I was sick to my guts, and from what I could make of Jake's appearance, he didn't seem to be doing great either. It took one impulsive moment to ruin everything that wasn't very stable, but whatever was slowly developing between us had been crushed. Tension surrounded the inside of the car, as we both remained silent the way back.

After Brinda got discharged from the hospital, we dropped her off at the Retirement house. Jake had been cold the whole time, not to Brinda but me. What he said earlier about us taking a step back was still stuck in my throat. I found it too much to take in. How could he decide that over something so stupid?

Only if he knew that Seb had forced that kiss on me, it probably wouldn't end well. It wasn't even a kiss in the first place. Jake's stubbornness to not let me explain myself was only burning me with more anger and frustration.

I took a glance at Jake's stiffened side profile. He appeared ten times older than his age with his tousled black curls, the bags under his eyes accompanied by the sleeplessness. The blood patches over his knuckles didn't fail to make me wince on his behalf either. The guy didn't function like regular youngsters. The uneasiness on his face was evident, the way he kept his eyes locked in front almost mechanically as if he was at a breaking point, and one look my way would be enough to crumble the walls around him.

I clenched my fists on my lap, looking away from him because if I didn't, I would end up crying again. The urge to hug him tightly and ease out some of his wariness was palpable, but I subdued it for the moment.

My train of thoughts halted as the car came to a stop. I was so lost in my head that I didn't notice we weren't on the college campus. Instead, we were into the underground garage of his apartment building. Jake was still holding the steering as if he would hit the ignition any moment.

"You were supposed to drop me at my dorm," I said, giving him a confused look. His face was still devoid of any other emotion than tiredness. He didn't have much sleep since last night, and the way he was having nightmares still reflected as a fresh memory.

"I need to collect a few things from my apartment," he said curtly, unclasping his seatbelt a little too abruptly as if I had caught to his unclustered emotions.

His coldness was driving me crazy. "Aren't you spending the night at your apartment?"

"I'll stay at the frat house for a few days," he stepped out of the car and headed towards my side. I was still gathering up to his words when he opened the door for me. I stepped out of the car but kept staring at him. He was avoiding my eyes. As we made our way for the elevator doors, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I'm sorry if it's trouble, but I need to get my laptop and some fresh choice of clothes."

His distant behavior felt like a whiplash. I knew how it would burn my insides to see Jake with any other girl, now that I was sure about how much I felt for him. Maybe, he was feeling the same, but instead of showing me his jealousy, he acted cold.

How romantic! I rolled my eyes.

We occupied opposite corners of the elevator. Jake positioned himself across from me, looking anywhere but not me, and nerves twisted my stomach. He leaned against the mirrored wall as the elevator began to ascend. His dark eyes fitted to the screen showing the floor numbers as if to distract himself from me. My hand fisted the pendent Jake had put around my neck, and out of nowhere, tears prickled my eyes.

Before I could pull my overwhelming emotions together, a stifle left my throat. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. The anger, the hurt, and Jake's indifference towards me all made my heart heavy until a gasped sob slipped past my lips.

Jake pushed away from the opposite side and stalked up to me. I swallowed a gasp and stilled, looking up to him. His imposing figure towered me, and for the first time that evening, his eyes fell on my face. He brushed away my tears ever so gently with his cold fingers. "I told not to cry, Amy. I can't see you crying."

I scanned his face, which reflected a soft expression, although he still didn't look into my eyes. He pulled his hands away and exhaled tiredly.

"Why are you so cold to me?" My eyes stayed on his face.

He reached for a strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger, letting it glide over them. He always did that whenever he felt sad, almost like it gave him some comfort. "I'm a cold person, and that's why you deserve better."

"Deserve?" I gritted my teeth. "You were not thinking about that when you kissed me to oblivion or when we cuddled together."

"Then you kissed Seb." Suddenly his palms made contact with the wall on either side of my head, his darkened eyes locked with mine. His eyes were the most terrifying than I had ever seen. My heart pounded against my ribcage as his musky scent invaded my nostrils. Jake closed his eyes for a second, almost regretting his outburst, and just like that, Jake was back to his distant self. He looked away with a string of Italian curses, breathing heavily. It was the first time I had seen him losing his calm in a long time.

"So, I was right." Anger flared through me with the thought of him always hiding a piece of himself from me. "You're jealous and angry even though you're behaving indifferently."

"No, I'm not." He said, scrunching up his nose in denial. He relaxed, releasing me to breathe.

He backed away from me, and at that very instant, the elevator beeped and came to a halt. Jake gestured for me to step out and followed after me. He walked down the corridor towards his apartment as I watched his back.

A sudden realization hit me that it wasn't just about him seeing me with Seb anymore. He was trying to push me away, and it wasn't something he wanted to do. All the time we spent together wasn't enough for him to open up to me. No matter how strong our bond had developed, it still wasn't strong enough to pull him out of his darkness.

He couldn't even accept being jealous, let alone admit his love for me.

I was tired of giving him time when I could see his soul crying out for me. If I ever wanted to be around him, I had to know about the things that were the cause of his nightmare. It saddened me to see him hurting but not knowing the reason. I no more wanted to be one foot in and one foot out close to him. He had to either let me all in or let me go.

As soon as he unlocked the door to his apartment and led us inside, I grabbed his hand. "Is that what you say to all the girls?" I snapped. "You're done playing with my feelings then. Oh, I forgot, you couldn't go too far. Is that perhaps the main reason?"

I stared into his eyes, hoping that he could see how much his actions and words hurt me. His cold charcoal eyes scanned my face. He opened his mouth to say something, but a voice rang through the silence of the apartment catching both our attention.

"If you lovebirds are past bickering, can we have a word, son?" A gruff voice made me turn around. For a moment, both of our eyes scanned the intruder, but then the way he addressed Jake, it dawned upon me who the man was.

He was Jake's father.

"How did you get in?" Jake asked in an alerted voice. I took a glance to see his locked jaw and surprise on his face.

His father sat on the couch with his hand draped around the armrest. He dressed in an all-black suit with his grey hair slicked back. There were resemblances between him and Jake as far as his facial features and broad stature were concerned, except that he looked way colder than Jake. A comparatively younger man stood by his side in a white button-up and a tie secured around his neck.

"Need I remind you that this entire building belongs to me and after me to you. But given that you're just like your mother, you decide to occupy this dingy little apartment. Nice to meet you, son." He said, roaming his eyes around all corners of the apartment.

I did know about the dynamics between Jake and his father but looking at how grimly they addressed each other was certainly a shock for me. I shifted uncomfortably on my heels, ready for being the uninvited guest to the father-son drama.

"Why are you here, Father?" Jake asked. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Not just to disrespect me, I guess."

"You were not responding to my invitations nor giving me your routine visits. I was worried for you, Jacob." His father said, getting up from his seat. He took a few steps towards us until he came face to face with Jake. His eyes shifted from Jake to me as he watched me like a hawk for a second. "I can see what has been keeping you busy, and it doesn't surprise me at all. Non mettere alla prova la mia pazienza, figlio (Don't test my patience, son)."

The sudden tension between both of them had me gulping down a handful of anxiety. The way his father looked at me wasn't very acknowledging, and what did he mean by he wasn't surprised. Not to mention I had no idea what was the last line. It sounded like Italian.

"Persino la mia pazienza ha un limite (Even my patience has its limits)," Jake said in his Italian accent, one he used rarely. "Tired of snatching people's property, are you? If you are here only to mock me, then I suggest you finish it fast. You don't want me to take over the CEO's chair just yet, or do you?"

"You have gained quite a personality with this new reputation of yours. What have you done to my Jacob? Very impressive," his father said. His cold grey eyes once again accentuated me, corners of his lips lifting in a mocking grin. "Every time I think you've given up your crazy obsession for painting, you find yourself another inspiration. Alas! Your choice is always so abysmal."

Nicolas Van Green was indeed a man with a mean mouth. I stared back at him, biting the insides of my cheeks, forcing myself not to disrespect him the way he did. I could hear Jake's harsh breathing as he fisted his knuckles so tight that fresh blood pooled over the bandages. "You will not disrespect mom or Amy. Don't forget I could still abandon you the way Mother did. Now, you don't want that."

"Mia left because she was naive, but you, my son, are born to lead by my side." He said, brushing off invisible dust from Jake's shoulder. "Does your girl know why she's here?"

"Father!" Jake's voice was almost like a warning, a baritone deeper. I frowned at his question.

"Even though you feel otherwise, I do love you, Jacob, and I do care about your feelings which is why I've got a gift for you. His father turned back and gestured to the guy still holding his position by the side of the couch. He looked rather unaffected by the whole scene. I assumed he was the assistant. "Mark! Please present my son his precious possession."

Mark nodded and headed straight to the art room. I suddenly felt a rush in my veins. I looked up at Jake, who was almost at the edge of exploding. My hands, on their own accord, reached out to his tightened fist. The moment our hands brushed, some of his tension eased out. I gave him a small smile, receiving a small sigh from him. "I don't remember permitting your assistant to enter my art room. You can't barge into people's apartments and do as you please."

"Relax, Jacob. My only intention was to give you a surprise. You will know how much I love you when you see it. However, I didn't expect your girlfriend to be here with you. At least now I know why you were willing to give away the painting." His father's grin widened as he said those words and, also because Mark was back in the room. Mark placed the easel in the middle of the living area and stood beside it.

I was completely confused about the whole scenario, more when I could feel Jake holding my hand in a painfully tight grip. He flushed red.

"I'm giving your Vanessa back to you." His father said, looking at Jake. His grey eyes glanced down at our entwined hands, then inclined his head. Jake's face had a hint of disappointment and something near to defeat as he patted Jake's shoulder.

Before leaving, his father's gaze settled on me for a second, and I stopped breathing. "You have beautiful eyes, Amy."

I had received that same compliment more than once before.

As soon as he stepped away from our faces, my eyes fell on the painting. And suddenly, his father's words dived into my senses.

They were the same set of Hazel green eyes, the one which resembled mine. The only difference was that the face on the canvas wasn't me.

It was Vanessa, Jake's Vanessa.