FORBIDDEN AFFECTIONS: ADDICTED TO MY STEPMOM

Holding Jack’s hand, I heard the speed of my heartbeat while in the ambulance. Just when we were about to lose hope, Jonah came with the police. Even Bon and Norman came back and helped us.

Jack continued to be unconscious and was lying in front of me, some medical personnel on the side to continue supporting him and pressing to stop his bleeding. I couldn’t even feel my own body anymore. I was just looking at him, praying and praying he won’t slip away… He had lost too much blood…

I tightened the grip on his hand, my own stomach feeling as though it was being twisted in excruciating tight knots. My head was spinning but I held in, my trembling fingers continued to hold onto his hand. My Jack’s hand.

Time went on like years while Jack and I were in that ambulance. It was probably the longest trip I had ever been on but also the one I was too afraid to end.

As soon as we reached the hospital, the medical staff told me to prepare for the worst.

Because Jack’s heartbeats were faint. Almost as if they had completely stopped.

“… What… What are you saying?” I heard my own voice cracking as I looked at the nurse who came and confirmed what I heard.

“Please stay and wait. We’re going to do everything we can,” the same nurse told me as she rushed in back to the emergency room with another staff.

Just then, a voice from behind called me. “Mars!”

I turned and realized it was Jonah.

Trembling, I ran to her and couldn’t keep it in anymore and let my tears out. “J-Jonah… Aki… My son, h-he’s…”

“Shh, shh, Jack will be okay. It will be okay,” Jonah said as she hugged me and kept caressing my head, trying to calm me down but my tears wouldn’t stop. “… We know him, there’s no way he will leave you and Amy. He’s going to fight for you. Marianne, please stay strong for him too.”

My body trembled vehemently as more tears came out of me. Strong… How could I be strong right now knowing my son was slowly slipping away? My fingers shook at the thought, trying to grip Jonah’s clothes but continuing to fall miserably back to my side.

Jonah stayed on my side, rubbing my back until I calmed down. We remained seated in the front of the room where Jack was brought. We had no choice but to wait outside. About an hour passed and still, no one was coming out of that room.

“Mars, I brought some clothes and food. I think you should change first and eat something too,” Jonah gently offered as she looked at me, eyes full of concern.

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I noticed the way her fingers trembled as she spoke to me in tears, “I-I’m sorry, mars… I-I didn’t know that man was like that. I didn’t know he’d do those things to you… If, If only I hadn’t introduced him to you, these things wouldn’t happen….”

I shook and nodded my head at the same time, mirroring her expression. “It’s not your fault, Jonah…”

Jonah’s tears flowed, “That bastard is a psycho! He’s an animal who deserves to die!!” She cried, even harder than I did. In the end, I had to hug her myself to comfort her and rub her back to stop her from crying.

In a way, I was relieved I was able to talk to one of my most trusted and dear best friends again. Even though frightening things happened, it never crossed my mind that it was Jonah’s fault. It turns out that Ryan had some issues that came from the past marriage that resulted in him becoming unstable especially when it comes to relationships. The police recovered his files and from there, they – and I – discovered he had been watching me for a long time, way long before Jonah introduced me to him.

I was honestly shaking out of intense fear the moment I heard it but I knew I needed to know too to finally know why it happened in the first place. Even so, the fear that I felt from that news was still too little compared to the fear I felt towards Jack’s condition right now. More than anything, I couldn’t think straight and focused on other things for too long.

Right now, all I wanted was to see Jack open his eyes, and show me that he was alive, well, and kicking again.

“Don’t worry, mars. He’s going to rot in jail. He won’t bother you ever again. If he does, I’ll handle him myself,” Jonah said as she gave me another squeeze on the hand and a small smile.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I tried to give back the same response but the nervousness and pain inside my chest wouldn’t let me. It seemed like a long time passed before the doors of the emergency room finally opened. I got up and immediately met the doctor.

“The patient is now stable. The infection he got from the wound worsened because of the long exposure to rain and soil, but because the stitches were good, we were able to mend it quickly,” the doctor explained. “A few of his organs have suffered from the infection but we have already stabilized the damages. Fortunately, his heartbeats have come stronger than earlier. After an hour, we will do another check-up. You can see him after a few minutes.”

I almost fainted with joy at what I heard. Jonah hugged me and smiled as we both thanked the doctor. After a few hours, Jack was released from the E. R. and taken to one of the rooms. There is an IV connected to his hand, his eyes still closed. According to the doctor, there was a huge possibility he would wake up anytime soon.

I stared at my son’s face and couldn’t help but cry. The amount we went through. Several times our lives were put in danger, especially Jack’s because of the wound he received from the enemy. But even so, my son continues to resist the dark and continues to survive. Even now, he had fought through death and came back again.

“I love you so much, Aki,” I whispered to him as I caressed his face. My children are the ones I love the most in life. I will never be able to continue living if I ever lose any of them.

“… I really love you too.”

My tears stopped when I heard him speak. I looked at him, stunned as I found his eyes slowly opening.