When Eric saw her, his heart twisted with a sharp mixture of guilt and pain. She looked completely different from the girl he remembered meeting at Stephanie's party, and drastically different from the girl at the hospital who had kindly handed him a bottle of water. Back then, even while her friend was undergoing a serious operation, she had managed to smile brightly, her eyes radiating warmth and vitality.
But the Jackie standing before him now was a ghost of her former self. Even without her uttering a single word, it was painfully obvious that she was drowning in deep, unquantifiable grief. She looked utterly miserable.
"Hey, Jackie," Eric said softly, his voice cutting through the heavy silence.
"Hey, Eric. You didn't tell me you were coming," Jackie murmured, her voice sounding distant and fragile.
"I've been trying to call you, but your phone has been completely off," Eric replied gently, trying not to sound accusatory.
Jackie stared past him, completely detached from her surroundings. The truth was, she had turned off her phone the exact moment she arrived home on compassionate leave. She desperately needed to isolate herself. She couldn't bear the thought of anyone—especially her family members—reaching out to comfort or question her after learning about her mother's sudden passing. She had been so consumed by grief that she couldn't even remember where she had thrown the device.
They went to their living room and the woman offered him a seat. "Will you like anything? Juice, water, snack." "No... I am fine, thanks," Eric lamented. "Okay," Jackie nodded before sitting on the couch opposite Eric. "Think what you want to tell me is crucial, that's why you drove all the way here," Jackie said indirectly, asking the man why he was there. "I've been trying to call you and know how you are doing but I could not get you on the phone, so I decided to come here and see you myself. I am sorry if I've pressured you with my sudden visit but I couldn't help it. I was anxious knowing you weren't in a good state when I left the other day," Eric told truthfully. Jackie was astounded. She was the crucial reason why he drove all the way there. Why did he even care so much? She gave her lips a quick bite and commented, "Thank you so much for caring for me. You shouldn't have bothered..." She stopped midway when her stomach grumbled loudly. Eric expected her to feel embarrassed or shy but she didn't; instead, she sighed heavily and excused herself to the kitchen. Eric thought she was going to get something to eat, but to his growing dissatisfaction, she only came back clutching a single bottle of water, her fingers tightly wrapped around the cold plastic. Eric creased his brow at the sight, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her tired face. What on earth was she doing? She was running herself on empty, and it was painful to watch.
Eric stood up from the couch and asked, "Can I please use your kitchen?"
"Do you need anything? I will get it for you," Jackie suggested quickly, though her voice was laced with a deep, heavy exhaustion that contradicted her offer. She made a weak move to turn back, clearly running on sheer survival instinct.
"No, I will get it myself. Don't worry yourself," Eric replied gently, placing a reassuring hand near her shoulder to stop her from moving.
"Okay then. Make yourself comfortable with anything in the kitchen," Jackie said, leaning slightly into his comforting presence before offering a faint, tired smile.
Eric nodded before zooming off to the kitchen, eager to find something substantial for her to eat. Jackie sat back down, waiting for him to come back, but as the minutes ticked by into a long silence, she realized the man was taking an unusually long time. Growing curious, she pushed herself up and made her way down the dimly lit hallway to check on what he was doing.
Halfway to the kitchen, a rich, savory aroma began to drift through the air, cutting through the stagnant, dusty smell of the house. She quickly accelerated her pace, drawn in by the scent, only to find Eric busy at the stove. He was deftly stirring a colorful mixture of fresh veggies and thinly sliced beef in a sizzling pan over the bright blue flame. The kitchen counter was cluttered with chopped garlic, open spice bottles, and a small variety of fresh ingredients he had somehow unearthed from her fridge. The entire room was completely filled with the delicious, mouth-watering scent of a proper, home-cooked meal.
"It's been a very long time since this kitchen smelt this good," Jackie revealed, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe as a sudden wave of comfort washed over her, warming her cold hands.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Eric smiled, looking up from the stove with a bright, easy grin that instantly cut through the tension in the room.
Jackie just giggled and shook her head, looking down at her socks. This was the first time she had smiled genuinely since her mother died, and the sudden, fluttery warmth in her chest caught her completely by surprise. For weeks, her throat had been tight with tears, but right now, it felt clear.
"You should go and freshen up. I will be done by the time you come back," Eric said softly, his tone shifting to something much more tender. He looked at her closely, knowing by her rumpled clothes, tired appearance, and the faint gray smudges of dust on her skin that she had been trying desperately hard to deep-clean the house since early morning, using physical labor to block out her grief.
Jackie nodded a quiet 'okay' before leaving the room, feeling lighter and more taken care of than she had in days.
Jackie returned after thirty minutes to find Eric placing the final dish onto the dining table. Seeing her approach, he stepped forward and politely pulled out a chair for her.
"Thank you, Eric," she said, offering a warm smile.
Eric picked up her plate and began serving her.
"You don't have to do that, I can help myself," Jackie said gently.
"No, let me treat you," Eric insisted. He began spooning a generous helping of stir-fried beef and vegetables over steaming white rice. Next to her plate, he set down a tall glass of freshly blended, vibrant multi-fruit juice. He kept adding more food to her plate until Jackie finally reached out to stop him.
"I don't think I can eat all of this," she admitted, looking at the mountain of food.
"You should eat every bite. You haven't been eating well lately," Eric said, his tone carrying a hint of quiet concern.
"Okay... I will try," Jackie mumbled, picking up her fork.
"Good. Eat up."
"Aren't you going to eat?" Jackie asked, noticing that he had simply seated himself directly opposite her, his own hands resting flat on the table.
"No, I'm not hungry. Besides, I made this food specifically for you," Eric replied. He settled back into his chair, keeping his eyes fixed entirely on her as she began to eat.
In truth, he hadn't ever looked closely at her before today. Perhaps he simply hadn't been that interested. Initially, he convinced himself that these gestures—cooking her a hot meal, waiting on her, watching over her—were merely his way of showing gratitude for everything she had done for him at the hospital. He told himself it was just a duty, a way to balance the scales of an unpayable debt. But as he watched the soft glow of the dining light catch her face, a unsettling realization began to stir inside him. This went far deeper than simple appreciation, and the sudden warmth in his chest was something he could no longer easily explain away.
As far as he could remember, his heart had always been a fortress. The selective group of people who had saved his life and provided him with his basic needs were the only ones he ever allowed himself to care about. They were his entire world—until his biological mother unexpectedly entered the picture. With her, the connection had been instant and undeniable; he immediately understood the biological weight of a parent-child bond. It made perfect sense why he felt a deep, instinctive need to protect her from the very first moment they met.
But Jackie was different. Jackie was an anomaly. He constantly agonized over what it was about her that drew him in so completely, bypassing every emotional defense mechanism he owned without him even realizing it.
Lost in the suffocating weight of his own thoughts, he sighed heavily and shook his head to clear it.
"What? Is something wrong?"
Jackie's voice suddenly cut through his trance. He blinked, coming face-to-face with her questioning gaze.
"Yes... Yes, everything is perfectly fine. Why do you ask?" he lied smoothly, forcing a reassuring smile.
"You just seem a bit absent-minded today," she noted, tilting her head as she studied his face. "Like you're a million miles away."
"Don't worry about me, I am fine," Eric insisted, gesturing toward her plate. "Just keep on eating. My only goal right now is to see you finish your food."
Jackie giggled at his sudden strictness, the sound light and musical, before eagerly doing exactly as he said.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, but the peace didn't last. Halfway through the meal, the harsh vibration of Eric's phone shattered the mood. He pulled it out to see Andrew's name flashing on the screen. Pressing it to his ear, he sighed as Andrew delivered the news: he had found his missing sister.
He didn't have the slightest clue how to behave or what to say toward this woman considering her issues with Andrew. Everything in his life was rapidly spinning out of control, getting noisier and more chaotic. At the very least, his mother's oppressive mood would finally lift after being reunited with her long-lost daughter. For as long as he could remember, the fragile woman always talked about how happy she would be when her family was finally whole again.
He had told Andrew that he was coming there after the man told him their address.
"Are you leaving?" Jackie asked after Eric's call.
She wasn't pleased with whoever called, because on account of him, the man was about to leave. "No... we are leaving. You should hurry up," Eric replied.
"Hmm... why am I going with you?" Jackie asked again. "Because I don't want to leave you here alone."
"Thanks, but I will be fine by..." "No, I insist. You have been staying behind closed doors for days. You should go out for some fresh air."
Jackie sighed before nodding okay.
After Jackie was done eating, she went up to her room to change. She came back in a simple black A-line dress and a pair of slippers.
Eric stared at the woman in the black dress. She wore zero makeup, yet she looked like she had put on makeup with her thick eyelashes, ivory skin, and very pink lips. It had not been long since he realized the woman was very beautiful. After his realization, the woman seemed to look more beautiful with each passing moment.