Chapter 5

• Still almost two years ago
• Jared
• “Oh, look who's here!” Amely announced, her voice powerful. “Our orphan boy! Long time no see, orphan boy! How long has it been since the graduation ceremony? Three years? And here I thought people change and evolve in such a long period of time! How come you're still the same old poor orphan boy of our school?” She smirked, that familiar evil glint shining in her eyes. She looked like a monster. The most beautiful monster Jared had ever seen. Which made her the deadliest too.
• Jared stopped mid-track and noticed the crowd's gazes were trained on him. Almost every single person here had studied in their high school or had been in the same class as either him or Amely. A chill ran up his spine, and he swallowed. Now he really couldn't move. He was stuck, just as Amely blamed him to be.
• “Why don't you dance for us? You're in the middle of the room, aren't you? Come on, make some space for him!” she cooed, and people immediately listened to her, stepping away from him.
• Now he was all alone, isolated, and frozen in horror. And this wasn't the first time. Amely enjoyed seeing him like this. Frozen in fear and humiliation. Was she the sadist who had claimed him? Had he found his tormentor?
• Amely continued, “I remember the night of the basketball match and the stupid cock that danced for the team! It was really amusing! But I guess it was the best you could do when you didn't get accepted into the team! You could become their jokester!” She laughed and took a gulp of her wine.
• The room erupted in amusement, and Jared blushed, anger starting to consume him. He balled his fists, his knuckles whitening. That night had been one of the worst and the best of his life. He broke his leg, slipping on the stairs in the saloon, and after that, Amely found him in the hospital and took care of him.
• And here she was again. Her sinister half had taken control of her body and mind. Maybe it was time Jared's own brain started working and he dropped the girl like a hot potato. She was poisoning his heart.
• “Fine,” he grumbled. The laughter in the room was much stronger than his words, so he knew nobody would be able to hear him. “So be it. I'm putting an end to this. I've had enough of your games!” he growled, glaring at Amely, and her eyes widened a bit. He was sure she hadn't heard him, but was it possible that she read his lips?
• ...
• When he left the much-needed shower, Jared found just the person he didn't want to see on his bed.
• He threw the wet towel he had used for his hair, and it almost hit Amely's face. She grabbed it at the last second. Jared headed to one of his drawers and took a pair of boxers. When he turned around, the blonde mischief was still there, just staring at him.
• “What? What do you want?” he growled in a husky voice. He was tired. Both emotionally and physically.
• “Nothing.” She shrugged with a small smile, but even a stranger could tell she was feeling uncomfortable. “I just came to see you.”
• “Well, I don't want to see you. Now if you may?” He twirled his finger, hinting at her to turn around so he could get dressed.
• Amely let out a small sigh and stood up. She shifted to the slightly open window and stared at the curtains.
• “Jared, I...” She turned to face him.
• He jumped.
• “Wow, who told you that you can look!” he spat and finished putting his boxers on.
• A small smirk colored her face, giving her that devilish look. It reminded him of the way she had treated him again, of the cruel person she was when she was among her people.
• “Can you just leave?” Jared grumbled and stepped to the bed, reaching to lift his slacks from the mattress.
• Just as he was about to take them, Amely grabbed his forearm, pulling it to her cheek, and rubbed it against her flesh. She blinked, and her eyes somehow softened. The open beautiful girl Jared loved spending time with appeared again. The same girl who helped him fight bullies and became his friend in high school. The girl Jared loved. What had happened to her? Why did she change so much and became his bully?
• Jared looked at her blue orbs and felt like sparks were flying between them. Every time he gazed into Amely's eyes, he felt like he was being sucked inside them. She was enchanting him just with her presence.
• “Please...” Amely stood up from the bed and slowly touched his muscular chest. She was so close to him that Jared could feel her warmth and perfume. It made his heart beat faster, and blood rushed through his veins.
• “Don't leave me...” she whispered, looking up at him. Her words barely reached his ears. It felt like she was afraid to just think of it. And she was terrified to say it.
• “No, Amely, I think it's better if we just-”
• “Jarr...” she mumbled and looked into his eyes. She knew using his nickname always softened him and cracked his shell.
• “No, stop playing with me!” he said a bit louder than he intended, stepping back, and Amely grabbed his hand again.
• “Who said I'm playing?” she retorted, decreasing the distance between them, and Jared stared at her.
• “If you're not, why are you being like this? At one moment, you're cruel and cold, and the next, you cling to me like a hopeless puppy!”
• “I... I...” Amely trailed off, unable to find the right words. She pursed her lips and shuffled through the back pocket in her shorts, taking something small out. She looked at Jared again, her gaze uncertain, and took his palm, putting the item in it. “This is for you. Happy birthday, Jarr.”
• “What?” he murmured with a small scowl, but when he looked at what was put in his palm, his heart missed a beat. “What is this?”
• Jared lifted the small chain with a round pendant and examined it. It had a small coat of arms on it with two shields and something like a dog or a wolf between them. It was beautiful.
• “Your birthday present.” Amely smiled shyly. “It's something that would protect you. I want you to wear it everywhere you go. You can put it around your wrist if you want, but I want people to see it on you without a problem. So, it should be better near your heart.” She touched the skin on his chest and bit her lip.
• Jared didn't know what to say. This had come out of nowhere; as usual, Amely had come out of nowhere, and now, she was so different than the woman at the party.
• “I'm going to fight this. I'm going to fight for us,” Amely suddenly said, and her eyes lit with a new fire, ready to extinguish everything that stood in her way.
• It was the first time she admitted that 'us' existed. It made Jared's heart nearly burst, and his breath hitched.
• “I promise... I won't give up!” Amely vowed and looked at his darkened gaze. Her small innocent smile made him want to melt.
• This happened every time. She was bad, she was good, and Jared couldn't resist her. She was like the bone, tied in front of the dog, and he was the dog, chasing an empty hope. Something he couldn't stop himself from doing no matter how much he tried.
• But this night it was different. There was something in the air and Amely's eyes. It felt like the first time she really opened up to him after they became intimate. She opened her heart for him, and he was already inside, feeling the warmth and love.
• Amely slowly stood on her toes, still staring at his eyes, and gently put her soft lips on his. She was so careful and tender that it felt like she was terrified that if she moved a bit more roughly or quickly, she was going to lose him or make him run away.
• ...
• Why, when Amely could be so kind and gentle, had she hidden such an important thing from Jared for almost two years? Why hadn't she told him she was pregnant? Was she so ashamed of the orphan of Oak high?
• This was utter betrayal, and it made his blood boil in anger.
• When they stopped in front of her home, Jared stepped out of the car and stared at the dark house. He hated it, and he could certainly say it out loud now, without feeling a streak of guilt.
• “Jared...” Amely ventured, and his eyes turned to her.
• While he looked calm on the outside, his guts were wrenching in memories, pain, and guilt. He should have left that night almost two years ago. That way he wouldn't have caused an innocent child the same pain he had felt throughout his whole life.
• “There's something I haven't told you yet.”
• “What?!” he barked. “Is there another child I'm not aware of?!”
• “What?” Amely asked with shocked eyes. “No... No!” She squinted in indignation. “I just want you to know why I've been so different every time we met-”
• “Two-faced? Yeah, I know. You are. But I don't care about that anymore. This”—he motioned with his hand between her and him—”is over. I don't want to know anything about you anymore. I just want to make sure that... this child is well taken care of, and I can take part in raising him. Unlike until this moment. I don't want to be kept in the dark anymore! Not if it concerns him!”
• Amely gasped, and her eyes watered.
• “But, Jarr...!”
• “Don't call me that!” he burst out. “You have no right to even imagine you're close to me and have special privileges! It's all over, and it's not coming back! I'm not falling for your lies or sweet words anymore! No more empty promises and disappointment!”
• The front door opened, and they looked at it. Mila, holding the young boy, glared at them and motioned for them to enter.