Chapter 2

My eyelids felt heavy. I slowly peeled them open and saw darkness only.

Ouch!

My head was aching badly as if l had just been run over by a truck. My eyes roamed all over the place in confusion , questioning myself where l was. I sighed in relief when l realised I was sleeping in my own bed.

What a terrible nightmare l had!

My heart skipped a beat in fear when l realised I wasn't alone in the room .There was an outline of a man sitting in a chair besides my bed with his dark head hung down .

His muscular body structure was nothing like my father's or Claudius's .

Who was he?

Fear seized me at the prospect of having an armed robber in my room.

Before l could scream bloody murder , he turns on the bedside lamp and golden light flooded the room.

I found myself staring into the most amazing blue eyes . His jaw was sharp and his skin heavily tanned . An indication that he spent a great deal of his time outdoors.

But wait!

There was something familiar about him. Blue eyes! l had definitely seen him before.

"Don't be scared , it's only me."

Even his deep rich voice held a familiar note in it. My brain searched at a faster pace.

"Who are you? ," l asked in a croaked voice , the fear of having a strange man in my room creeping inside me again.

He remained silent for a while , staring at me with an ease and familiarity that caused the hairs on my neck to stand up on one end.

I had definitely seen him somewhere but l couldn't remember where and it was starting to freak me out.

And the fact that he was in my room , sitting by my bedside in the middle of the night didn't help either.

I sat up in bed quickly , my heart hammering in fear but l managed to shoot him a deadly glare l could possibly muster.

"Who the hell are you! And what are you doing in my room!," l cried out.

He quietly removed the hood he was wearing and a mass of midnight black hair fell over his forehead.

"You don't really remember me or you don't want to ?," he asked again in that same eerily familiar voice.

Then Bang!

Everything was right back before my eyes.

It's true when they say that sometimes your brain can block your most painful moments for a moment. It's because of the fear in us of facing our realities. It's our way of coping with the pain.

l was now staring at the cruel reality of my life again.

"No! ," l said in a small voice as l shook my head in denial.

"It's not true! THEY ARE NOT DEAD!," l screamed facing him.

He continued watching me with a relaxed look on his face , as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"They are dead ," he spoke again in that same relaxed voice and l wanted nothing better than to claw his eyes out until l draw blood.

My breathing was now a little ragged as anger surged inside me. Grabbing a pillow , l threw it in his face whilst sobbing.

"My parents are not dead. You are lying!," l screamed at him throwing pillows one after the other at him.

He let the pillows hit him without ducking any of them. I sat back on the bed now openly sobbing.

It was a lie!

"My parents are not dead!"

I keep repeating to myself over and over again like a mantra. I felt the bed dip besides me and l knew the stranger had moved to sit besides me on the bed.

He held my face in his large hands and turned me to face him. His eyes now held a sympathetic look.

"Miss Jane. Accept the truth no matter how painful it is. Your parents are now dead and they are not coming back ," he said in a firm voice.

How can he say it in such a heartless way!

My anger reignited again and l slapped away his hands from me.

"You don't know anything!," l yelled at him still sobbing.

"I saw them dead."

I felt like someone had dumped a bucket full of ice cubs on my head. That's the sensation l was having as l stared at him after those four words.

It was now making sense why he looked familiar. He was the one who rang the bell at my house that afternoon accompanied by two police officers . I had come running down the stairs,shrieking with joy.

I was expecting my parents to be back from their shopping spree . They had gone to buy my graduation present and l was very excited to see what they had got for me. l had impatiently unlocked the large double oak doors only to have an encounter with the most piercing blue eyes staring at me as if looking right through my soul.

I had sighed in disappointment and stepped back to let them in , only to have them break the worst news l have ever received in my twenty three years. I was informed that my parents had died in a car accident and this man was the first witness.

The word "accident" brought more tears to my eyes . l wish they were given a better and less painful way to die. Reality began to finally sink in.

My parents were now gone!

I was now orphaned and all alone in this cruel word!

Tears silently streamed down my face. My right hand clutched my heart as l felt pain ripping it apart.

It was painful!

The stranger gathered me in his arms and cradled my head on his broad chest as l bawled out my eyes over my loss. He patted my head murmuring words of comfort.

"You will be okay," he whispered against my hair.

I wanted to roughly shove him away and yell at him that nothing was okay. How can it be okay when l was now left alone.

I don't know how much time passed before my sobs became small muffled sounds and hiccups . My mind was no longer foggy . l was now thinking clearer. My mind drifted to the conversation l had with the policemen before l fainted.

He had said that my parent's car had ran over the bridge as if intentionally. They had retrieved the nearby CCTV footages and saw that their car had been swaying in the middle of the road as if they were fighting or maybe the wheel had a puncture. The car was still at the garage for inspection of what had caused the accident.

I felt anger sweep through me again.

How can they be selfish!

They knew l depended on them for everything!

How can l face the world on my own!

My eyes welled again with tears of frustration.

How can they do this to me!

I unwrapped my arms from his waist and stared at him with an unwavering gaze.

"Do you think my parents were fighting when they had that accident?"

He looked hesitant for a moment before answering.

"I don't know. I was driving behind them when they had the accident. Their car was swaying. It could be a punctured wheel ."

I remained silent staring into space absentmindedly. That stupid policeman claimed that my parents were fighting when they had an accident. I didn't know what to believe anymore. My parents rarely argued or maybe they refrained from doing so in my presence.

I have always lived a sheltered life since l was young. I had began to see the real world when l went away for university.

"Are you angry at them?," he asked suddenly bringing me out of my thoughts with a start.

Is he reading my mind!

"Why would you say that?," l asked him with a deep frown.

I hated people who thought they knew me better than l did myself.

He scooted closer to me and held my hands in his. His eyes were clouded with sadness.

"I know the feeling . l lost my only relative when l was twelve," he told me.

I looked up into his eyes stunned. He had lost his family at such an early age . And here l was thinking that l was the most unlucky person to ever grace the earth.

"It was a hit and run. I was there when it happened but I never got to see the person behind the wheel. It remained an unsolved case ," he continued with difficult.

A gasp escaped me and my hand covered my mouth as tears streamed down my cheeks. I placed my hands on top of his and squeezed them feeling his pain.

"I am sorry you had to go through that."

He closed his eyes for a bit , his jaw clenched tightly. He seemed to be remembering some distant painful memory. When his eyes peeled open , he flashed me a sad smile.

" I should be the one saying that to you . It was a long time. My point is your parents are dead , and there is nothing you can do about it. You should be grateful that you got to spend time with them and know how wonderful they are. Some people are not so lucky as you. There are people out there whose mothers died while giving birth to them. Don't be resentful anymore but cherish those moments you had with them."

By the end of his long speech , l was openly crying again. His words hit a painful nerve. Minutes ago l was blaming my parents that they had died without a fight as if they had a choice in the matter.

He drew me back in his arms and l hugged him back so tight, soaking his shirt front with my tears . I was glad and grateful that l wasn't alone . That he was there to comfort me otherwise l would have gone insane with the pain.

God knows l needed all the comfort in the world l could get. I looked into his eyes and asked him the question that had been bothering me a lot.

"Were.... they.....in pain?," l stuttered between sobs.

I needed to know. I felt like l could explode if l continue to keep these feelings ,this pain and these questions bottled inside me.

He seemed hesitant for a moment before answering.

"When l reached the car ,your dad was already dead. He seemed peaceful as if he had gone out of this world without a struggle. Are you fine with me telling you....," his voice trailed off.

I cut him off.

"It's okay. l need to know so that l can be at peace ."

He nodded his head then,

"Your mother was still breathing when l reached the car, but later died while we were waiting for the ambulance. I am sorry for telling you all this ," he said in a concerned voice.

I sighed and rested my head on his broad shoulders. I needed rest . I was tired , emotionally tired.

"Miss Jane ,your mother said her last words for you before she died," he added quietly.

I looked up into his face my heart racing in anticipation .

"She said always stay strong and never stop believing in God . She said she and your dad will always love and cherish you a lot from above. And she begged me to promise her to take care of you . And l did. So if you ever need anything tell me. I am willing to extend my hand."

I felt tears stinging my eyes again but l quickly blinked them away . Even in her last painful moments , my mother was still thinking of me.

How can she be so selfless.

I clutched my heart sobbing my heart out. She was thinking about me even in her last moments. I had done nothing to make them proud in their lifetime. I was always a spoiled rich brat who always complained at everything.

Sneaking out to go to parties , being featured in gossip news column. And my parents were always the one to clean after the mess.

"Miss Jane.."

The stranger started but l held up one hand.

"I need to be alone," l told the stranger who still held me in his arms.

He released me and stared at me with a sympathetic expression.

"Don't do anything stupid," he said in a stern voice.

"I am not going to commit suicide if that's what you think. Now if you will excuse me ," l said in a harsh tone than l intended to do.

He seemed hurt by my words but he gave me a curt nod before getting up and leave the room. Now that l was alone in a dimly lit room , l felt more alone than l have ever been in my life.

I laid back in bed , and curled myself into a tight ball under the blankets shivering. I felt numb with pain. I couldn't believe my life had taken a 360 degrees for the worst over night.

I sobbed until l was feeling drained and weak