A tray fell to the floor when River saw who walked into her cafe. It attracted a lot of attention, but not loud enough to attract the attention of the man who was followed behind by two bulky bodyguards.
"Jason," she whispered. That word alone carried different emotions, and before she knew, tears were in her eyes.
"Stupid me, he still affects me the same way he did two years ago," she scolded herself, before running off to the kitchen, hoping that he didn't see her face.
"Cole, attend to the new customer, I'm taking the rest of the day off," River said to her assistant, hastily packing her belongings.
"Are you fine? You are sweating more than normal, and you look pale, your body temperature is also ridiculously high," Cole asked, worry evident in his eyes as he touched her forehead.
"I'm fine, I just feel a little bit ill, so I decided to take a break," River stopped him from fussing over her, responding to him with a smile.
However, Cole couldn't stop worrying about her.
"It's kinda strange," he suddenly commented when he noticed that she was done packing.
River turned to look at him with her brows raised, asking, "what is surprising?"
"You are taking a break, even when you were at the brink of death two weeks ago, you insisted on working, but now, you are taking a break, it doesn't seem like you," Cole explained, staring at her with a suspicious look.
River chuckled awkwardly as she said, "perhaps, I have come to understand the importance of good health, and I'm prioritising my health now."
Cole stared intently at her. It was a lie, and they both know that it was a lie, but they chose not to speak about it.
"Alright, you can go, I'd help you run the café," Cole said to her, and she let out a relieved smile.
"I know I could always count on you, stop by my apartment, I'd cook a delicious meal for you," River smiled at him, and he nodded happily.
River gave him one last smile, before walking out of the office. Thankfully, there was a back door which could lead to the road.
Once she was out of the cafe, she would not see Jason, and she would treat today as a mere coincidence. Or that was what she thought.
Immediately she stepped out through the back door, she let out a sigh of relief. The air outside the cafe was damp because it had just rained.
River exhaled before walking off, but she stopped all of a sudden when she noticed a familiar man standing not too far from her.
She gave him a look, and heart tightened, her eyes still on him.
Jason leaned on the car, an unlit cigarette in his lips while he stared at the woman who had a pale look on her face.
"Why are you here, Jason?" Clutching her bag close to her, River questioned defensively.
Jason didn't respond. He only looked at the woman quietly. From afar, he seemed calm and unbothered. But if one looked a little closer, they would see his tightened fists which indicated that he was holding back on something.
"I believe I asked a question, what are you doing here?" River didn't know where she was able to summon up courage, but she asked him once again, this time, her voice was louder while she glared at him.
"Get in," Jason ordered.
River shuddered. She had not forgotten about how good his voice was.
'That is not what you should be focused on, River, don't let him coerce you like he would usually do,' she mentally scolded herself.
"And what if I say no? What would you do to me? In case you are forgetting, Mr Willow, we are divorced," River said, taking a few steps backwards. She was ready to run away if need be.
Jason raised his eyebrows at her words, and he opened his mouth to say, "you do not want to make me repeat myself, get in."
"Make me!" River fired back. She was tired of him constantly ordering her around.
She realized that he didn't change, not even in the two years spent apart. He was still the controlling, possessive man she had once married.
"Okay." Jason threw the cigarette stick to the ground, and walked closer to her.
"What are you doing?" She asked, and in a moment of fear, she ran.
But she was a step slower, as Jason easily caught her.
He carried her over his shoulders, ignoring her protests and the fact that she was hitting him. Instead, he walked straight to his car.
He opened the door to the passenger's seat, threw her in, and walked to the other side of the car.
All these happened in less than five minutes.
Panic surged in River's heart, as she tried her possible beat to open the door. She didn't wish to go with Jason.
Memories of her past flooded to her causing her panic to increase.
"You won't be able to open the door, I suggest that you remain still, and follow me," Jason suddenly spoke up, which stopped her fruitless attempt at trying.
"What do you want from me?" River asked, her voice cracked, and tears formed in her eyes.
"I thought we promised to stay away from each other after the divorce, it's been two years, why are you here?" She asked once again.
Jason, who was driving, clenched his fingers around the steering wheel. Veins popped on his forehead as he tried to control his anger at the mention of the divorce.
River continued with her questions but she gave up when she realized he didn't reply to any single one of them.
She could only close her eyes and focus on good memories.
She snapped her eyes open when the car came to an abrupt end.
River swallowed when she saw the familiar, yet unfamiliar daunting building in front of her.
"Why did you bring me here? I think I deserve some answers," River demanded. She didn't want to return.
She only had horrible memories in this house. She would rather die than to return to the house.
"Asher misses you, he misses his mother," Jason replied quietly, and emotionally.
River immediately kept quiet, her heart twisting in pain. It felt like she had been stabbed in the heart with a knife.
"Asher," she said quietly, her tears dropping as she thought about the son she hadn't held since the decision she made two years ago.
"He needs his mother, if not for me, but for our son, stay with him, that's all I ask of you," Jason pleaded.
River was taken aback. This was the first time she would hear Jason beg someone, but he did it for their son.
She didn't know how she was supposed to feel, but she knew that she missed her son. She would always cry herself to bed while holding the picture of her son.
"Please, take me to him, take me to Asher," River begged. It wasn't until someone mentioned Asher did she truly realize how much she missed him.
She took a sudden change just at the mention of her son. She had thought she was nonchalant, but it seemed she had been deceiving herself all this while.