Author’s POV:

That night, neither Jessica nor Kris could sleep a wink. They both knew they couldn’t sleep without each other. Regardless, Jessica didn’t move any closer towards Kris and continued to lay awake on the bed. Kris only seemed to stare at Jessica’s back for the whole night, motionless. Silence seemed to engulf them, along with the darkness.

Ever since the last time Kris tried to touch her, Jessica couldn’t stop the tears from flowing out of her eyes. She cried silently throughout the night, not making any sound. Her eyes only dried up when the clock ticked 3AM. There were no more tears to shed, as they were all dried up.

Kris’s hand retracted away from Jessica’s backside for the millionth time that night. He had the urge to reach out to her and hold onto her, but whenever his hand got close to her, he would draw his hand back, knowing Jessica probably didn’t want to be touched. Every time he saw her body shaking silently, he knew she was either crying or cold. His forehead was creased into a worried expression the whole night, knowing he couldn’t do anything without having Jessica scoot away from him.

The two were silently lying there wide-awake the entire night. There was no point in sleeping without your other half.

When the clock struck 7AM, Jessica squirmed on the bed. She silently sat up and ran a hand through her non-messy hair. Getting off the bed, she entered the bathroom.

Kris’s eyes followed her figure, not letting her get out of his sight until the bathroom door shut. Only when he sat up, he realized that the sun had started to rise already. He buried his face into his hands, obviously feeling extremely fatigued. He wondered if Jessica is feeling just as bad he is currently.

After hearing the sound of running water for a while, Kris continued to yawn and rub his eyes. Ten minutes have passed and Kris resorted to staring blankly at the bathroom door, wondering what was taking Jessica so long.

When the door opened, revealing Jessica, Kris looked at her longingly. Jessica only met eyes with him for a minute before walking out of the bedroom.

Kris’s shoulders deflated, plopping himself back down on the bed. Jessica was still ignoring him. Was she still damaged from being hurt verbally and almost physically by Emily? Kris didn’t know why Jessica was giving him the cold shoulder.

Rolling himself off the bed, he decided to clean up before he goes downstairs.

Just as Jessica made her way into the kitchen, Mommy Wu greeted her with a big happy hug. Mommy Wu was already up and in the midst of making breakfast.

“Good morning,” Mommy Wu smiled as she let go of Jessica. “Would you like a cup of tea?” she questioned.

“Coffee please,” Jessica responded. She cleared , feeling awkward finally speaking.

Mommy Wu nodded her head and poured her a cup of brewed coffee. “Milk is in the fridge and sugar should be in that cabinet.” She pointed to the cabinet above the coffee maker, before walking back to the stove to finish the eggs.

“Thank you,” Jessica expressed her gratitude in a small voice.

Mommy Wu flashed her a smile, “No problem, sweetie. Breakfast should be ready soon.”

Jessica finished adding milk and sugar into her coffee and took a sip before replying. “I don’t have an appetite for breakfast today.” She gave Mommy Wu an apologetic look.

Giving her a worried expression, Mommy Wu was concerned. “Are you sure? I have pancakes too.”

Jessica shook her head, “Thank you, but I just don’t feel like eating right now.”

Mommy Wu gave a small frown before nodding, as she understood. “Just be sure to drink all of the coffee then.”

Trudging into the kitchen, Kris blinked sleepily. “Morning…” he mumbled.

Jessica sipped on her coffee quietly before walking out and sitting down in the living room. She chose to avoid the dining room, as she did not want to be reminded of the craziness from last night. She also didn’t want to face Kris in the kitchen.

“Breakfast?” Mommy Wu asked Kris.

Kris shook his head, as he was busy fixing his own cup of coffee. “Not hungry.”

Mommy Wu frowned, looking worried for her son. She sensed some tension going on between the couple. Judging from both Jessica and Kris’s faces, she knew that the two did not have a good night sleep. She wondered what had happened between the two last night.

Kris lazily walked his way out of the kitchen and into the living room as well. He purposely sat on the couch opposite from the one Jessica was sitting on. He wanted to see her face and also wanted to respect her space.

Jessica sat there silently, not even acknowledging Kris. Her stare was directed to the coffee table in between them while she drank her coffee. She wanted silence for she was not ready to talk to Kris yet.

Examining her face, Kris saw her tired puffy eyes even if she did her best to cover it up with makeup. It only ensured the fact that she was crying last night. Kris just wanted to hold onto her and make her feel better, but seeing Jessica avoid him made him realize that she wanted to be alone. He let out a sigh, hating the idea of not being able to be near her.

Mommy Wu suddenly walked into the room with a cup of tea in her hands. Seating herself next to Jessica, she was not aware of the tense, silent atmosphere that was present in the room. It wasn’t until she realized that the couple was not was speaking to each other that she knew there was something wrong.

Looking at Kris, Mommy Wu tried to ask him what was wrong, but she never met eyes with her son, as his orbs were set on Jessica the entire time. She could already feel the sadness and hurt emitting from the two. Mommy Wu recalled the things she’s witnessed last night, trying to figure out what was causing the two to have their differences.

It was like a light bulb lit up above Mommy Wu’s head. She knew what was making Jessica so usually quiet and distant. She sighed, hastily putting down her cup of tea. She had to do something to clear the tension and help the two.

“Jessi,” Mommy Wu suddenly smiled, turning to Jessica. “Let’s go shopping.”

Jessica blinked at her, confused by her sudden suggestion.

“You haven’t been able to shop ever since you’ve landed here. I’ll show you around!” Mommy Wu grinned, trying to light the other up. “It’ll be a shopping spree, just us two girls!”

Kris glanced at his mother with wide eyes. His mother is trying to take Jessica away from him even at a tense, crucial time like this?

Jessica thought about it before nodding her head. It’d be a nice breather away from all the madness that she was currently facing. She’d also have time to clear her head and hopefully gather some strength to face Kris.

“That’d be nice.” Jessica gave a small grin.

“Great! Let’s go!” Mommy Wu held onto Jessica’s hand, leading her out of the room. “Go get changed, I’ll wait for you.” She smiled, letting Jessica take her time to change out of her pajamas.

As soon as Jessica disappeared into the bedroom, Kris ran up to his mother.

“I’m coming along too.” Kris was about to ascend the staircase, but only to b