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Lucas' POV

I watched as Jackie slept soundly on the bed. She had cried herself to sleep and still had tears on her cheeks. Her skin had gone pale and cold from all the exhaustion. It made my heart break as she has gone through a lot all her life. It made me want to do everything possible to erase such memories in exchange for happy ones.

I rose from the bed and covered her body up. I kissed her forehead and tucked some of her hair away from her face before leaving the room to the next one which was Jared's. I opened the door and Ruth sat up from the bed with a hiss.

She was now clean and wearing some of Jackie's clothes. Her skin still had bruises on them and her hair was now cut short to her neck.

I walked closer and stopped in front of her. I stared in silence as guilt ate inside of me. I was a bad brother. I've protected Ruth ever since she was raped yet I didn't believe her one bit all because of one woman. I felt ashamed of myself for not trusting her.

"Lucas, I—"

I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. Her body went stiff in my arms and after some seconds, she hugged me back.

"I am so sorry, Ruth. I should have been there for you. I am sorry for not believing you. I am the worst brother ever," I said and she shook her head.

"No, don't blame yourself. If I was in your shoes. I would have done the same thing. Maddy tricked everyone so well that it looked so real. I should have been careful and asked questions when she told me to send such an amount of money. It is partly my fault too," Ruth said and pulled away.

"Ruth, don't blame yourself, okay?" I cupped her cheek. "Also, are you sure you're okay? They didn't... You know?"

Ruth shook her head with a small smile on her face.

"No, they didn't sexually harass me. I only got beaten when I didn't want to give them my ATM PIN and write those letters," she replied.

"You suffered so much, Ruth. I'm so sorry for not being there to save you from them," I said and kissed the crown of her head.

"It's fine, Lucas. Stop beating yourself up. The most important thing is finding Maddy. I overheard those guys saying that the 'boss' was coming this week or next and that she won't be happy that I went missing. I was hiding when I heard them exchange those words."

I nodded. "Which means that Maddy will be in Redside this week or the next one. I have to call Axel and tell him about this. Have you had something to eat?"

"No," she replied and I cursed.

"I'll send Jared to get you some food. Just lay down and rest your head. Order anything you want, okay?" I asked and she beamed.

"I will. You should go stay with Jackie. I'm sure she needs you by her side," Ruth said and pointed at the door.

I smiled at her and stepped backward. I turned around and touched the door handle.

"Oh, Lucas?"

I looked over my shoulder to stare at Ruth.

"I like Jackie," she said and I chuckled.

"I do too, RuRu," I said and left the room.

I stepped out into the cold night and exhaled. I shut my eyes and listened to the sounds of the crickets around. I felt like taking a smoke to calm my nerves but knowing I had to quit even though I relapsed. It was still at the back of my mind to smoke.

I opened my eyes as I remembered everything I had heard Maddy say to Clark. It made me wonder who else she had deceived or used for her games.

"Wherever you are, Maddy. I will find you and end you myself," I swore under my breath and stared at the dark sky. "You don't get to hurt the ones I love and go free."

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The next morning, I bought some food for Jackie and set them by the bed for her while she was in the bathroom. As soon as I was done, she walked out of the bathroom in fresh clothes and stopped walking when she saw me.

"Hey, I bought food for you," I said and she looked away and walked over to her luggage.

"I'm not hungry," she said.

I frowned at her statement and walked over to her. I stood in her line of vision and stared silently at her. Her face was dull and lacking the brightness it always had. I wasn't used to her being this way.

"You have to eat something to take your medicine," I reasoned but she shrugged.

"I'm not hungry, Lucas. Besides, I have someplace to go," Jackie replied and made a move to walk away but I blocked her with my arm.

"Where are you going?" I asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I have to find Maddy. Since it seems like she's in Redside, I have to find her and confront her for what she's done to me," she replied.

"No, you can't do that," I retorted. "It's not safe for you to do such. Besides, we need to be vigilant of our surroundings and careful about everything we do concerning this issue. We should not act out with our emotions. Maddy is very smart and will be ahead of us. Whatever we do, we have to consider it first before jumping into any action."

Jackie's face morphed into realization before she sighed and met my eyes. It was slightly red and teary which made me know she had been crying in the bathroom. Without hesitance, I closed the gap between us and hugged her. I felt her arms wrap around my waist and I tightened my hold around her body. I moved side to side while rubbing her back then I began to run my fingers through her hair.

"Everything will be alright. I want you to be healthy, love. I want you strong physically and emotionally. Maddy should not be able to sense your weakness. We have to outsmart her at all cost and being vulnerable to her tricks isn't one of them," I whispered against her hair and she nodded.

"Thank you," Jackie whispered and tilted her head back.

I looked down at her face and cupped her cheeks then wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"Thank you for being here with me," she whispered and I smiled. "I wish we didn't have all these problems in our lives right now. We could have been at home, being ourselves and preparing for the birth of our baby. I wish I had never allowed Maddy to be my friend."

I shook my head and pressed my lips against her forehead.

"No, baby. Everything happens for a reason and maybe it was meant for you to be friends with Maddy so we can put an end to a maniac like her. Besides, she helped us get together somehow. I fell in love with you and will become a father in a few months. I'm not giving her all the credit but I'm so glad she didn't warn you to stay away from the beginning. Now, I have the most beautiful woman in my life."

Jackie's cheeks flushed red and I couldn't help but tough them, feeling her soft skin under the pads of my thumbs.

"I guess," she said and her stomach grumbled.

I laughed. "Come on, I'll feed you."

Jackie pouted in resistance and I rolled my eyes before pulling her with me toward the bed.

Once we got to the bed, I helped her sit down then I dragged the side table closer to the bed. I picked up the plastic plate and took out the toast. I brought it to her mouth and she craned her head away.

"What?" I asked, smiling.

"I can feed myself," she complained.

"I know," I said. "I just want to feed you."

Jackie raised an eyebrow and scanned me up and down.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I... Jackie, I miss you. I miss being in a relationship with you. I miss being with you and doing all these things with you. I ruined us and I regret it. So, please, let me feed you. Even if it's just this once."

Jackie's expression was blank for some seconds and I knew in her head, that she was thinking about what I had said. Her eyes were sharply fixed on me which left me nervous. No woman except for her has ever made me this nervous and uncomfortable.

"Okay," she whispered and I exhaled, feeling a weight getting off my chest.

"Thank you," I said and scooted closer. I lifted the triangular-shaped toast close to her mouth and waited for her to bite out of it.

Jackie opened her mouth and I placed it between her teeth. She bit into it and I pulled my hand back to grab the juice box I had gotten. I tore the straw off the medium-sized box and stuck the straw into the box before bringing it close to her mouth. My hand was shaking as I did everything because I didn't want to mess up or ruin her breakfast.

When her lips wrapped around the straw, I smiled as she began to draw the juice into her mouth. I remained still and was about to pull out when she held the straw with her teeth, sucking faster.

"Jackie?" I called to her. "Baby, let go of the straw. That's the only juice box I bought. You still have breakfast left to eat. Let go of the straw."

Jackie rolled her eyes and before I knew it, the drink was empty. I pulled the box back and shook it with shock on my face. She laughed and I glared at her playfully.

"Sorry. It was just so good," she said and licked her lips.

I stared at her face and she twisted her lips to the side with puffed-out cheeks. She batted her eyelashes at me and I couldn't help but find myself loving her more. She was just so cute.

"You're lucky I love you," I said and she gasped. "What? You're acting so surprised like I've never told you how much I love you. Now, eat up."

I brought the toast to her lips again and she bit out of it. I watched her eat in silence while I prayed to the heavens that I would spend the rest of my life with her with no more worries.

A/n: Some fluff to prepare for the next chapter to come.

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