“Tell me, sister, how long are you going to make Jake suffer for what he feels for you?” Annie asked.

“I’m not letting him suffer, I’m just protecting myself from getting hurt again,” Alex responded.

“Look, Alex, I know that Richard was a liar. He didn’t keep his promises, and he ended up breaking your heart, but you can’t shut out any man who comes near you because of that. You need to give love a second chance,” Annie said, hugging her.

“I’ll try, sister. I’ll think about it,” Alex said.

“No, there’s no time to think here. Call him and ask him to meet you,” Annie said, giving her a phone.

After taking the phone, Alex called Jake and asked him to meet up. Jake agreed, and when they met up the following day at the coffee shop, Alex asked for him to take a walk with her.

“My first relationship was a mess,” Alex said. “I dated Richard Matthew for five years. He was charming, a sweet talker, and you would believe every word he said. I was a virgin, and he told me that he would wait until I was ready. I was in love with him, so, in the fifth year, I told him I was ready. After that, he started changing. He cheated, made promises that he didn’t keep, and, after a while, he left me.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Alex,” Jake said, holding Alex’s hand.

“No, it’s fine. After that relationship, I became scared to love again. I’m still scared, but I’m willing to give you a chance. I don’t want you to make any promises, though. I just want us to see where this relationship will take us,” Alex explained.

“OK, thank you very much. I’ll do as you say,” Jake agreed, then he hugged her very tightly.

After their discussion, Alex and Jake started dating. They went on dates together, and spent weekends playing pillow fights, cooking, and baking together. They also went to watch movies with Annie sometimes, and even went on picnics. During all that time, journalists were all over them, taking pictures and asking questions, and Jake was not shy to tell everyone that Alex was his girlfriend.

Alex was still not sure about everything, but she kept going with the flow. Jake even went to her college during lunch time. He picked her up every day after school, and everyone on campus knew about their relationship. Alex was shy of the camera, but she got used to it after some time. A month went by, and Jake needed to go back home after a call from his mother told him that his father was sick and at the hospital.

“Babe, I’m leaving tomorrow. I have to be with my father, and my manager also called and told me I had to get back to work,” Jake explained.

“I understand, babe. I hope your father gets well, and please send my love to both of them,” Alex said, hugging him.

“I wish you could come, but your graduation is coming, and I’ll be there to support you,” Jake said.

“I’ll understand if you can’t make it to my graduation,” Alex said.

Jake left the following day, and his manager picked him up at the airport and filled him in about the five performances he had to do in different countries. From the airport, Jake went straight to the hospital where his father was admitted, and his mother, Mary Miller, was inside when he got there, crying. She was happy to see Jake and she ran to him and gave him a warm hug.

“How’s he, mom?” Jake asked.

“He’s in a coma, and the nurses told me that he fell hard on his head,” Mary explained.

After speaking to his mother, Jake went to sit next to his father’s bed, touched his hands, and started crying. Mary joined him, trying to be strong and telling him that everything would be OK.

Three months went by, and John Miller was still in coma. Jake tried to stay strong, and he kept himself busy with the performances he had to do, moving from country to country. His last performance was in London, and after he attended it, he was able to attend Alex’s graduation.

“I’m so happy you could make it, but I’m also worried about you,” Alex said.

“I’m trying to be strong. Everything’s hard, it’s like my world is turned upside down, but I’m still holding on,” Jake responded.

After the graduation and performances, Alex decided to go with Jake to America. Mary was very pleased to finally meet her, and Alex supported Jake through the pain he was going through. Jake was able to forget about the situation at home when Alex was around, but three months later, Jake’s father was still in a coma. Jake’s mother was having a hard time, so she fell ill, and even though she got hospitalised for three days, she recovered after that.

During that period, Jake could not write any new songs, so he told his fans he was going through a hard time, and he would not be releasing any new songs. Alex put her career on hold in order to support Jake in every move he took. At the beginning of the fourth month, Jake got a call from the hospital telling him that his father had suddenly stopped breathing, and he had passed away. Jake was drinking water in the living room when he got the call, and he did not say a word, he just collapsed after receiving it.

When Jake collapsed, Alex rushed to him and took the phone from him while the nurse was still talking. She quickly called an ambulance, and when the ambulance arrived, it took both Jake and Alex to the hospital. Alex was very stressed throughout the ride, so she called Jake’s mother and told her to go to the hospital without telling her the reason why.

When Mary arrived at the hospital, she saw Alex in the waiting area looking tired from crying.

“What’s going on, has my husband woken up?” Mary asked, looking stressed.

“Please sit down, ma’am,” Alex said, while holding Mary’s hand.

“What is it?” Mary asked.

“Jake got a call from the hospital telling him that Mr Miller had passed away this morning,” Alex explained, trying to be strong.

“What? No, no!” Mary let out a painful sound that touched Alex’s heart, and she could not help herself and also cried while holding Mary tightly. After a while, Mary got up from the floor, wiped her tears, and tried to be strong. “Where is Jake now?” she asked.

“Jake collapsed after the call, and he was admitted here, but the doctor said he is going to be fine,” Alex explained.

After speaking with Alex, Mary went to see her husband for the last time in his room. After that, she went to see Jake, who was already awake at the time. He was still crying, so Mary hugged him and said it was OK to cry.

The funeral took place at the house where Jake was born, and Annie also attended the funeral, and so did Jake’s best friend, Sam. After the funeral, Jake’s life changed and he started drinking a lot, not sleeping at home, and even when Alex tried calling him several times, his phone would go straight to voicemail. He shut everyone out of his life, and when Alex tried to confront him, he told her to leave him alone, and that he did not need anyone in his life.

After the funeral, Alex went back to London for a month. While she was there, she watched the news every day, and Jake was all over the news, throwing parties, drinking too much, and sleeping anywhere, even at the clubs. He was depressed all over again, and his mother could not do anything for him. She tried everything she could, but she failed.

One day, while Alex was cleaning the house, she heard something about Jake on the news.

“Jake Miller was found last night in his room, having overdosed on pills,” the news said. “He tried to kill himself, but his mother rushed him to the hospital.”

Annie came home running after she heard the news, and she found Alex standing there, still in shock. “You need to go back there, Jake needs you,” she said. “You’re the only person who can help him now.”

“OK, let me change and go book a flight,” Alex replied, rushing to her room.

“There’s no need for that, I’ve already booked one for you, so just hurry up,” Annie shouted.

***

Tell us: Do you think Alex will be able to help Jake get better?