Again (PUBLISHED!)

Chapter 41.

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I tried to speak to Devon so many times but he wasn't answering my phone calls. When I got to the outskirts of Crawford Lane, I didn't find him in his house either. I didn't know where he was. All I could do was to feel lost, lonely and scared.

I was trudging aimlessly down the streets with pain squeezing every trace of life from within me. All the bitter sweet moments I had spent with him started to flash vividly in my head. There would be no such moments ever again. It was all over. Devon was gone from my life. And with him was gone every reason I had found to live.

When I got back at the vicinity of my house, I saw Jackson sitting alone on the front porch with elbows on his knees and holding his downcast face between his hands.

"Hey Jackson, why do look so sad?" I asked in concern as I approached him. "What happened, baby?"

The kid looked sideways at me as I settled down on the porch next to him.

"Mum and Dad are fighting again.." the child sighed. "Their fights have become bad after Devon left...but why do they have to fight when Devon is living in another house just for a game! Is it that hard to understand?"

"I-I.." I stuttered, not knowing what to say...

"Eleanor, will you tell my mom and dad not to fight and tell them that Devon will come back to live with us after that game is over and so they shouldn't fight because it's not good to fight."

Jackson was looking at me with his cute little baby eyes filled with so much of hope.

I honestly didn't know how to refuse him.

"Jackson, honey, I don't think I..."

"Pleaseee Eleanor," said the kid, his small round eyes looking hurt. "They will listen to you if you tell them because even you're big like them. They will not fight again if you tell them..."

Before I could even answer, Jackson caught hold of my hand with his baby hand and tugged me inside his house. The child was so affected by his parents' fight that he wanted to do something to end it.

We could hear the loud voices of Mr. Parker and Cheryl as we got nearer to their room. Jackson didn't understand any of it but he grew gloomier as we stood outside the door.

"....and it's final," Mr. Parker was saying, "Don't get me to start on that again. I'm not going to buy you such an expensive car just so that you can brag about it in your various upscale social parties and make others feel inferior to you. I'd rather give the money to charity instead of wasting it to fulfill your unreasonable demands."

"My unreasonable demands???" Cheryl screeched at him. "Why don't you say that you want to spend all your fortune on your one and only beloved Devon and leave Jackson and me to starve to death!!"

"You know that's not true!!" Mr. Parker retorted. "I've never made any difference between Devon and Jackson. I've made sure you have all the comforts and luxuries in the world but I don't like the idea of using wealth to belittle others."

Cheryl looked livid. "Your first wife was puke worthy and a bloody pain in the ass, her son is exactly the same!! He should have died with his mother that day. Never liked him. Instead of being grateful that I was giving him a corner in this house to sleep, he disrespected me. That savage boy of yours should have been kicked out five years ago and left to beg on the streets!!"

My feet grew cold and numb with shock hearing her abusing Devon. My heart swelled in pain and I was fighting hard to hold back the tears. I could imagine how horrible Cheryl must have been to Devon all these years....

***

I dropped down on the bed in my room, feeling miserable. I tried to feel happy that Devon left me since it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. I didn't deserve Devon for there was nothing but darkness in me to give him. He would never find peace and happiness with me. I'd only add to his woes.

Devon deserved a girl who was strong, fearless, someone who didn't have a past as painful as mine and someone who could rise above her insecurities and be full of happiness and make his life amazing too. I really wish Devon finds such a girl soon....

The thought of Devon with someone else caused my heart to bleed in despair but it would be the right thing to happen to him....

It must have been hours and hours together since I was holed up in the pitch darkness of my room when suddenly, a sharp ring of my phone tore through the dead silence that bridled the stagnant air surrounding me. I stretched a weak hand to grab the phone from the nightstand and lifted my face off the soggy pillow. I fluttered my exhausted eyes open to see who was calling me up.

My heart miss a beat and I grew wide eyed reading the name flashing on the screen.

"Devon," I whispered on the phone, sitting up straight at once. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"We need to talk," came his brief response from the other end.

My heart sank in pain knowing what it would be about. "Okay, where do I meet you?"