His First Love

Her entire body was trembling as so many emotions surged through her body. She clutched the railings and slowly made her way upstairs. Her presence might force him to leave; she wanted her husband to finish his meals in happiness. She would never forget this day. Pearl arranged his clothes neatly and tidied up their bedroom. The apartment in which they resided in was designed by Jason himself. It was located on the topmost floor of the entire building. The interior design alternated between black and white which matched Jason's cold personality.

There was a fully furnished kitchen with a dining hall. Attached to it was the living room which her Momma's three-bedroom-apartment could fit in. Moving upstairs, there were three guest rooms, a study, a mini theater and the master bedroom. The master bedroom was mildly decorated as well. With a king sized bed, there was a walk in closet adjacent the dresser. On the right side of the bed, a floor to ceiling glass window could be seen reflecting the busy streets of the city. Also, a bathroom was connected to the bedroom.

Sadly, there wasn't even a single picture of her and her husband in this room, not to mention their wedding photo. The marriage between them was arranged by Jason's grandfather but it still hurt her that after all these years, his hatred for her never lessened. Her pale hands caressed his shirt before placing it in the laundry basket. She sat on the bed in order to waste time. A light yawn escaped her lips. Her eyes drooped slightly and subconsciously, Pearl curled on the bed and soon fell asleep. Downstairs, Jason had eaten his fill.

He wondered why that woman still hadn't come out of the room to have breakfast yet. Oblivious to himself, Jason was concerned about her. He placed the dishes in the dishwasher and headed upstairs to check up on her. He first checked her room but she wasn't there. Jason couldn't help looking around. There was not a single thing out of place. Everything was neat and tidy. He was about to leave when his eyes caught a group picture by the lamp stand.

He had heard from his grandfather that she was from an orphanage but he despised her thus never bothered to know much about her. He stared at the name of the orphanage and one could notice that his hands were trembling. Fair-view Home was the orphanage where he had met Serena, his first love. He had been kidnapped at the age of sixteen. The kidnappers had had been furious when the ransom had been delayed by his grandfather so in order to threaten him, they had beaten him up.

He had escaped during a fight among the kidnappers and had lost consciousness at the main entrance to that orphanage. When he woke up, he met the most beautiful emerald green eyes he had ever seen. Serena, which he had learnt was her name, was the one who had discovered his battered body. She took care of his injuries and in no time he was well. She was a kind girl and was loved by all who knew her. She always brought him food and never left his side. "Why are you so good to me?" He had asked her once and her reply stunned him.

" Mother told me to help those who are in need so that I will go to heaven. I really want to go to heaven to see God. Moreover..." She whispered something into his ears and he laughed so hard that his stomach was in pain. "I also like you because you are beautiful and I always help beautiful people", she had whispered to him. He was deeply amused by her and the sixteen-year-old him soon fell in love with her. Her smile which was as radiant as the morning sun, her angelic smile which could capture even the coldest heart and her eyes which he always got lost into, stole his breath away. He wanted to have her in his world forever.

A few days before his grandfather came for him, he had noticed that Serena was distancing herself from him. She no longer came to his room to play or chat with him. She stopped bringing him his meals but had one of the children do it instead. He was confused and hurt but he decided to confront her about it. He saw her at the garden one-night gazing at the stars. He knew this because it was a routine of theirs to go there every night to watch the stars. Jason cleared his throat to alert her of his presence and she jumped frightened of the sudden intrusion.

"Hey, don't go. Serena what's wrong with you? Why do you keep avoiding me? Answer me, Serena I'm begging you" Jason asked whilst holding her waist to prevent her from leaving. " Jason, I'm sorry for doing all of that but I had to. I heard mother speaking to someone on the phone. She informed Sister Theresa that you'll be leaving soon. I don't want you to leave me, Jase. That's why I decided to avoid you so as to lessen the pain I'd feel when you go back home". She said as tears flowed down her eyes.

The last sentence was so soft that he wouldn't have heard it if his ears weren't sharp enough." I like you, Jase", she had muttered. "I like you too, Serena". His sudden confession made her widen her beautiful eyes in disbelief. She then blushed in shyness, suddenly recalling that he had heard her. Jason couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the picture of Serena in the group photo.

He had seen that picture before in Mother's office and here it was in his wife's room. He contracted his eyes thinking. A thought came into his mind but he didn't want to believe it.

Serena was not alive. That was something he knew more than anyone. He had returned some months later to the orphanage to visit her, when he was informed of her death. She had fled from the orphanage in search of him but had met with an accident. None of the victims survived because the vehicle had exploded even before it fell off a cliff. His heart had been in excruciating pain that day. He pleaded with his grandfather to help him search for her body; he found it hard to believe that she had passed away.

Everyone thought he was going crazy but only he knew how much his heart was bleeding. The forensic doctors found a sample of her DNA in the burnt vehicle and he really lost it that day. He was taken to a psychiatric hospital where he had spent a year under rehabilitation. From the moment he stepped out of the facility, he avoided everything that would remind him of her.