"If it's hurting and burning right now, it's going to make us who we are-it's written in the scars."

-Jeremy Lockhart

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⚓️SKYLAR⚓️

"Hmm...something smells real good in here!!" A delicious savory smell assailed my senses.

"Do you mean my newly bought cologne or the home made lasagne?" Jeremy gave me a cheeky smile as he led me into the kitchen.

After the eye raping session I had, I managed to recover. Pulling a muscle tee over his head, he grabbed two large gloves. The way he pulled the lasagne out of the oven with a charming smile made me had a sudden thought of how great of a father he would be-preparing food for his kids, kissing his wife on cheek lovingly as they cook together with their children playing back in the backyard.

It was perfect.

Something I would never have because of everything that had happened to me.

Sighing, I walked towards him to help out but he stopped me almost immediately.

"Nope, you're not gonna help me. For once, you should feel like a princess, so go and sit at the dining table, make yourself feel at home!" He gave me a lopsided smile, his words melting my heart bit by bit.

I don't need a place to be my home when you are my home.

The voice at the back of my mind echoed. Not wanting to argue, I abided. Walking into the dining room, my eyes took in the surroundings. It had a very modern interior, glass windows with mini chandeliers which screamed rich.

Making myself comfortable at the dining table, the sight of a familiar blonde with two plates of lasagne in his hands came to view.

"So m'lady, introducing the absolutely delicious homemade lasagne. Not only is the lasagne mouth watering, but also the chef." He winked at me.

"Very funny." I deadpanned before wasting no time to dig into my food. Gobbling down my food, something didn't feel right. It felt as if I was being watched.

Moving my eyes upwards, I noticed Jeremy glueing his eyes on me, a smile spread across his cheeks, his food untouched.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I know I'm a messy eater." Snapping out of it, he took a big bite into his food.

"...so how's the food?" He looked around, changing the topic.

"Never believe I would say this but it's good, like extremely good." I nodded my head vigorously.

Blushing, he went on to finish his food. I was mentally contemplating whether I should let him know about the clue I got, but I realized that I had to tell him. From tomorrow onwards, we were going to be a team and we were going to be together for a month.

I had to trust him.

"Jeremy? I got a clue from 3W!..." I broke the comfortable silence.

His head snapped towards me and he stopped munching on his lasagne, giving me his full attention. Fidgeting under his gaze, I took out the envelope that I got and slid it across to him.

"The darkest places have the loudest secrets." Muttering the words he read, he gulped.

"If you found the first clue, it means it must have been a place you have seen before. The message is directed to you, do you know any place that would fit this description?" He massaged his eyebrows, deep in thought.

What place have I seen that was dark but held a lot of secrets?

And then it clicked.

"The church...the old abandoned church that is at the end of this town." I recollected.

"Are you sure? The last time I checked, it was locked up." Jeremy leaned closer, looking at me in the eye.

"But that can't be true, Dante brought me there a month ago." I shook my head in disagreement.

Jeremy's mouth was ajar, as he stared down at the table. He seemed shock and frightened, thus I wanted to give him some space.

"I'm going to return the dishes back to the kitchen, I'll give you some time alone..." I said softly, my hand patting his shoulder gently.

The truth was, I needed some time alone to think through whether my assumptions made sense.

Disposing the remains of food in the bin, my ring accidentally rolled off my finger while doing so.

"Oh come on!" I rolled my eyes in frustration.

Digging through the bin, I found my ring next to a crumpled picture. Pulling out not only my ring, but also the photo - I examined it closely.
The ends of the photo were torn, and it seemed that it was crumbled up in anger.

The picture had two small boys playing in the sand pit, one of the boys looked like a younger version of Jeremy, while the other boy looked familiar but I couldn't really figure out who he was.

Bringing the photo back to the dining table, I lifted the picture up to Jeremy's view.

"Who is this boy? You guys looked cute together!" I gushed.

"H-how d-did yo-you fin-" he stuttered. Feeling slightly guilty for invading his privacy, I interrupted him.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that...I'm going to put that back into the bin." I turned around and headed towards the kitchen, but his words stopped me.

"He was my best friend." A disgusted smile laced on his lips. I slowly retreated back to my seat, looking at him with curiosity and sympathy.

"He stood by my side even after I lost everything and everyone." he lowered his head.

Who did he lose? Who is his best friend?

"He knew every single secret of mine, and I knew every secret of his. But..."

He paused, his eyes at the brink of tears.

"If you don't trust me enough to tell about your past, it's okay Jeremy." I placed my hand on his, stroking it soothingly.

"No, no...I trust you. I really do, but what I'm gonna tell you next might make you view me in a different light..." the first tear rolled down his cheek.

"Nothing will change, I assure you but one thing I want to know first is...who was your best friend?"

I knew that nothing could change the way I viewed him cause I am pretty sure I am just as much scarred as he is. Taking a deep breath, he licked his lips wet.

"Dante Valentino."

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Damn how did you find this chapter?

I can't wait for the next chapter where I'll be revealing Jeremy's past!! Wh0op Who0p!!

💚celine💚