Ice and Fire novel Chapter 187

In the afternoon, Cherry and Joe sat in the living room and watched TV. Cherry watched cartoons with her son and occasionally took out some fashion magazines to read.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Cherry heard the phone ring inside the living room. She hesitated for a moment and then picked it up.

"Hello, " said Cherry.

Hearing Cherry's voice, Jackson calmly said, "Tell Lily that I'll be home for dinner in an hour; and ask her to start cooking now."

"Okay, " replied Cherry, and then immediately hung up the phone.

After that, Cherry went to the kitchen, and said to the maid, "Lily, are you going to cook?"

"Yes, but I'm wondering whether or not Mr. Jackson will come home for dinner tonight, " said Lily Wu, uncertain of her master's return.

"He just called and said that he'll be come in an hour. You can start cooking now, " indifferently said Cherry. She didn't have to be polite to the housemaid, because everyone in the house, all except for her son, weren't qualified for her respect and politeness.

Lily Wu nodded, and said, "Yes, madam."

Jackson came back home and saw that Cherry and Joe were laughing happily while they watering the flowers on the balcony. It seemed that Cherry was telling something to Joe and that he was carefully listening to her.

The harmonious scene warmed Jackson's heart. The house, with her inside it, was warm, and so was his heart.

Lily Wu walked up to Jackson when she saw him, and said, "You are back, Mr. Jackson."

"Yes, I am, " he answered, with his eyes still fixed up on the balcony.

Lily Wu looked at his eyes and expression, and asked, "Well, shall I also ask Mrs. Cherry and Mr. Joe to join you for dinner?"

"Yes, " answered Jackson, and then went to the dining room.

Cherry and Joe knew that Jackson was back. After they went to the bathroom to wash their hands, they also came to and sat down in the dining room.

Looking at the dishes laid out on the table in front of him, Joe said to Cherry, who was sitting next him, "Mommy, there are a lot of dishes!"

Cherry turned around and smiled to Joe, and said, "Yes, there are, and you need to eat a lot because you're growing up and need all sorts of nutrients because of that!"

Joe nodded to Cherry, and with a happy smile on his face, said, "I will."

Jackson felt somehow irritated when he saw the sweet relationship between the mother and her son. Was he an outsider?

Cherry also noticed Jackson's moroseness while they were eating, but she kept quiet, just as if she hadn't noticed it.

After dinner, Cherry intended to go upstairs with Joe and rest, but she was suddenly stopped by Jackson before she could take her first step up the stairs.

"Bill will drive Joe to school tomorrow morning, " said Jackson. Moving his eyes from Joe to Cherry, he continued to say, "And you will go to a place with me."

"Where?" asked Cherry.

"You're not qualified to know about it now, " said Jackson, and then went to the living room.

Cherry thought for a while and stopped inquiring. Joe was standing beside them, and she knew Jackson's temper very well; she didn't want to quarrel with him in front of her son.

"Joe, let's go upstairs and sleep, " said Cherry as she held her son's hand.

"Okay, " said Joe.

Cherry laid on the bed next to Joe in his room, and watched him gradually fall asleep as she told him bedtime stories. Her heart was filled with a feeling of happiness, because her greatest wish was to always stay beside her son.

The watch on the wall showed that it was already eleven o'clock, and Cherry saw that she hadn't even put on her pajamas yet. She got out of bed, tucked her son in his blanket, and went to her room to look for her nightgown.

After Cherry walked out of Joe's room, she bumped into someone. Cherry was so frightened that she almost cried out, but after she looked more carefully, it turned out to be Jackson.

"What are you doing here?" said Cherry, in a fit of anger. She turned around and looked at the door of her son's room, and hoped that she hadn't woken him up.

"Maybe you can tell me?" asked Jackson.

Cherry didn't want to talk to Jackson. She pushed him away and then went to her room.

When he saw that Cherry made her way to the guest room, Jackson followed her furiously.

Jackson walked into the guest room, shut the door behind him, and went to Cherry again.

"What are you going to do?" asked Cherry.

When she saw that Jackson slowly approached her step by step, Cherry immediately got frightened by him. The house was very strange to her, and also provided no sense of security to her.

Jackson approached Cherry and pushed her into a corner. He lowered his head and looked at her, and was anxious to kiss and bite her red lips.

"Why do you want to live in the guest room? Do you think that you're a guest here?" asked Jackson resentfully. 'This damn woman is still unwilling to live with me, ' he thought.

"I don't want to live with you!" Cherry lowered her head and avoided to look at him.

Jackson grabbed her chin and ruthlessly raised her head to make her look into his eyes. He said, "You're my wife! Do you think you can do that just because you don't want to?"

Cherry looked at Jackson and suddenly she didn't know anymore how to deal with the relationship that she had with the man in front of her. What kind of a person he was? She didn't know anymore; as she now saw him as a stranger.

Cherry tried to get rid of Jackson, and said, "Let me go, I want to stay with Joe!" but then, Jackson suddenly forced her onto the bed, despite her rejections.