Chapter 104: Chapter 104

''The person you care for the most, is the person you'll let hurt you the most.'' - quotesgram.com

Claire's POV

I woke up suddenly with a start to the sound of a car screeching to a halt and the loud noise of a car door being slammed. Who would be making so much noise so early in the morning?

Curious, I peeped through the curtains of my window. My world came crumbling down as I saw a very gorgeous blonde, wearing a short red dress, rush forward and hug Jason who was standing in front of his house. To my utmost surprise, he hugged her back, making me wonder who she was. Did he move on to a new fling? Did he forget me so fast?

I sat down on the bed contemplating what to do, and what they were up to when I decided not to jump to any conclusions and face Jason.

With newfound courage, I picked up the house keys and closing the door after me, trudged along to Jason's front door.

I stood there awkwardly for some time, thinking whether it would be wise to knock. I was about to knock when the door gave way on its own. How could Jason leave his front door open?

I tiptoed inside and immediately heard the weird noise coming from upstairs. After contemplating whether to go upstairs or not, curiosity got the better of me and I climbed upstairs. The door to one of the bedrooms was open and the noises seemed to be coming from there. I peeped through the open door and stood in horror at the sight of two people having mindless sex. Looking closely I recognized Jason, pumping into the girl I saw earlier. The two were oblivious to my intrusion and kept on with their wild intercourse.

I closed the door softly and climbed down the stairs in a daze, my heart heavy and my head feeling numb. I couldn't control the sob trying to break free from deep within me. I slowly dragged myself to aunt Emily's house and closing the door, fell to the floor in a heap.

When tears started streaming down my face, drenching my entire chest, I wasn't aware. How could Jason do this to me? I loved him with all my heart. I gave my everything, my heart, my soul, my virginity, my entire life. Didn't my feelings matter to him at all that he had to go behind my back and indulge in flings? Maybe he never had any feelings for me. Maybe he was a player, playing with the hearts of all girls. Maybe I saw too much of it. He never promised me anything and neither did he give our relationship a name. Maybe I was just a number, a fling too and after getting what he wanted, my body, he moved on to his next fling.

I didn't move for hours, my mind numb with grief and heartbreak. I cried till my tears had dried up, and there was not a single drop left to pour out. It was then that I realized that I couldn't live here any longer. I need to leave, be away from Jason, as far away as possible.

I couldn't leave California as my college was here, so I decided to move out to my college dorm and concentrate solely on my studies.

I called up dad, explaining that since aunt Emily was always away, I was scared of living alone. He understood and suggested that he could arrange a room for me at my college dorm. He was a powerful man, so I knew he could help me.

I didn't tell dad or Stefan anything. My heart was broken and I needed to come to terms with reality. I had to forget Jason Crawford and the faster I can achieve that the better it was for my mental wellbeing. I knew that I would have to explain to my family and make them drop their plans of getting me to marry Jason. That could wait till I learned to cope with my life for the time being.

The whole day, I spent packing my stuff. When dad called me in the evening that a room had been arranged for me at my college dorm and I could shift tomorrow, I was very thankful to him.

The next day, I called a cab and loaded my luggage onto it. I locked the front door well and left for my new address, a new life, a new beginning.

The Santa Monica College campus soothed me. The swaying palm trees, the lush grassy lawns, and my fellow students, who smiled at me made me realize that all is not lost. I could drown myself in my career dreams and that would be the best way to forget Jason.

So I did just that. The dorm room was furnished with only the bare necessities but it was enough for me. I settled down and unpacked my luggage. The adjacent room was a suite occupied by two girls who came over and introduced themselves.

"Hey, I'm Melanie, I'm in my first-year psychology program," said one with short, streaked blonde hair.

"I'm Cindy, I'm in communication and Media studies, first year. What about you?" asked the other girl who was prettier wearing a blue sundress, her black hair fixed in a nice bun.

"I'm Claire, first year, cosmetology," I said in a dull tone as they eyed me like I was an alien.

"Did your dog die?" asked Melanie and I stared at her incredulously.

"No, my soul died," I answered as I went back to my unpacking.

"Sorry, I think you need to rest a little. We'll come back later," said Melanie, eager to get away from me.

I didn't want to be bothered with anyone's company right now, I just wanted to be alone.

I went to attend classes as usual. I had a huge backlog that I had to figure out, so I stayed back at the library to complete the work.

Afterward, I went to the canteen and bought a chicken sandwich for myself and sat down to eat. I was thinking hard. I had to search for an internship for myself. It would keep me so occupied that I would not have time to think about Jason at all.

I came back to my room and completed the rest of my pending work. Stefan called and I told him everything, crying my heart out as the memories came back afresh. Stefan was so angry that he wanted to beat Jason to a pulp. He wanted to inform mom and dad but I begged him not to. I would tell everyone when the time was right.

I might have cried myself to sleep. When I woke up it was night and I was very hungry. I needed to buy a mini fridge and an induction cooker for cooking basic stuff in my room. It was just 7 o'clock, so I went out to explore. A small cafe was tucked away a block away, so I went and bought a burger, fries, and coke and returned to my room. Tomorrow I'd go shopping, and buy a coffee maker too. Despite trying to keep me busy, the heartbreak didn't go away at all.