to keep us alive."
He swallowed hard, memories raw in his chest. "Jessica finished high school and joined Leo's work too. By the time I was seventeen… they moved to Singapore. Leaving Grandma… and me… in our hometown."
A sharp pang of sorrow stabbed Ava's chest at the thought, the absence, the longing, the years of neglect.
"They… didn't visit for three years. Only money. Only calls. I missed them… every single day. I begged them… to come, even once. But they never did. My birthday… it was coming. All I wanted was for them to be there with me…"
His voice faltered, trailing off into the heavy silence between them. The room felt impossibly still, almost suffocating in its quiet. Ava could see the boy behind the man, the abandoned child, desperate for family, yearning for the love that had been denied to him.
For a long moment, she said nothing, unable to find words that could reach the depths of his grief. She only sat there, listening him, heart tight, chest heavy, feeling the weight of his past press against her own ribs, understanding just how dangerous this world was, and how fragile even the strongest men could be.
Flashback
The memory hit Jack like a sharp pang, dragging her back to a smaller, quieter kitchen, two years ago, a younger Jack trembling with frustration and longing.
"No!" Jack's voice cracked, sharp and raw, like glass shattering against tile. His small fists gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white, body taut with a mixture of anger and heartbreak. "I already told you, Grandma. I'm not eating anything until they come."
"Jack…" Grandma's voice was soft, fragile, laced with worry. She reached for him, but he pulled back slightly, defiance and pain etched across his features. "You know your they are busy with work."
"They've been busy for two years!" he snapped, words ricocheting off the kitchen walls. Tears welled in his wide eyes, catching the dim evening light like fragile shards. "Two years, Grandma! Not once… not even a single visit. Don't they have time for us?"
She sighed quietly, brushing her fingers gently over his knuckles in a tentative gesture of comfort. "I know, sweetheart… I know. But please… try to understand. They can't come right now."
"I don't care!" he muttered, standing abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against the floor. His small frame shook with a storm of anger and longing. "I just want them here today. It's my birthday. I don't want anything else."
Her voice wavered, soft and pleading, carrying all the love she could muster. "At least eat something, my love. Please."
Jack shook his head, swallowing hard, the lump in his throat feeling impossible to move. "No. I'm going for a walk with Iris. Bye."
He stormed toward the door, chest heavy with frustration and heartache. Then, a familiar, teasing voice cut through the quiet evening air.
"Hey, you stubborn brat!"
Jack froze, every nerve taut. That voice… it couldn't be. Slowly, he turned, heart pounding in his chest.
"Leo…? Jessica…?"
And there they were. Leo, leaning casually against the doorway, that crooked, teasing smile still in place, Jessica, standing beside him, arms full of neatly wrapped gifts.
"Surprise!" they shouted in unison, voices warm, almost impossibly joyful. "Happy birthday, Chapm!"
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause. The weight pressing on Jack's chest, the loneliness, the resentment, the endless two-year wait, lifted, just enough to let a fragile hope seep in.
His lips trembled as a smile broke through the tears he hadn't realized were there. "Thank you… Leo and Sis. Thank you for coming. I… I missed you so much."
Jessica's eyes softened, glimmering with unshed tears. "We missed you too, Chapm," she murmured, stepping forward to ruffle his hair gently.
Leo's crooked grin widened. He crouched slightly to meet Jack's gaze, voice calm but warm. "We're here now. That's all that matters, huh?"
For the first time in what felt like forever, Jack let himself believe it, just for a moment, that maybe, somehow, everything was going to be okay.
"Where's Grandma?" Leo asked, a note of unease threading through his usual smirk.
"Here, my love!" Grandma called from the kitchen, arms outstretched, rushing toward him. Her embrace was tight, desperate, as if trying to make up for months of absence.
"I missed you so much, baby," she whispered, pressing her cheek against his.
"I missed you too, Grandma," he murmured reluctantly, pulling back just enough to see her face.
Jessica folded her arms, feigning a pout, though her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Grandma, you missed only him, huh?"
"No, my baby. I missed you even more." Grandma winked at Leo before sweeping Jessica into a warm hug.
Jack's brows furrowed, realization dawning. "Wait… Grandma, you knew they were coming?"
She chuckled softly, eyes twinkling. "Of course I knew, sweetheart."
"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice carried a mixture of curiosity and hurt.
Leo's smirk returned, playful yet calm. "Because it was supposed to be a surprise."
Jack laughed, the sound light, almost fragile, a thread of innocence in a world that had taken too much from him. "Oh… then it's okay. I forgive you guys."
For a heartbeat, the room was alive with laughter, warm, genuine, echoing in a space that hadn't known joy for years. For a fleeting moment, it felt like nothing had changed. They were family again.
And then
The air shattered.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Gunfire tore through the walls like a storm of metal and fury, ripping the fragile bubble of warmth apart.
"Grandma!"
To be continued