Page 24
Story: His Ring, Her Rules
I stopped because Jaxon was staring at me.
I questioned him, “What?”
“Are you kidding me?”
I rolled my eyes and said, “No, I hate my family. All they cared about was money. And I was the one who wasted their so-called hard-earned money.”
But what is my net worth right now? $50 billion. I’m the sixth richest person in the world. They should have learned their lesson by now.
“What did you say in that letter you left?”
“I wrote that I’m not going to die (not that they care) and that I might come back…exactly seven years from today.”
“You said you’d go back?”
“I said I might, and that’s why I put the word “might” in double-quotes.”
“So, you’re not going back?”
“Of course not.”
“And when is that date?”
“Just a month later, on July 20,” I said.
“Isn’t that your birthday?”
“Yes.”
He fell back on the couch and rubbed his temples as if all of this knowledge was too much for him to handle. “God! I married a crazy woman. You ran away at 20 and are now the sixth richest person in the world at almost 28. Unbelievable!”
I can’t believe it.
He sat up straight again and asked, “What about your friends? You must have friends?”
And that question made me sad since my buddies were like family to me. My four dearest pals were always there for me, and I abandoned them all.
“Yes, I did. My four best friends were Rick Caston, Tara Biden, Tyler Andy, and Sam Kian. I loved them, but I had to leave them. I still keep an eye on them. Tara and Tyler are in Florida, and Rick and Sam are in Alaska.”
“Don’t you miss them?”
“I miss them the most.”
“And you still aren’t going back.”
“Let’s not talk about it. I don’t know what to say.”
I sat back and placed my head on the couch, scratching my temples. That’s when I recalled.
I sat up straight and told him, “I told you everything, Jaxon, and now you have to tell me everything, too.”
His whole body got stiff, and his teeth clinched.
“I don’t want to,” he said.
“That’s not fair! You made me tell you everything, and now you’re not ready to tell your side of the story!”
“Don’t make me!” he yelled.
I jumped up violently and said, “I knew it!” Then, I marched out of the room.
I told him everything, even things that only Jona knew.
I sat on the side of my bed with my arms crossed. Why can’t he say? I realize it’s hard for you to talk about someone who died and was so close to him, but I need to know why this marriage happened.
I could tell it was Jaxon when the door to my room opened because of his scent. I didn’t even glance back at him.
He came and sat next to me on the edge of the bed, and we didn’t say anything.
He said, “Julia Steiner…she was my best friend,” with his head down a minute later.
I gazed up at him as he kept looking down at the ground.
He went on, “Julia, Kena, and I grew up together. Our families were friends, and so were we. We were inseparable and went to the same school. We used to study and play together. I had everything I ever wanted. My father was a billionaire, and I had great friends.”
He took a deep breath and said, “When I was about to turn eighteen, I started to fall in love with Julia. Before I knew it, I was in love with her; it wasn’t just a crush. I loved her but was afraid to tell her because I knew it would ruin our friendship, so I never did. Months went by, and it was hard for me to see her talking and flirting with other boys.”
As I watched him sadly, he ran his fingers through his hair.
“One day, when she came over to my house, I told her everything. I told her how I felt about her and that I loved her.”
When he didn’t go on, I questioned, “What did she say?”
He looked up at me and let out a low, thin laugh. That’s when I saw that his eyes were moist.
“The way she reacted was to be expected. She got upset and stated we couldn’t be together. When I attempted to explain, she got angry with me and stormed out of my house.
An hour later, we heard that she had been in an accident. We all rushed to the hospital and found out that she had some internal injuries but was okay. But then the doctors told us that she had cancer. She had a cancerous tumor, and they suggested surgery as soon as possible. I didn’t see her for the first few days, but when I did, I apologized. She said she would think about it when she got better. She died during the operation. She died because of me.
Oh God!
“Jaxon, she didn’t die because of you. She died of cancer, not because of that accident.”
He raised his head and said, “Can’t you see? That accident made her tumor worse. If it hadn’t happened, she might have lived. She could have been with me right now.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Jaxon. It was her fate. She had to die, and you couldn’t have saved her anyway.”
“I lost her. I lost my love; I lost my best friend. I was in love with her, and she died. If I hadn’t fallen in love with her, she would have lived. My love killed her. I’m too scared to fall in love again because I can’t risk someone’s life again.”
It seemed like he was warning me that he was terrified to fall in love and that he would never fall in love with me. He was giving me a heads-up.
“But,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder, “it’s not your fault.”
“It’s of no use. You can never erase that pain from your heart and those memories from your brain; you just learn to live with it.”
I put my head on his forearm as if I could sense his suffering.
“And then,” he said again after a minute, “I saw you two years ago at a business party. For a moment, I thought, ‘Julia is standing there,’ and I had to literally rub my eyes to make sure. But then I realized it wasn’t Julia but someone else who looked almost like her. I’ve known you for two years, waiting for the right time to suggest that we merge our companies through marriage. I wasn’t worried about your company taking over mine; I just wanted you to believe that. I married you because I didn’t want to lose Julia again…I didn’t want to.”
“I…,” he said, sounding lost for words. “I was selfish, I know. But I didn’t want to lose Julia again. You were just like her in every way—physically, in your attitude, in the way you talked. I’m sorry; I didn’t want you to know the real reason because I know you would think I’m selfish and leave me.”
I went up and sat on his lap before I could understand what I was doing. I threw my arms securely around his neck and put my head on his shoulder.
He questioned in a confused voice, “What are you doing?”
“Please, just let me hug you,” I said as I tightened my grip on him.
He didn’t embrace me back, and his body was so rigid. But after a minute, he gently put one of his arms around my waist. Then, as I exhaled in happiness, he wrapped his other arm around me and strengthened his grasp. He hugged me back, then put his head on my neck, and I felt something moist on my shoulder. He was weeping.
I couldn’t see his face, but feeling his sobs on my shoulder literally crushed my heart.
I can’t ever leave him.
We stayed like that for a long time, and when I eventually drew away, his face looked so shattered.
“All you need sometimes is a warm hug,” I whispered quietly while still sitting on his lap.
I kissed his forehead and wiped away his tears.
“Like Olaf?” he quipped out of the blue to attempt to make things better.
I smiled a little and said, “You remember?”
“Of course I do. You guys made me watch that movie so many times,” he said with a smile, alluding to Rose.
I smiled and put my forehead against his. Then I said, “Everything will be okay.”
I stood up from his lap, and just as I was about to move, he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
I turned around to see him looking at me with an inscrutable look on his face, and then he got up.
“Please don’t leave me again,” he begged in a voice that was barely a whisper.
I questioned him, “What?”
“Are you kidding me?”
I rolled my eyes and said, “No, I hate my family. All they cared about was money. And I was the one who wasted their so-called hard-earned money.”
But what is my net worth right now? $50 billion. I’m the sixth richest person in the world. They should have learned their lesson by now.
“What did you say in that letter you left?”
“I wrote that I’m not going to die (not that they care) and that I might come back…exactly seven years from today.”
“You said you’d go back?”
“I said I might, and that’s why I put the word “might” in double-quotes.”
“So, you’re not going back?”
“Of course not.”
“And when is that date?”
“Just a month later, on July 20,” I said.
“Isn’t that your birthday?”
“Yes.”
He fell back on the couch and rubbed his temples as if all of this knowledge was too much for him to handle. “God! I married a crazy woman. You ran away at 20 and are now the sixth richest person in the world at almost 28. Unbelievable!”
I can’t believe it.
He sat up straight again and asked, “What about your friends? You must have friends?”
And that question made me sad since my buddies were like family to me. My four dearest pals were always there for me, and I abandoned them all.
“Yes, I did. My four best friends were Rick Caston, Tara Biden, Tyler Andy, and Sam Kian. I loved them, but I had to leave them. I still keep an eye on them. Tara and Tyler are in Florida, and Rick and Sam are in Alaska.”
“Don’t you miss them?”
“I miss them the most.”
“And you still aren’t going back.”
“Let’s not talk about it. I don’t know what to say.”
I sat back and placed my head on the couch, scratching my temples. That’s when I recalled.
I sat up straight and told him, “I told you everything, Jaxon, and now you have to tell me everything, too.”
His whole body got stiff, and his teeth clinched.
“I don’t want to,” he said.
“That’s not fair! You made me tell you everything, and now you’re not ready to tell your side of the story!”
“Don’t make me!” he yelled.
I jumped up violently and said, “I knew it!” Then, I marched out of the room.
I told him everything, even things that only Jona knew.
I sat on the side of my bed with my arms crossed. Why can’t he say? I realize it’s hard for you to talk about someone who died and was so close to him, but I need to know why this marriage happened.
I could tell it was Jaxon when the door to my room opened because of his scent. I didn’t even glance back at him.
He came and sat next to me on the edge of the bed, and we didn’t say anything.
He said, “Julia Steiner…she was my best friend,” with his head down a minute later.
I gazed up at him as he kept looking down at the ground.
He went on, “Julia, Kena, and I grew up together. Our families were friends, and so were we. We were inseparable and went to the same school. We used to study and play together. I had everything I ever wanted. My father was a billionaire, and I had great friends.”
He took a deep breath and said, “When I was about to turn eighteen, I started to fall in love with Julia. Before I knew it, I was in love with her; it wasn’t just a crush. I loved her but was afraid to tell her because I knew it would ruin our friendship, so I never did. Months went by, and it was hard for me to see her talking and flirting with other boys.”
As I watched him sadly, he ran his fingers through his hair.
“One day, when she came over to my house, I told her everything. I told her how I felt about her and that I loved her.”
When he didn’t go on, I questioned, “What did she say?”
He looked up at me and let out a low, thin laugh. That’s when I saw that his eyes were moist.
“The way she reacted was to be expected. She got upset and stated we couldn’t be together. When I attempted to explain, she got angry with me and stormed out of my house.
An hour later, we heard that she had been in an accident. We all rushed to the hospital and found out that she had some internal injuries but was okay. But then the doctors told us that she had cancer. She had a cancerous tumor, and they suggested surgery as soon as possible. I didn’t see her for the first few days, but when I did, I apologized. She said she would think about it when she got better. She died during the operation. She died because of me.
Oh God!
“Jaxon, she didn’t die because of you. She died of cancer, not because of that accident.”
He raised his head and said, “Can’t you see? That accident made her tumor worse. If it hadn’t happened, she might have lived. She could have been with me right now.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Jaxon. It was her fate. She had to die, and you couldn’t have saved her anyway.”
“I lost her. I lost my love; I lost my best friend. I was in love with her, and she died. If I hadn’t fallen in love with her, she would have lived. My love killed her. I’m too scared to fall in love again because I can’t risk someone’s life again.”
It seemed like he was warning me that he was terrified to fall in love and that he would never fall in love with me. He was giving me a heads-up.
“But,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder, “it’s not your fault.”
“It’s of no use. You can never erase that pain from your heart and those memories from your brain; you just learn to live with it.”
I put my head on his forearm as if I could sense his suffering.
“And then,” he said again after a minute, “I saw you two years ago at a business party. For a moment, I thought, ‘Julia is standing there,’ and I had to literally rub my eyes to make sure. But then I realized it wasn’t Julia but someone else who looked almost like her. I’ve known you for two years, waiting for the right time to suggest that we merge our companies through marriage. I wasn’t worried about your company taking over mine; I just wanted you to believe that. I married you because I didn’t want to lose Julia again…I didn’t want to.”
“I…,” he said, sounding lost for words. “I was selfish, I know. But I didn’t want to lose Julia again. You were just like her in every way—physically, in your attitude, in the way you talked. I’m sorry; I didn’t want you to know the real reason because I know you would think I’m selfish and leave me.”
I went up and sat on his lap before I could understand what I was doing. I threw my arms securely around his neck and put my head on his shoulder.
He questioned in a confused voice, “What are you doing?”
“Please, just let me hug you,” I said as I tightened my grip on him.
He didn’t embrace me back, and his body was so rigid. But after a minute, he gently put one of his arms around my waist. Then, as I exhaled in happiness, he wrapped his other arm around me and strengthened his grasp. He hugged me back, then put his head on my neck, and I felt something moist on my shoulder. He was weeping.
I couldn’t see his face, but feeling his sobs on my shoulder literally crushed my heart.
I can’t ever leave him.
We stayed like that for a long time, and when I eventually drew away, his face looked so shattered.
“All you need sometimes is a warm hug,” I whispered quietly while still sitting on his lap.
I kissed his forehead and wiped away his tears.
“Like Olaf?” he quipped out of the blue to attempt to make things better.
I smiled a little and said, “You remember?”
“Of course I do. You guys made me watch that movie so many times,” he said with a smile, alluding to Rose.
I smiled and put my forehead against his. Then I said, “Everything will be okay.”
I stood up from his lap, and just as I was about to move, he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
I turned around to see him looking at me with an inscrutable look on his face, and then he got up.
“Please don’t leave me again,” he begged in a voice that was barely a whisper.