Chapter 28 Old Memories vs New Memories

Flashback

"Daddy.."

"Hmmm?"

"I just wish for one thing. I won't be wishing any other wishes anymore. Just grant me this wish, Daddy."

"Hmm, what is it, my precious? Daddy will give anything - everything - for you. Tell Daddy what your wish is."

Stefani had already closed her eyes and Mr. Hernandez knew then his only precious child had finally calmed down and was now falling asleep. Mr. Hernandez couldn't help but to smile at his precious, extremely adorable daughter.

"Let... me... marry Jonathan in the future.."

Mr. Hernandez's smile slowly disappeared. Curiosity filled him but then suddenly felt this oddly good feeling inside him.

Stefani loves Jonathan? How come he didn't see that earlier? He wouldn't send Jonathan abroad if he knew this. Stefani's happiness is Mr. Hernandez's happiness too.

Mr. Hernandez thought about it then smiled. He softly caressed Stefani's head and said silently in her ears.

In the future, sweetheart. I will surely grant this wish of yours.

. . .

Mr. Hernandez woke up from his sleep, feeling his heart heavy as he moved to a sitting position on his bed. Immediately, a maid from the Hernandez Mansion came to his side.

"Is there anything you want to eat, Master?"

Mr. Hernandez shook his head, gesturing the maid and her other assistants behind her to leave as he gently removed the intravenous injected into his hand. The doctor said he could start eating again after succeeding checkups but the old man wasn't near the right condition to even taste a single food at his own house, hence, the IV.

He was heading to the bathroom when he caught the sight of a brightly shining and smiling face in a photograph. He held back his emotion as he stared at his only child's smiling photo. He grazed his thumb over the photo of Stefani, a sad smile painted on his face as he tried hard not to break down.

For the past two weeks, Mr. Hernandez had been searching for his missing daughter. Apparently, someone saw Stefani being carried to a van the night of her engagement. Mr. Hernandez instantly knew what those people wanted. And he wasn't going to think twice the moment they asked for ransom money.

The problem was that it had been two weeks and there wasn't any single call from a kidnapper asking for ransom money.

And that left Mr. Hernandez devastated, feeling as if his life was taken away from him. At first, Mr. Hernandez thought Stefani was with Jonathan, considering they were both missing that night. But then Jonathan wasn't answering Jane's calls as well and that made Mr. Hernandez think that something might have happened to the two. It was only then he found out the CCTV footage of Stefani leaving the hotel alone then later being followed by Jonathan where they encountered the kidnappers and soon placed in a huge truck.

Mr. Hernandez felt like he was going to lose his mind. Stefani's friends even cried the moment they knew about what happened and after the 24-hour span, they immediately started posting Missing Person flyers everywhere. Mr. Hernandez himself could feel the ache and worry from these teenagers. After that, Mr. Hernandez began to ask for private investigators and detectives to search for his daughter and future son-in-law. That was how they were all feeling extremely worried for Stefani and Jonathan.

If there was someone who was too calm about everything so far, it was Jane.

Jane was worried too, for all they knew, the two might have been eaten by sharks by now or attacked by bears or monkeys. But then she remembered one thing: Jonathan and Stefani were together. If there was someone who would do everything, anything for Stefani besides his father, that would be no other than Jonathan.

Jane knew too well what Jonathan could do just to protect Stefani and keep her alive. If they were together, then there was no problem at all. Jane was just worried Stefani wasn't eating the right kind of food right now and her overly mature of a brother could be pampering Stefani too much to the point he'd start treating her like a handicapped person.

It was the 15th day since the day Jonathan and Stefani both went missing. Everyone was busy worrying and thinking about the two missing people when a call from a provincial address came.

It turned out Jonathan and Stefani were together as expected, and thanking all the gods in heaven, after the long weary days and nights, both were finally going home together.

. . .

The night before Jonathan and Stefani’s return.

"Like rice cakes! Like rice cakes!"

Stefani could still hear Mrs. Hill's voice singing and the constant clapping and song chants of the neighbors the moment she and Jonathan entered their small house. She wouldn't even consider this house like a real house a week ago, but as days passed, it surely became a place where she and Jonathan come back as the sun disappears. In simple terms, a home.

"Don..." Jonathan suddenly started mumbling which caught Stefani's attention.

Stefani frowned then almost stumbled as she tried to balance both of them while taking Jonathan to the bed. Jonathan collapsed on the bed in an instant, completely dead drunk by now as Stefani stared hard at him. All of this wouldn't happen if not for Jonathan accepting that drink from Mr. Han!

"I hope you suffer from a terrible headache tomorrow, you stupid monkey!" Stefani gritted her teeth as she left Jonathan and went out. Her feet familiarly made their way to a nearby well with a small basin.

Not that Stefani's entirely blaming Jonathan though. She knew it was their last day in the place and Stefani wasn't going to lie when she gave her utmost gratitude to the village people a while ago. They were the kindest people Stefani has ever met in her life and she knew she was going to miss them once they successfully returned to the city. And that would be tomorrow.

Luckily, Mr. Ten would arrive around noon and not in the morning due to some business he needed to do, according to some neighbors who knew him. That gave them more time to prepare their things and themselves, but then again that didn't mean Jonathan could do whatever he wanted.

Stefani sighed upon looking at the still wasted Jonathan on their bed. For the last few days, they have been sharing the same bed and Stefani wasn't going to deny the butterflies in her stomach whenever her and Jonathan's skin would touch. She knew they were all purely accidental but her tiny heart wouldn't just stop from pounding too loud. Sometimes she was afraid even Jonathan could hear it.

Realizing he was becoming immersed in her "feelings" towards Jonathan again, Stefani shook her head and breathed in and out deeply. She bit her lower lip as her fingers started to move and touch Jonathan's buttons. She was thinking of just slapping Jonathan so hard in the face so he'd wake up and do the unbuttoning himself and everything when Jonathan suddenly caught her wrist.

Jonathan's eyes were half-opened as he began to speak, "Don't. D..on't.. tshouch me..."

Stefani paused, then slowly shook her head in disbelief. Jonathan is such a bad drinker! Tsk!

She continued to shake her head as she listened to the groggy and obviously still drunken words of her "very mature" fiance. Biting her lower lip in irritation, Stefani swatted Jonathan's hands away from the buttons and continued undressing him. But then her hands were harshly pushed away by the drunk man once again.

"Do you want me to slap you? Is that what you want?!" Stefani shouted at the drunk man.

"I'm.." Jonathan was frowning as he opened his mouth. ".. em engshaged and shoon to be.. married. So.. don't touch me. Don't toousch me... I'm engaged!... Don't tousch me..."

Stefani froze. She pulled her hands away from Jonathan’s body and placed one over her chest. Her heart was pounding again and this time, it was so wild and loud and fast she couldn't control it.

What the hell was that? Why was Jonathan saying such weird things?

When she glanced at Jonathan, the latter was already back to sleep like a dead person. Was Stefani just hearing things? Did Jonathan really say those words himself?

Stefani felt her heart becoming warmer and warmer as she stared at Jonathan. She remembered the times Jonathan had been patient with her, Jonathan trying to convince Stefani's father to let her join the field trip, Jonathan coming to save her from bad guys, Jonathan protecting her all the time, Jonathan risking his life for her, Jonathan helping her finish her tasks, Jonathan giving her the four-leaf clover she always searches during Mothers Day to comfort her lonely heart.

Why? Why was Jonathan doing all of these to Stefani when all Stefani ever did to Jonathan was hate him?