Jade

Chapter 22

Jade Chapter 22, a romance fiction |

It was cold. Very cold. Flaky snowfalls had started to make their way down, accompanied by gusty winds, making the town a winter wonderland and promising a white Christmas.

White Christmas.

Jade scoffed at the thought, snow flurries landing on her hair and the smoke puffing out of her mouth. It wasn't only from the cold, but from the cigarette she had just lighted up.

Christmas was three days away and here she was, standing outside in the middle of a snow storm and freezing her skin off. It was better than that feeling of dread she felt when she first heard the news about Mark.

She scoffed again.

The bastard.

At first there was the feeling of terror from the initial shock when Byron first called her. Then when Byron finally told her everything that happened, she got so angry that she wished she could give him a piece of her mind face to face.

How could he do that? How could he be so stupid and so selfish? Why?

Jade sniffed. Her nose had started to run due to the cold and her fingers were protesting from the impending frostbite and not having on a pair of mittens, but her stubbornness wouldn't fess up.

She took another drag out of her cigarette and continued to glare at the falling ice crystals.

She still couldn't get over it, no matter how many times she replayed the past conversations and events in her head. Especially the last time that they had talked. She remembered it clearly, particularly the blank expression on his face.

"What you do is none of my business, so if you don't speak to me again then I guess I'll just have to live with it. "

Jade sighed, a shiver finally running up and down her spine. It was both from the cold and something else.

She didn't specifically enjoy the coldness but it was better than being inside that hospital facility with all its lights and Christmas decorations when people were in there suffering, and probably wouldn't even spend their holidays at home.

"Jade?"

And Mark would be one of them. Because of one stupid mistake, he wouldn't be able to enjoy spending the holidays with his family and friends.

"Jade?"

Because he didn't have anyone to turn to, anyone to talk to, he chose alcohol. Because he felt alone, because of her...

"Hey,"

Jade jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Byron who had worry lines across his forehead.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He apologized, a concerned look on his face. "Come back inside, Jade. It's freezing out here." He said, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets to emphasize his words.

Jade didn't move.

She wasn't going to cry about the situation either. No. She was too angry to do so. There was no way she was letting him get away with it. Not if she had a say.

"He's almost out of surgery." Byron finally told her.

She looked back up at him, her expression still closed off. "Good."

She couldn't wait to get her hands on him and torch the idiot for making her feel like this. Behind all that anger she was feeling, there was a hint of fear and worry but she'd be damned if she let those emotion show right now.