It All Starts With a Lie

Aftershocks

Chapter 36: Aftershocks

******************************

James Baldwin once said, "Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle; love is a war; love is growing up."

It was then that Jason woke up and found the couch beside him empty. He didn't want to accept it, but he was already missing Ella. It had been seven weeks since they had talked or seen each other.

As was his routine, he took a bath and got ready for the day. While applying perfume, he suddenly realized it was Ella's favorite scent. Although he had never liked perfume, he applied it anyway.

When he arrived at work, he called Mr. Frank into his cabin and asked, "Did you ask the doctor about those reports?"

"Yeah. I went to Spain for this. The doctor has requested a video conference with you. By the way, whose reports are these?" Frank replied.

"One of my friends. Why?" Jason asked.

"The doctor is worried about your friend's health. The condition is very serious. If proper treatment is not administered as soon as possible, your friend might lose her life," Frank replied.

Upon hearing this, Jason felt a clash of emotions. His mind reeled, "S-So, she can live?"

"The doctors aren't sure about this. I think you should talk to them first. He mentioned the patient is alive but just completing a formality. She knows about the death, but the deteriorating reports indicate that your friend doesn't want to live anymore. She's straining her body too much. The doctor said you need to talk to her about the illness," Frank said.

"Okay, you can go. I'll talk to the doctor," Jason replied. But he suddenly made Frank stop and said, "Frank don't let anyone know about this."

"Okay sir, don't worry," He replied. Jason's words already made him realized who his friend was.

As Frank left, Rory entered the room. "Oh, you're early today?" she asked.

"Yes, just for some work. What about you? How's your health now?" he asked.

"I'm well. The doctor said I can work now. The gun just passed; don't worry too much. Let me first schedule your day," she said.

"Mr. Frank already scheduled it for me. From now on, please focus on our mission. Dad has been going abroad for work with his second assistant, and all the time you weren't here, he handled my tasks every day. I'm comfortable with him," he replied.

"So, you don't like my work now?" she asked.

"No, that's not it, Rory. Try to understand; I really don't want to lose you again. It's not safe for you with me after that incident," Jason replied.

"But I want to..." Rory began.

"I know everything you want to say, but please, I want you to be safe, and to protect you, I have to keep you away from myself," he interrupted.

"But I can't live without you. Don't leave me. There's no one except you in my life," she replied.

He stood up from the his chair and went near her,"Who said I'm leaving you? I'm just staying away for a while. After some days, when this mess clears up, we'll be together again." 

"But—" Rory said.

"No buts. Do as I'm saying! Please leave. Please," Jason shouted in frustration.

Rory stomped her foot and left the room. This was the first time Jason had seen her so stubborn. Usually, whenever he said anything to her, she understood immediately, but this time was different.

Jason was overwhelmed with thoughts:
"Why did she marry me if she was this much ill?"
"Is she telling the truth or playing a game? But regarding her illness, she was right from the start."
"Is Rory really... No, she can't be."
"But"

"Oh god!"
"I have to look into this; the question is how?"

While Jason was lost in thought, he suddenly remembered something he saw in Ella's locker, "A pen drive," he muttered.

He glanced at his watch just as a notification popped up on his laptop screen. He opened his email and put in his Air Pods to join the online conference with the doctors.

"Let's get to the point. Your wife's condition is very poor. I'm sorry, but she could die any day. It's surprising that she's still functioning like a normal person. However, after reviewing her reports carefully, we believe this might be due to the high-dose medication she's been taking," Dr. Isabella said, who was the head of the doctors present. Dr. Greece was her junior who primarily looked into Ella's case.

"So will her condition improve?" Jason asked.

"These medications can only provide temporary relief," Dr. Greece replied.

"What's the permanent solution?" Jason pressed.

"I'm sorry, but there isn't a permanent solution. When you mentioned it, we looked into it and tried our best, but there isn't any solution for this," Dr. Greece explained.

Upon hearing this, Jason felt shattered. All his hopes crumbled, and helplessness washed over him. His stress quickly turned into anger, "Why did you make me wait like a fool for so many days?" he shouted.

"We understand how you're feeling, but all these days we were working on your wife's case," Dr. Greece replied patiently.

"Tell me if you find something for this," he retorted and ended the call.

Rory heard him shouting but couldn't intervene; she didn't want to trouble herself again.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Jason arrived at Ella's house. The guard stopped his car and leaned toward the window. Jason rolled down the glass, and seeing him, the guard looked surprised. "Ms. Ella isn't at home right now."

"No, I came to meet father. Is he at home?" Jason asked from inside the car. 

He parked the car and went to the backyard.

 In the backyard, he spotted a series of old pipelines running up the exterior wall. They appeared worn yet sturdy enough to support his weight. After checking that no one was watching, he took a deep breath and made his move.

He placed his foot on the first pipe to test its hold before pushing himself upward. With each careful step, he climbed higher, gripping the cold metallic surface. He was scared that he wasn't making a sound with his breath. Finally, after much struggle, he reached the balcony of her room. He opened the door and stepped inside but found no one there.

He immediately rushed to her walk-in closet and closed the door tightly so no one could enter; however, another door opened that connected to the bathroom.

Jason went to the locker beneath her shoe case. He knelt down and pulled it out, "I hope it's still the same," he said as he dialed their marriage date as the password and—voilà—it opened.

It was a relief for Jason that all his hard work in getting to her room was not in vain. But when he searched for the pen drive, it wasn't there. He emptied everything from the box but still found nothing.

Suddenly, after some searching, a voice came from behind him, "Are you looking for this?"

Jason turned around to see who it was; he found Ella standing in front of him with the bathroom door open.