A few days later the bruising around Maya's neck had disappeared. She constantly avoided Jason out of fear. On her way downstairs to get breakfast she bumped into Jason, whichwas thelast thing she wanted.
"Join me." He instructed while he chewed on his bacon.
Maya sat down and the chef placed her food in front of her. This was the first time she sat down and had breakfast with Jason.
"I'll be working from home today then right after we can go see your brother. Sound good?"
Maya nodded her head and they ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.
After breakfast Maya went up to take a shower. As soon as she stepped into the shower she felt the hot water running down her body. It immediately calmed her. She took her time in the shower. She shaved her legs and washed her hair with her favourite Vanilla scented shampoo. When she was done, she wrapped a towel around her body and one around her hair.
"I won't be available tonight Celia. I'll see you another night." Maya heard Jason respond to someone on the phone.
It hurt her that Jason felt the need to be with another woman while he was married to her. Every time Maya thought things were going well between them, Jason decides to do something idiotic. She knew he didn't love her but she still had hope that he would one day.
"I'll talk to you later." Jason ended the call as soon as he heard Maya.
"I'm just going to sort out a few things before we leave."
Maya gave him a soft smile and walked to her room to get dressed. She had no idea what to wear.
When she finally got an outfit she stared into the mirror not knowing what to do with her hair. She really wanted to cut her hair shorter.
"Ready?" Jason asked when he saw Maya standing at his office door.
"Yea."
He closed his laptop and shut the office door behind him. Maya walked ahead of him and he could smell her vanilla shampoo. He hated how Maya made him feel. He didn't understand why he couldn't get her out of his head but he hated every minute of it.
"When we get there you can go up to Blake's room so long, I just need to sort things out and I'll be sure to join you as soon as I finish."
Maya didn't respond. She just stared out the window.
"I'm talking to you Maya." He calmly said.
"I understand." Her voice cracked as soon as she spoke.
She wasn't ignoring him. She was just scared to see her brother in the condition he's in. Maya was trying to put on a brave face for her little brother but failed miserably. As she continued to think of her brother she felt tears running down her face. She didn't bother wiping them away. She just closer her eyes. Jason noticed but didn't know how to comfort her.
"We're here. He's on floor 5, room 101. It's the fanciest room there. You won't miss it."
Maya knew Jason said that to lighten up the mood but she wasn't up for it. The pair go their separate ways at the door and Maya heads up to Blake's room. As soon as she got onto the floor she noticed all the rooms looked the same except for one. The room was a lot bigger than the others and it was decorated on the outside. Maya gently knocked on the door before walking it.
"Hey kiddo." She whispered.
Blake noticed her while he was eating his pudding cup. His face lightened up as soon as he saw her. He put his pudding cup down and held out his arms for a hug. It broke Maya when she saw how frail he looked but she put on a brave face.
"Maya!"
She gave him a soft hug and felt her eyes start to water up but she blinked the tears away. She two stay in that position for a long time. Maya was afraid if she let go of him she would lose him.
"Is Jason here?" He asked with a smile.
"You've met him?"
Maya thought Jason only came here to cover the payments. She didn't think he ever came to see Blake.
"Of course I've met him Maya." He chuckles.
Just then, Jason walked in with a smile on his face. Maya had never seen him smile before. He came in with a burger and fries for Blake.
"Hey little dude. The nurse told me you were living off of pudding cups so I decided to get you something way better than a plain old pudding cup."
Jason placed the tray of food on the table in Blake's room. Maya just stared in disbelief as she watched Jason with her brother.
"Nothing is better than a pudding cup." Blake defended himself.
"Well I ordered this from the best burger joint in town. Try and tell me what you think."
The two boys give each other a challenging look before Blake bit into his burger.His facial expression immediately changed. His eyes widened as he took another bite. He had forgotten Jason was watching him. As soon as he looked up he saw Jason smirking. He put the burger down and wiped his mouth.
"I don't know about this burger, It tasted pretty basic to me."
Blake tried to keep a straight face but burst out laughing. Jason let out a chuckle. The doctor came in and asked to speak with Maya outside.
"How's my brother doing?"
"Very well Mrs King. He is responding really well to the treatment. If he keeps it up we can have him out of here by next week Friday."
Maya felt so much peace after hearing that.
"That's amazing news Doc. Thank you."
Maya walked into the room and both boys looked at her waiting for a response.
"Only great things."
The two smile at her answer and carry on arguing about pudding cups.
"I'll give you a hundred bucks to admit burgers are better."
Jason would do anything to get his way. even if it means bribing Blake. Blake thought about it for a minute and finally agreed.
"Fine, burgers are better than pudding cups."
"Atta boy."
Jason pulled out the hundred from his wallet and gave it to Blake. Blake opened his drawer where Maya saw even more money. Maya was far from amused by this. They both looked at Maya after they realised she saw the money.
"I'm not even going to say anything."
"We gotta get going little dude but I'll come around again soon." Jason told Blake and gave him a fist bump.
Maya walked over to Blake and gave him a hug.
"I love you Maya.
Blake tightened his grip around Maya.
"How much?"
"Too much."
Maya let go of Blake and kissed him on the forehead.
"I love you too."
Jason stood behind them with a lump in his throat. He fought back tears as he watched Maya with her little brother. Jason started to feel bad for how he had been treating Maya. He cleared his throat hoping it ended the sweet moment in front of him.
"Let's go." Maya said and walked out.
The couple got into Jason's car and drove off.
"Do you perhaps want to get something for dinner?" Maya asked.
"The chef is preparing something already."
"Oh right. I forgot."
Jason's mood changed once again. He was no longer the sweet and loving gentleman Maya saw at the hospital. He was back to being
"Do you know of a place where I could go cut my hair?"
Jason thought about it for a while before he responded.
"I know a place, why?" Jason asked firmly.
"I want to get a haircut."
Jason frowned at the idea of her cutting her hair but he knew he couldn't stop her.
"Oh okay. I will ask someone from my office to accompany you."
Maya smiled.
"Oh yea? Who?"
"My secretary."
"Maya, darling!" Celia called out as she pulled Maya in for a hug. "You are absolutely gorgeous, what are you doing with a grumpy man like Jason?" She continued.A very familiar, nauseating scent hit Maya's nostriles as Celia embrased her in her arms. Surely Celia just used the same perfumeas the woman Jason was seeing. Maya tried to convince herself that Celia wasn't the woman Jason was seeing."You're Jason's secretary?" "Yes honey, just call me Ms Clark."She grabbed Maya's hand and got into one of Jason's cars. Maya would have much rather went alone."So tell me sweetie, how long have you known Jason?" Celia asked." Nearly five years." Celia gave her an awkward smile and placed her hand on Maya's thigh."I'm so happy Jason found such a beautiful lady." Maya smiled and removed Celia's hand from her thigh before shifting away from her. "Thank you." "Why are you going to cut your hair? Jason doesn't even like short hair?" Maya suddenly felt uneasy around Celia. She hated all t
Jason punched the wall causing Maya to flinch. "Don't you ever talk about her like that or else-""Or else what Jason? Are you going to put your hands on me? Or throw me on the fucking floor again?" Maya fired back. "What exactly are you going to do this time?"Jason stepped back and stared at Maya. He knew if Maya ever said anything about this his reputation would be destroyed so he let her go.Maya went up to her room and shut the door. A few minutes later she heard Jason leave the house. She grabbed a towel and took a long bath.Maya contemplated telling somebody about what Jason had done but she knew it would ruin so many lives, including Blake's. She wasn't willing to take that risk no matter how many times Jason cheated on her.After getting dressed she heard Jason groan downstairs. She went downstairs to see what Jason was complaining about this time. As soon as she got downstairs she saw Jason covered in cuts and bruises."Jason, what the hell happened to your face?""I got
When Jason got home, he went straight to Maya's bedroom and decided to knock on the door, which surprised Maya. "Come in." He heard Maya say softly. When he opened the door, she quickly wiped away her tears and turned to look at him. "You're home early." She said calmly, while trying to sniff away the snot that was aggressively gushing out her nose. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something." Jason knew he should ask her what was wrong, but he hated when people got emotional because he had no idea how to deal with it, and there was no way she would allow him close to her after all the harm he had already caused. "Okay, I'll come down in a minute." Maya got off the bed and walked to her bathroom to freshen up. She had been crying all morning at the thought of Jason cheating. What hurt Maya the most was that she couldn't tell anybody about it. All she could do was pretend to be in a happy and stable marriage. " I just need us to take about last night." He started, which ca
The question caught Jason off guard. He remained silent, trying to figure out how to respond to Maya's question. He had no reason for treating her foul, and it bothered him. The realization had just hit him. Even if he tried to love her, it wouldn't last long. He was used to getting his way everytime, but he couldn't with Maya. Maya was her own person. She had her own opinions. She would always call Jason out when he was wrong. It would infuriate him. Nobody dared talk back to him. It took him aback when Maya would talk back, so he thought being violent was the only way to assert dominance. "It's okay. You don't have to answer. Let's go." Maya sighed. She sat back in her seat and put her seat belt on. The couple completely forgot about the paparazzi, and they knew that; there were a few good shots the paparazzi took of them that would be plastered all over the internet. Once again, the car ride was silent. Jason didn't mind it this time. He knew she wasn't mad at him for what he ha
"I don't see the big deal about this store." Blake groaned as they got out of the car.Maya rolled her eyes and went inside. She decided to browse before she asked them about any vacancies. Jason had other plans. While Maya dragged Blake around, Jason walked over to the front desk. "Good afternoon Sir. How may I help you today." A young woman asked while typing on a computer. She looked up from the computer and saw Jason in front of her."Oh? Mr King, What are you doing here? And can I say? I love what you're doing with the shelters."She struggled to contain her excitement. Jason looked behind him to make sure Maya wasn't nearby before he carried on. "Thank you so much. I'm here with my wife. She wants a job here, and I'm here to ensure that happens." The woman's face lit up even more. Jason didn't even think it was possible. She looked around the store, hoping to see his wife. "Mrs. King is here too?" "Yes." He answered firmly. Just then, she spotted Maya walking with her littl
Jason and Maya took Blake back to Maya's parent's house after he spent a few days with them. Jason still treated Maya well, but Maya feared it wouldn't last long. Jason was trying his best to be a good husband, but it just wasn't who he was. He thought Maya would change him, but all she did was argue. Even he knew he wouldn't be able to pretend for too long. The following Monday, Jason returned to work and filled in the rest of the paperwork for the new bookstore. He planned on changing the name and renovating everything before showing it to Maya. "So you just decided to buy the entire store?" Liam asked to clarify. Just then, Celia entered the office with their coffee and placed it on Jason's desk. "Thanks, darling," Liam said as he took his coffee. "When are you going to tell Maya about it?" Celia heard Liam and decided to eavesdrop on them after she walked out."As soon as all the renovations are done," Jason responded. "I need to get in touch with Best-Builds." "Are you sure
Jason and Maya were getting ready to have dinner with Liam and Skyler. Liam thought it would be good for the ladies to get to know one another. "Maya?" Jason called out from the other side of the door. "Are you nearly done?" He asked while adjusting his tie.Maya opened the door and let Jason in."I just need help with my dress and necklace." She said.She turned around and moved her hair so Jason could zip her dress. He purposefully zipped it up slowly. Maya handed him her necklace and turned around once again. He never used to do this with his ex-wife. "Thanks," Maya said softly.She walked over to the mirror to look at her outfit before they left."Jason, I'm not getting into that car," Maya argued. Jason wanted to take one of his sports cars, but Maya wouldn't have it. She squinted her eyes and crossed her arms. "Why not?" "Because it's small, and you're going to race it downtown to show it off. I refuse to be a part of that." Maya was right. Jason was going to race his car
The following morning, Jason got a disturbing call from the hospital. He decided to wait for Maya rather than him waking her up. He paced up and down his kitchen floor while he waited for her to wake up. "Jason, Why aren't you at work?" "Maya, we need to talk." He said firmly.Maya walked past him and made herself a cup of coffee. Jason sat in the living room and waited for her to finish up. She sat next to him with her mug in her hands. "It's about Blake." Maya's heart dropped, and she began to panic. Jason took the mug out of her hands and held them in his. He waited for her to calm down before he continued. "He's back in the hospital." Maya felt better. She thought the worst. As long as Blake was still with her, Maya felt better. She knew he would be out of the hospital soon. It was their routine. "Damn it, Jason, don't scare me like that. I thought he died or something." She wiped her eyes and let out a laugh. Jason didn't have the heart to tell Maya that her little brothe