UNBREAKABLE

Thirty

      Two months later

  
            Nothing felt right anymore. Not his job or his life. JR felt like a shell of the person he used to be. He woke up and went through the motions of going to work then coming back home straight. He then spent most of the time in Hayley's room trying to preserve whatever presence she left behind. He'd instructed the staff not to wash the sheets or touch anything. Her wedding dress hung on the wall reminding him everyday of what he'd had and lost. He was so miserable without her but not once did he regret loving her. She was a special woman who'd opened his heart. Maybe later when the pain had lessened he would look back and thank her for showing him how to love. But right then it was just too much.

After she had been discharged Vince had locked her away in his Tower. JR had tried to see her but it was all in vain. At first he'd thought Vince was hiding her not letting her talk to him but after a few attempts she'd called him and told him to leave her alone. Her voice alone halted his attempts. She had sounded so cold, so distant and there was a bit of resentment towards him. She hadn't even wanted to hear him out. Just like that she had cut him out of her life. And he couldn't help but feel all alone. He was still mad at his father for hiding the truth. Nick had deserted him when he needed his help so they fell out. Who did he have now? Jasmine had left to one of her trips. The house was so quiet without Hayley or Alexis. Even the staff walked around with sad faces.

Currently JR was lying in bed with his eyes closed recalling his memories with Hayley when he heard loud voices coming from downstairs. His heartbeat picked up and his hope soared imagining Hayley had come back. Jumping up he rushed downstairs only to find the last person he had expected to see. His mother. Lucinda Rutherford. His whole being deflated like a balloon without air. Of all the times his mother could show up, this was the worst. He didn't have the energy to deal with her. "Hi mom." he said then turned around heading back to his room.

"That's it?" he stopped but didn't look at her. "I haven't seen you in almost a year and all you can say is 'hi mom'?"

"Dad is in his study. Please go bother him and leave me alone"

"What an ungrateful child you are" that did it. JR knew his mother wanted to have it out with him and he knew he should have walked away from her but after everything he couldn't hold it in any longer. He needed to let some of it out or he would drown in his sorrows.

"Ungrateful?" he spun around and walked towards her stopping a foot away. "Ungrateful mom? You say that like I'm the one who's been neglecting you all their life. All I've ever done is try to please you. I did whatever you wanted me to, dressed however you wanted, took piano lessons that I hated for you, everything you asked but it still wasn't enough. You kept asking for more and more and when I tired of being your puppet you took that as your chance to remind me how you saved my life. Adopting me wasn't saving my life mom. It was you choosing to be my mother. I didn't choose you, you chose me and I've done everything I can think of to repay you back but enough is enough. I'm done trying to please you mother. Call me ungrateful all you want. I don't care anymore" JR finished his rant and left the house. He couldn't stand to spend one more second there knowing his mother was going to find fault in everything he did.

But that was just it. It didn't matter how old you were you still wanted your parents to be proud of you. All his life he'd tried to please his mother but nothing was ever enough. He didn't know how other kids felt but for him it was harder. Lucinda Rutherford never failed to remind him that they had saved him from growing up in an orphanage. His birth mother had died during childbirth and he didn't have any relatives so his next destination would have been an orphanage but Jim and Lucinda had adopted him after having a miscarriage. Lucinda hadn't wanted to try to have kids of her own again because she said she couldn't take it if she lost another child. But that made her a bitter person. She took out all her anger and misery out on JR always reminding him that she was doing him a favor by raising him.