The flashback: Hidden truth

Chapter one hundred and twenty-one

Back in Kathryn's hospital room.

"You know, you never for once cared to let me know. You can as well start settling accounts with me by telling me what exactly happened back then."

"You really wanna know?" Jaden's expression changed. His eyes became softer, his voice was also low. He sounded as though he didn't want to hurt her. Kathryn felt that whatever he was going to say would cause her to cry fresh tears all over again. But, she needed to hear him. He'd left her without a single explanation for such a long time. Somehow, she felt like she could deal with whatever he was going to say. She felt like she could survive any other heartbreak, seeing that she didn't die from Davis' and Xander's betrayal. She felt like there was nothing that she couldn't scale through again. Jaden made her tough, and Davis made her tougher.

"I'm not the Kathryn that you used to know. I'm different now." That seemed like a good enough answer to Jaden, who nodded and heaved a deep sigh simultaneously. She appeared stronger than she used to be. She must have really gone through a tough time after their breakup.

Jaden grew silent for a little while, it was as though he was trying to gather his thoughts in his head. Kathryn's resolute eyes were glued to him. She was determined to know all that happened back then.

"You know, all my life, I'd always thought that I was hated by my father, I had no idea that I was his special son." A little smile curved on Jaden's lips as he spoke.

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Flashback

Jaden was the second son of his billionaire father, Rowland Park. All his life, he'd been shielded by him. Jaden grew up having a lot of unanswered questions about several things. He never understood why his father chose to homeschool him. Somehow, he felt that he was hated by his father. He was about ten years younger than his brother, Fred Park, who had been handling his father's business with him. 

He felt like an outcast, especially since the death of his mother. He'd always wanted to be involved in the business of the family, but his father never allowed it. 

"You should focus more on your studies, Jaden. Your brother and I are handling the business just fine." His father would often say. As a result of that, Jaden always felt that he was not good enough. He felt that there was nothing he could do that would ever please his father. He hated his brother and father, especially because they made him feel so dumb. 

He'd often fall into depression from thinking that he was not good enough. Other times, he would cry. His brother was like his father, he'd often tell him to focus on his studies too, giving him a thousand and one reasons why he wasn't needed at the company. 

Most of the time, both his father and brother were not around. They spent most of their time at the office. He'd often leave the house for days sometimes to reflect on his life. He'd often feel useless. He didn't have a lot of friends because he thought that no one would understand him. He had only a few. 

Something however happened, which changed everything completely. His father had been somewhat frantic on that day. Jaden had never seen him like that before. His father had always been the kind that never showed his emotions. He was so good at masking them. But on this day, it was different. Jaden saw different kinds of emotions surge through his father. He saw worry, pain and even fear. Fear? His father? 

If there was one thing Rowland Park was well-known for, it was the fact that he was a fearless billionaire. He was quite daunting. People feared him. Seeing his father look that way surprised Jaden and ultimately even caused fear in him.

"Why do you look like this, dad?" Jaden's forehead creased with worry as he watched his father's face. 

"Are you alright? Is there a problem? You do not look good," he added. 

His father glanced at him and looked into his eyes intently. Jaden figured out that he was probably wondering if telling him whatever was on his mind was a good idea.

What his father said had left him in total shock. He was not expecting to hear that at all. He was told that his brother was in critical condition. He was involved in a car accident and had fallen into a coma.