Jayden lurched in anger at the woman. She was picking at wounds that had no scabs leaving him vulnerable. He only wanted her to shut up. He didn't want to hear out loud the truths that were eating him up on the inside. No there was no satisfaction in hating Jacob Ellis. No there was no fulfillment in watching this man suffering a lonely, painful and slow demise. No there was no resolution in wanting to abandon and treat his father like he had been treated all of his life. And because there was no consolation in his father's present condition; Jayden hated himself for feeling compassion, empathy and sympathy for a man who had never acknowledged, loved, wanted or received him as a son. Jayden hated himself for understanding the loneliness and abandoning feelings that he knew his father had to be going through from not being able to find and see his family. Therefore Jayden wanted to shut Mia's mouth up so that he would not have to admit that what she was saying was all true; no- it didn't make him feel whole or even reaffirm his worthiness as a man and human being.
He reached out to choke her but stopped. Suddenly her eyes were wide open again and he saw her and tears; yet despite fearing him in this moment she reached out catching him by his waist and hugging him tightly while crying softly in his arms.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I can't make it better." She tearfully whispered against his chest, staining his shirt with her tears. Her hands slightly stroked comforting circles against his back. He felt the tension dissipating slowly from his body as she held onto him whispering those soft words of comfort to him. He then knew that despite her fear of him in that moment, her tears were not fear of him; but rather compassion for him. It was the first time that someone was crying for him and Jayden could no longer contain his own tears and pain. Jayden felt himself choking on his own emotions. Instead of grabbing her by the throat, he reached around embracing her into his arms and they cried together. It was the first time that Jayden had received comfort from a woman and it wasn't sex. In fact he had to admit that this actually felt better than sex and made him feel more worthwhile as a man. Somebody cared about him.
Nita and Avery who were watching silently in the background, decided it was best to leave the two; or rather the three of them alone. Quietly on the way out of the door, they turned the sign over that said, 'out to lunch' while locking the door.