Chapter 64
Veronica’s POV
Apartment – Early morning
The curtains were set barely allowing the sunlight to penetrate as Jonathan knew I didn’t like the sun falling on my face.
I woke up trying to look around and to recognize exactly where I slept.
For a brief moment I totally forgot where I slept.
Then as I realized, a moment of peace settled in my heart.
For a brief moment, I felt like the old times.
Like old times, I used to wake up with new hope.
I woke up slowly as I wanted to take in the moment.
The familiarity of the room gave me a sense of warmth.
My hand consciously went to the side of my bed to feel Jonathan.
A habit I had of waking him up.
But p>
I couldn’t feel him.
The surface was p>
Cold.
I looked towards my side.
The bed was perfectly neat.
Clearly he didn’t come.
“So, he didn’t come to the room last night p>
“He didn’t even change as I was in the bedroom p>
“He could have come…it’s not as if I would have…did he think I would have p>
I exhaled as I realized Jonathan was keeping a distance from me.
I knew he was keeping a deliberate distance from me.
But he didn’t have to.
I got up, put on my gown and walked towards the living room.
Jonathan was asleep on the sofa quietly.
His laptop was still open on his chest.
Looks like he came from his study and began working here and ended up sleeping.
“Same habit,” I whispered as I picked the laptop. “Sleep in the same position p>
He was still wearing yesterday’s clothes.
Meaning he didn’t even take a shower before sleeping cause I was in the bedroom.
He was sleeping like a guest in his own house.
I noticed he was holding his phone loosely in his hands.
Was he waiting for a call, or waiting for a call for us to leave?
I slowly crouched down to keep the laptop on the table.
He suddenly turned to his side and a bottle fell from beneath him.
I picked the bottle up.
My eyes were wide open in shock.
“Migraine medicine?” I whispered under my breath.
Jonathan used to have migraines back in college p>
But after our marriage I learned about the SEED lifestyle and implemented it to his routine.
He clearly stopped taking medications then.
My hands were trembling as I opened the bottle.
The bottle fell from my hands as the bottle was almost empty.
My chest tightened.
Even with all that was going on, he rarely got headaches.
Then I glanced at him.
His gray hair, exhausted face, his thin frame and sleepless eyes.
The past seven years had not only aged him emotionally, but worn his body out as well.
Just then he shifted slightly in his sleep and unconsciously pressed his fingers against his temple.
“He must be having a migraine p>
I walked over and pressed his head until his facial expression relaxed.
I thought touching him after so many years, I would feel awkward or would be hesitant.
But it was p>
Natural.
Like a feeling that always belonged.
After getting dressed, I got back to a little unfinished work.
Janet had also gotten up and was running around in her pajamas like she used to.
The moment she noticed his blanket slipping she would run over to fix it.
Before she used to keep her distance, but now she was clearly comfortable being around him.
“Daddy sleeps badly,” Janet whispered as she fixed his blanket.
I froze slightly as the word ’Daddy’ came out naturally from her mouth.
It wasn’t forced and she wasn’t careful about speaking it.
Jonathan woke up a few minutes later and looked at us.
He almost had a guilty look as if he was saying, ’sorry to be here which made my heart ache.
Jonathan quietly got up and went about his routine.
He cleaned the house, clothes, and then washed up and got ready.
Seven years ago he barely knew where his socks were, let alone plates. Now he was meticulously doing everything.
Not because he had changed, but because over the past seven years living alone, he had learned to live alone.
I smiled as even though he looked haggard, he was still as handsome as he was back then.
Then he went to the kitchen so I followed him.
“It’s okay, I’ll make p>
He cut my words midway.
“It’s okay,” he said smiling. “I think you were working, go on p>
He always had a keen eye.
No matter what, you can’t hide from him.
I looked around and then opened the fridge but I couldn’t find any mangoes or mango juice.
Mangoes were his favorite but after Janet’s allergy we never bought mangoes or mango juice home.
But when he was outside he would.
So, I thought maybe now that Janet wasn’t here p>
I practically wanted to slap myself at the thought.
He’s the man who’s been waiting seven years for his daughter’s return.
I stayed back to see what he would do.
As far as I knew he didn’t know how to cook.
But I was surprised to see how he was moving around the kitchen so naturally.
Like his every muscle knew when to move.
He still remembered our preferences.
I drank tea with less sugar.
I always liked sunny-side-up-eggs.
Janet loved extra butter on her pancakes, and extra cheese on her sandwich.
And she loved fresh orange juice.
I noticed how he carefully went about placing the breakfast on the table.
Not in a dramatic way, or emotional, just care.
Janet smiled as she ate her breakfast.
“Daddy,” she said smiling. “Your pancakes are tastier than Mommy’s p>
“Thanks baby,” Jonathan smiled.
I noticed he kept glancing in between his bites as if he was trying to capture the moment he had with us.
“You’re not eating p>
“I ate before when I woke up p>
Even though his coffee was still warm.
“Jonathan,” I said as I placed my hand on his hand.
“We’re not leaving p>
He smiled like he had won a trophy, and took a pancake.
Then I noticed he had small cuts on his fingers and hands.
Something twisted painfully inside of my chest as I recalled he hated cooking because he would often end up cutting himself.
Yet over these seven years he bore with it.
The moment we finished our breakfast, Jonathan naturally got up and cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen.
Then he got dressed and picked up his coat and keys.
“I’ll head over to the office p>
I saw Janet’s smile fading away.
“Jonathan, you just woke up p>
Jonathan paused for a brief awkward moment.
“I don’t want to make you both feel uncomfortable cause of me p>
He felt like his presence itself was inconvenient for us.
He felt him being around would be inconvenient.
As if his presence itself was unwelcomed.
“I’ll book a suite tonight, so you p>
He trailed off as he saw my expression.
I stared at him for a silent moment.
There was a time when he dominated every room he went to.
Today he was asking permission to breathe.
He reached for the door knob and was about to, I called out quietly.
“Jonathan p>
He stopped instantly.
I got up and walked closer slowly.
“You don’t have to keep leaving the room when we enter p>
He froze.
I saw his grip tighten on the door knob.
Then he exhaled as if he was carrying a weight on his chest.
“I…I just don’t know what I am allowed to be around you both anymore p>
That line hit harder than any anger could ever.
For the first time since I came back.
I understood how badly guilt had destroyed him.
Both physically and emotionally.
Just then Janet got up and practically dragged Jonathan back to the sofa.
“Daddy,” she said smiling. “You’re the CEO. You can take days off p>
“It’s been seven years since we spent time as a family p>
The word family made us fall silent for a brief moment.
Then Janet sat beside him hugging onto his arm.
Jonathan was still for a moment.
It looked like he was shocked she would actually hold onto him like that.
Then he carefully placed his hand on her hand.
As if making sure he won’t leave, while I saw across from them.
For the first time since we came back, the atmosphere was not strange.
We were apart but not broken.
We just needed…time.
Janet began to speak about her new school awkwardly as she knew he didn’t know a thing about her new school.
I noticed Jonathan was listening with too much attention as if he didn’t want to miss a word of what she said.
Like he was trying to grab the seven years he lost in this one moment he had with Janet.
I noticed he turned slightly to pretend to take a sip of his coffee, whereas he was wiping a tear so Janet would not notice.
I realized he was terrified we’d leave him again.
Then Janet got up to take a shower and Jonathan went about dusting the apartment.
Even when we spoke, he spoke in limited words, and would watch my face to see if I dreaded saying anything.
Like he was checking if I dreaded coming back and was doing it only for Janet.
That’s when I realized p>
He wasn’t behaving distant because he stopped loving me.
He was behaving distantly because he couldn’t survive parting with me again.
Then he left to get some groceries.
I was walking past his study, and I noticed his laptop was open.
I walked in to close the screen, but stopped as I saw some folders.
I recalled even Janet froze and practically broke down as she stood near his laptop.
The folders weren’t any business folders, but they had my name on them.
Veronica hospital bills.
Veronica threat footage.
Veronica CCTV footage
Veronica-Imelda dealings.
My heartbeat slowed down to a dangerous level.
Then I noticed one unnamed folder.
I froze as I went through the content.
There were scanned reports, photographs,threatening messages from Imelda to Jonathan, timestamps, hidden investigations.
And at the very bottom a single document addressed to his PA.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I read the words:
If anything happens to me, send this to Veronica p>
My fingers trembled as I went through the content.
I fell into the chair as I realized he had been collecting evidence for a whole year before sending Fredrick to jail, and almost had adequate evidence to send Imelda to jail as well.
I sat dumbstruck as I realized who exactly had destroyed our family over the past fifteen years.
I realized I only knew half of what really happened back then.
I also knew what I was going to do next.