Ice and Fire novel Chapter 102

After leaving the tea house, Cherry didn't go home. Instead, she directly went to the hospital. She had found out that John had been sent to the nearest hospital by some kindhearted people.

She finally found John there, in one of the wards in the hospital. His head had already been bandaged. Seeing this, Cherry felt a stab in her heart.

"I am sorry, John. This is all my fault, " said Cherry, sitting beside the bed and looking into John's eyes. She didn't know what else to say except offer apologies.

Despite going through a great deal of pain himself, John comforted Cherry and said, "Cherr, I am okay. Don't worry. It's not your fault. We all know what kind of person my uncle is!"

Cherry did not say another word when Jackson came to mind. She did not know how to face him anymore. He had become so cruel and terrible that he seemed no longer like the man that she had once known. Could five years change a man to this extent?

It was already very late by the time Cherry went back home. Jacob and Elsa had already gone to sleep and only Wilson was waiting for her in the living room.

Seeing Cherry back, Wilson hastily walked towards her and asked, "What took you so long to come back from work today?"

"There was some company related work to attend to and I had to work overtime." said Cherry, who then lowered her head and got busy into changing her shoes.

"But it shouldn't have been so late. You must be very tired!" said Wilson. He really did care about Cherry very much.

"I am not tired, brother. You should go and get some rest, " answered Cherry. She raised her head a little bit while speaking and then lowered it again in an instant.

Wilson was a very observant man. He could tell there was certainly something wrong that had happened with her. When he took a closer look at her, he noticed Cherry's bruised cheek.

He took hold of Cherry's arm and lifted her head. When saw her swollen face, Wilson was suddenly very irritated and angrily asked, "What has happened?"

His heart ached at seeing her face and he couldn't believe that someone had slapped her. Did this man have a death wish?

Cherry pulled away Wilson's hand and turned her head aside. She then said indifferently, "It's nothing, really."

"Cherry, don't lie to me any more. Tell me, what the hell happened?" Wilson persisted to question her. Up until Cherry refused telling him what was going on, he would not give up asking.

Cherry knew that she could hide nothing from Wilson, so she decided to tell him. She walked over to sit on the sofa. Wilson followed her quietly to sit down beside her.

Cherry lowered her head and in an indifferent tone, said, "I met John today. And Jackson saw us."

Hearing this, Wilson felt a little shocked. He knew that John had been Cherry's ex-boyfriend during her college years and that they had broken up with each other for some reason. On the other hand, Jackson was Cherry's husband and the father of Joe's.

Though feeling surprised, Wilson did not say a word. He was waiting for Cherry to continue.

"I met John in a tea house and I don't know how Jackson found us there, " said Cherry, in a calm tone.

"So it was he who slapped you?" asked Wilson angrily. How cruel could Jackson be that he would even hit a woman? And especially this woman, who was his ex-wife.

Cherry didn't answer Wilson's question, but continued to say, "They hit John violently and he had to be sent to the hospital. So I went there to see him right away."

"Was he hit by Jackson too?" asked Wilson. He felt more and more astonished and just could not imagine what kind of a scene it must have been there at the tea house.

"No, " said Cherry, "John was hit by Jackson's subordinates. Jackson didn't hit him personally."

Hearing her words, Wilson understood that it was Jackson who had slapped Cherry and he himself had ordered his subordinates to hit John.

Wilson gritted his teeth and in a furious tone, said, "I'd like to meet him in person, and see how cruel he is by my own eyes."

Hearing what Wilson said, Cherry immediately grabbed his arm and anxiously said, "No. Don't ever go near him. He is a crazy man and is capable of doing anything cruel. I know he hates me very much and he even wishes to kill me."

Seeing Cherry's panic stricken face, Wilson felt a little confused. He wondered whether Cherry had been so scared of Jackson even at the time she decided to marry him.

So he couldn't help but ask straight away, "Cherry, has Jackson always been so terrible?"

Cherry shook her head and looked into Wilson's eyes and said, "He once was very tender and gentle and treated me very well. But when I saw him again, after all these years, I realized that he had changed. He has become so terrible and horrible that I almost couldn't recognize him. His subordinates are just as bad."

After speaking those words, Cherry's mind was filled with the images of when John was hit by Jackson's subordinates. She could not believe that indeed had happened!

Cherry continued to say, "His subordinates are even more brutal. I've seen it all today. Jackson and his subordinates are all very terrible."

Cherry's eyes were filled with fear as she recalled the horrid scene.

Wilson pulled Cherry's head close to lean on his shoulder and with concern, said, "Cherry, remember, you have to call me next time if you anything happens, okay? If Jackson does anything bad to you again, I will not let him go."

Cherry tamely nodded her head, but her broken heart still felt like a mess. She didn't know what Jackson would do to her next time. She felt scared and nervous at the mere thought of Jackson's name.

Suddenly, Cherry thought of Joe and she hastily moved her head from Wilson's shoulder and asked, "What about Joe? Where is he?'

Seeing Cherry worried about Joe this much, Wilson replied instantly, "Don't worry. He is already asleep."

Hearing what Wilson said, Cherry heaved a sigh of relief. Her beloved son was so sensible that he would take good care of himself and not let his mother worry about him.

Wilson patted on Cherry's shoulder gently and said, "Alright. It's too late now. Don't think too much about today and go to bed now. You have to go to work tomorrow."

Cherry nodded and then turned away to leave

Watching Cherry's figure fading into the distance, Wilson walked towards the front of the French window of living room. He looked at the starry sky through the window, with his mind running into a mess.

He didn't know whether it had been right or wrong to bring Cherry back this time. He had clearly known how dangerous it had been for Cherry to leave five years ago, but he had persuaded her to come back to the heartbreaking city yet again. He hadn't expected that within just a few days of her return, she would be discovered by Jackson, who had become so cruel as to hit her and John. What kind of person on earth had Jackson turned into? How could Cherry have loved him for so many years? What kind of a spell did he have on her?

Meanwhile, when Cherry entered into her room, Joe woke up.

Seeing that mommy was back, Joe, with his eyes still fogged with sleep, called, "Mommy, you are back!"

"Yes, my baby. Sleep now. I have to take a shower first." Cherry said and then picked up her pyjamas to walk into the bathroom.

Later, when Cherry walked out of the bathroom and lay on the bed, she found that little Joe was still awake. He held Cherry tightly and burrowed his head into her embrace.

"What's up? Aren't you feeling sleepy anymore?" Cherry asked with a mother's tenderness.

"Mommy, I can't fall asleep without your smell around me." said Joe. He then closed his eyes and relished it.

Cherry helplessly shook her head and comforted him, "Okay. Now mommy is here. You just relax and get to sleep. I am also tired now. Let's call it a night. Good night!"

"Good night!" said Joe.