Rhea tried calling Klaus again for feedback, but he wasn’t picking up. She tried Vincent’s line too, but he wasn’t answering either.
She was freaking out, beads of sweat cascading down her face.
Morticia better be alright. She had to be.
How could she have remembered Jamie this late? It was years ago when her father took her to Chicago to visit her mother and spend a few days with her.
In the park, little Rhea watched kids playing. She had no friends; most of the kids barely talked to her as if she were a misfit. Her skin was darker at that time.
A particular boy around the age of nine caught her attention, young and cute. He was playing with his white cat, caressing it with all the gentleness in the world..
His eyes filled with love and adoration.
A woman in her early fifties was making a call nearby.
“Grandma, I think Lily is hungry,” the boy said to the woman, who waved her hand, indicating she’d attend to him soon.
The boy set the cat on the ground, desperate to get his grandmother’s attention.
As he took his first step, he accidentally stepped on the cat’s tail. The cat hissed aggressively, jumped on the boy’s exposed thigh, scratching and biting him.
Red marks, with a bit of blood visible, appeared on his thigh as he cried out in fear, making the cat stop.
“Oh my God, sweetie, are you okay?” The woman rushed to check his scratches.
Little Rhea watched, concerned, her eyes on the cat. Surely they’d scold it.
“That was wrong, Lily!” the woman snapped at the cat while the boy stayed silent. He wasn’t even crying.
The woman went back to her call while the boy examined his wound, then looked back at the cat. His demeanor shifted; even Rhea sensed he wasn’t the cheerful boy he had been moments ago.
He exuded a completely different aura, and the cat stepped back.
With swift movement, he reached for the cat, which tried to run away but got unlucky.
He caught it, trapping it beneath one leg, then stomped hard on the cat’s tiny face.
Rhea gasped as she watched him do it over and over until his grandmother pulled him away.
The cat was already dead, its head bashed, brains spilled out on the soft grass, lying in a pool of blood.
The boy’s eyes still blazed with fury, as though wanting to do more.
“Enough!” the woman yelled, holding him firmly. Her eyes darted around to see if anyone had noticed, then landed on Rhea. She shrugged it off… Rhea was just a little girl, after all.
But Jamie’s eyes made little Rhea’s heart skip a beat. He met her gaze, cold and unforgiving.
The transformation was too fast and surreal. From a charming boy to a psychopath.
She saw that look again, briefly, when Morticia went with Jamie to supposedly “sort out their differences.”
It was as if he recognized her at that moment, flashing those same cold, piercing eyes at her.
When Morticia later told her how he acted weird, Rhea had no choice but to contact her hacker friend, Thane, to dig up the information she needed.
Unable to handle her anxiety, Rhea dashed out of her room, only to find Valerie at her doorstep.
“Val?”
“What happened to Morticia?” Valerie asked, and Rhea blinked in confusion. “I could tell something’s up from the way you sounded on the phone.”
—
Vincent sighed, staring at the unconscious Nica, her body marred with dried blood and bruises. Her face was pale as she received treatment from the doctors.
She had passed out after seeing him, emotionally drained and crying. She lay helpless, stirring anger within him.
Wasn’t Mr. Hanson a father figure to her? How the hell did he treat her this way? Since when had he started?
Nica had always been the type to hide things behind her smile, but this was too much.
The thought dawned on him. He wanted to storm into the police station, drag Mr. Hanson out, and give him another beating. Hell, he wanted to kill the bastard.
He pulled out his phone to call Sienna, only to see numerous missed calls from Rhea and Klaus. His brow furrowed as he called Klaus, who picked up almost immediately.
“Where the heck have you been?” Klaus snapped on the other side.
“Something came up. Nica got hurt and was almost raped by her adopted father.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, I dozed off at the hospital. I’ll leave once she wakes… what’s going on?” Vincent asked.
“Morticia is missing. Suspect: Jamie,” Klaus said, and Vincent’s eyes widened, his killer instinct kicking in.
“Her boyfriend?”
“No, my dog… Yes, her boyfriend, Vincent. Though they broke up yesterday, he’s now obsessed with her.”
Vincent stood up, his breathing ragged, his expression cold. “Does my mom know about this?”
“No.”
“Good.” He muttered and marched out of the hospital.
—
Morticia stared at the guy sitting across from her, head lowered as he held his gun tightly.
“Jamie,” she called, her voice barely above a whisper, tears smearing her face.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, and Jamie finally looked up at her, his eyes swirling with an unreadable emotion.
“About what?” he questioned, his voice dripping with venom.
“For everything… everything I did. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry for being so confused about my feelings and dragging you in. I thought I could open up my heart, forget about him, start fresh, and let you in, but I couldn’t.”
Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her voice wavering. “I tried, Jamie… I didn’t want to be like this, but I can’t stop wanting him…”
“Shut up,” he snapped. “I don’t wanna hear it.”
“But that’s the truth. I can’t give you what you want. I don’t want to keep hurting you, and you can’t keep doing this. You don’t want to, Jamie…”
“Fucking stop it, Morty! You really think it’s easy to let go? You of all people know that, Morty. You can’t let go of Klaus no matter what…”
“Not like this…”
“Then how?!” Jamie roared, but then his gaze softened. “I love you more than I love myself. It grew every day with the thought that you were mine. You fed me lies, and I took them. You cheated, and I took it. But breaking up with me is cruel, Morty. You have no fucking idea how much it hurts.”
Morticia’s lips trembled, but she didn’t say anything.
He continued, his eyes watering. “I’m sorry I hit you. I’m sorry I yelled at you. But I can’t let you go.”
“Jamie… please.”
Jamie stood, took the tape, and advanced toward her.
“Jamie, you need to stop… please… Jamie…” Her words were cut short as he taped her lips, then placed a kiss on her forehead.
“I love you, Morticia Addams.”