Chapter 524 Suicide Attempt
My mother’s silence had me even more worried. While nervously asking if she was still on the line, I was genuinely concerned about her health becoming compromised as a result of her inability to handle this news.
“I’m still here. Oh, Janette… my poor child. How could such a thing have happened to her?”
She started to choke up as she spoke. It was understandably upsetting for her as a mother to learn of the tragic fate that befell her own daughter.
“What’s happened has happened, so you should restrain your grief. Having just been discharged and have yet to fully recover, you need to be more mindful of your own health.
Feeling no less disturbed by it as well, I was able to empathize with what she was going through. However, my concerns, at present, rested more on her physical well-being.
“Where is Janette? How is she now? With everything that has transpired, why is it that she had told me nothing about it? This girl is really getting me worried sick.”
Her voice quivered while she rattled off a string of questions pertaining to her daughter.
“Emotionally, Janette isn’t very stable right now. I was the one who decided to withhold it from you as you were still in the hospital when this all went down. I chose not to tell you as I was worried that you might not be able to cope.”
That was all that I could have said about Janette’s situation.
“Where is she now? I want to see her. She needs someone to keep her company.”
“Okay. I’ll drive you over to see her in a bit.”
Even though we were both her daughters, I could sense that the extent of her affinity for Janette was much greater in comparison. Her sentiments toward me had been mostly rooted in guilt, whereas what she felt toward Janette was borne of genuine affection.
This sentiment was hard for me to contend with, but now was not the time to wrangle over such things; Janette was in a position of vulnerability, and in much need of care.
After we drove over to the house in Birchwood, I did not see Janette after we entered. That left me quite confounded.
Whenever I came by these past two days, I could always find Janette seated on the couch in the living room, unspeaking and doing nothing else in particular. Her absence at the moment got me somewhat fretful.
“Where’s Janette? Didn’t you say that she’s here?”
Turning around to regard me, Alicia sounded even more anxious when she was unable to catch a glimpse of Janette either.
“Stay calm. I’m going to check in the bedroom. Maybe she had been tired out over these past couple of days, and went in to take a rest.”
With burgeoning disquietude, I picked up my pace and made my way to the bedroom. The sheets on the bed remained pristine and tidy. It was evident that no one had slept in it. Frantically, I looked everywhere, even in the washroom. Finally, I spotted a figure standing on the balcony.
My heart sank when I ascertained that it was Janette. Ill at ease, I hastened toward her.
“What are you doing, Janette? Don’t you know that that’s dangerous?”
Janette stood over at the balcony with her eyes cast out into the distance, and I was seriously afraid that she might decide to jump down from there outright. As we were on the tenth floor, there was going to be little to no chance that she would survive the plunge if she really went for it.
As though oblivious to my voice, she continued to stare vacuously into the horizon. Drawn to the commotion, Alicia had also hurried over by this time. She got herself quite a fright when she saw Janette in such a precarious position.
“What are you standing there for, Janette? Please come back in. It’s dangerous out there!”
She regarded Janette with a bundle of nerves as she spoke, and I saw that her body was trembling ever so subtly in the throes of fear.
It was only upon hearing her voice that Janette turned this way, and the moment she saw her mother, she burst into tears.
“I feel horrible. Mom… every minute that I draw breath feels excruciating. Do you think I’d be able to find relief by jumping down from here?”
Bereft of expressiveness, Janette looked at Alicia as she said these with impassivity. Therein, I was able to hear the despair in her voice.
“What are you talking about, Janette? Being as young as you are, you would be able to get through this, no matter what. Plus, you still have me. What am I to do if you were to jump down from here? Do you mean for me to join you?”
Alicia’s tears fell like beads untethered from their string. The pain was palpable upon her face while she regarded Janette with tremendous sadness.
“Did you know what I went through that night, Mom? How could I bear this stain for the rest of my life? How could I face other people from here on out? What would they think of me…”
“Listen to me, Janette. You will get through this, so don’t do anything silly! If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn’t want to carry on living either!”
Alicia approached Janette with tears welling in her eyes.
“How could I get past this? How could I face anyone in the future? What man would ever want me? I feel so dirty, and I don’t know what to do with myself. Whenever I close my eyes, all I see are the images of those men tearing at my clothes. It hurts. It hurts so much…” Janette shuffled backward while she cried in anguish.
My chest tightened as I witnessed this. Janette was just a few steps away from the edge and if she really wanted to jump, there was nothing we could do to stop her.
That was when I heard the sound of the door outside opening. Shortly after, Michael’s silhouette came into view.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the office? What are you doing here?”
Surprised at his unexpected presence, I could not help but ask.
“With everything that is going down, would you have been able to handle it by yourself without me?”
Michael kept his eyes focused on Janette while he spoke, and with his pretty lips tightly pursed, it was not hard to tell that he was similarly a little nervous, just as we were.
“What should we do now? Janette’s in a bad place, and she isn’t budging no matter what we tell her. I’m really afraid that things could spiral out of control should this persist.”
Janette’s present state of mind got all of us jittery.
When Michael heard what I said, he furrowed his brows slightly and began to walk toward Janette.
“Aren’t you standing there because you want to jump? If so, stop wasting time here. Just go ahead and do it.” Michael regarded Janette coldly. If he was tensed up, it did not show.
All of us present were shocked at his words. Even I was a little confused, unable to figure out what he was thinking. With the situation being as dire as it was, how could he go on agitating Janette like this? What if she really decided to go for it?
Alicia looked upon him, noticeably upset. However, considering the circumstances at present, she held her tongue. I could nonetheless see the displeasure in her eyes.
