Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress - Chapter 302

Chapter 302: Rainbow

The air in Jax’s studio was filled with the faint scent of paint and turpentine. Light spilled through the rooftop, falling across canvases stacked against the wall and brushes left in jars of cloudy water.

Mari stood barefoot in the middle of the room, wearing only Jax’s black shirt, the sleeves rolled up, the hem brushing just below her thighs. Her hair was tied in a loose bun, and her cheeks still glowed faintly from the warmth of the morning.

Jax leaned against a table nearby, his paint-stained hands crossed over his chest as he watched her. “You should paint something,” he suggested with a teasing smile.

Mari looked at him, her brow arching. “Something like what?”

“Anything you can picture in your mind,” Jax replied. “Even if it’s just splashes of color. Just paint what you feel.”

Mari bit her lower lip, eyeing the blank canvas. “Anything?”

He nodded. “Anything.”

She tilted her head, her lips curling into a playful smile. “Okay. But you can’t watch me.”

Jax laughed softly, pushing himself off the table. “Can’t watch you? How am I supposed to teach you then?”

“You don’t have to teach me. Just give me what I need,” she said, and he shrugged.

Jax chuckled again but stayed where he was, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You’ve been watching me work since yesterday. I’m sure you know where everything is kept. Help yourself to whatever you need.”

Mari gathered what she needed and turned her back to him. “Don’t look.”

“I’m not looking at what you’re doing. I’m looking at you,” Jax said as he kissed her nape.

“I need to focus,” Mari said over her shoulder, a faint giggle escaping her.

Jax smirked. “You sound like a professional already. Can’t wait to see your masterpiece,” he said as he moved away from behind her.

Mari giggled as she focused on the canvas. Mari stood in silence for a long moment, as if waiting for her thoughts to settle into a shape.

Then, slowly, she dipped the brush into red paint. A wide stroke spread across the blank space. Her strokes were bold and uncertain at first, then became more confident as she moved to other colors.

She paused, staring at it, then reached for orange, dragging it gently beneath the red.

“Is that a sunrise?” Jax asked from where he stood, his voice light, curious.

Mari didn’t answer. She was lost somewhere between her thoughts and the motion of her hand.

When she was done, she stepped back with a smile, “Watch out, Jax. There’s a new artist in town,” she said, and he chuckled as he strolled over to see what she’d done.

He’d figured out a while ago that she was painting the rainbow, but seeing it now, his lips curved in a wide smile.

It wasn’t perfect. The lines were uneven, the colors bled into one another, and there were tiny splatters where her hand had might have trembled. But he liked it.

“Why a rainbow?” He asked, wanting to know what inspired her painting.

Her smile grew nostalgic. “I used to like seeing the rainbow when I was little. My nanny said it was a sign of hope and it signified that good things always come after a storm. I’m hoping that the storm with my parents would end soon and good things would come.”

He reached her and gently turned her around. “It will. Now how much will this cost? I have to buy the very first work of the new artist in town,” he said, wanting to make her laugh, and she giggled.

“I’ll be back. Someone is at the door,” Jax said when he heard a beep, and walked toward the door of the studio.

“How did you know?” Mari asked as she followed him. She watched with amazement as he tapped on the door and the monitor came on, revealing Chad standing outside his bedroom.

“What? I didn’t know this could do that,” Mari said, and Jax chuckled.

“There’s a detector outside my door. Let’s me know when someone is at the door when I’m working. And…” he trailed off tapping on the monitor to show the interior of his bedroom, “I can see what goes on outside and inside my bedroom while I’m here.”

“Wait, does that mean you saw me snooping around your room?” She asked, and he chuckled.

“Yeah. I did. And you should know I checked and saw you deliberately leaving the undies under my pillow, you troublesome minx,” he said, and she giggled. “I’ll be back. Need to see what Chad wants seeing as he’s not leaving,” he said before walking away.

When Jax opened the bedroom door, Chad stood there, a scowl on his face. “You two should come downstairs,” he said.

“We’re kind of busy,” Jax replied, and Chad glared at him.

“I’m pretty sure Mari would want to see the package that just arrived for her,” Chad said, and Jax’s brow furrowed.

“From who?”

Chad lifted a brow. “Who do you think it’s from?”

“Why didn’t you just bring it up here then?” Jax asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“Because I wanted you both to come downstairs. You’ve had more than enough time for your honeymoon. Come downstairs,” Chad said, then turned and walked away without waiting for an answer.

Jax sighed, shaking his head. “You’re jealous,” he called after him.

“What does he want?” Mari asked Jax as he joined her again.

“He says you have a package. Seems it’s from your parents. Go get dressed while I clean up then we can go see what it is.”

A few minutes later, they both joined Chad in the living room. A small brown box sat on the center table, tied neatly with twine.

“Finally I get to see you after two days,” Chad said dryly when he saw Mari.

“Sorry. Your brother kept me hidden from the rest of the world,” she said as she pecked his cheek, “Is that for me?”

“Yeah,” Chad said, and Mari picked it up.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw “Happy Birthday, Doll” was written on it in her mother’s handwriting

She shook the box, then turned to the identical faces staring at her. “It’s from my Mom. I’ll be in my room.”

Jax nodded. “Of course.”

She walked to her room, the box clutched against her chest. When she got inside, she sat on the bed and untied the twine carefully. Inside lay a new phone and a few pieces of folded fabric— soft, silky, and sexy.

Her lips curved slightly, knowing what they were. She picked up the phone first.

When she switched on the phone, the screen lit up with a wallpaper photo— a picture of her parents smiling and holding our finger hearts.

Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at their faces and her heart ached with longing and worry for them.

She swiped through the phone. The contact list was empty. The messages too. But when she opened the gallery, her chest tightened. There were dozens of pictures on the screen.

She clicked on them, and tears dropped from her eyes when she saw how wide their smile were, like they were trying to convince her they were happy.

The more she scrolled the more convinced she was that they were trying to assure her that they were fine and she didn’t need to worry about them.

Then she found videos. She tapped one of them.

Her Mom appeared, holding a cupcake with a single candle. “Happy birthday, my beautiful doll!” she sang, her voice warm and bright. Her Dad sat beside her, smiling.

“I won’t sing,” he said with a laugh when his wife gave him a signal to join her. “I don’t want to ruin the beautiful song with my voice.”

Mari laughed softly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

In another video, her mother was alone in the bedroom. She whispered, “I’m hiding so your dad doesn’t hear me. I’m sending you something soon, okay? Some sexy lingerie. Promise me you’ll wear it and make things hard for Jax,” she said with a wink. “He’s hot isn’t he? I wonder how things are going between you both. I sure do hope it’s steamy.”

Mari burst into laughter, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh, Mom…” she whispered, her shoulders shaking as fresh tears rolled down her face, tears of laughter and sadness all at once.

She missed them so much it hurt.

While she was still smiling through her tears, the door creaked open.

“Love?” Jax’s voice was soft.

She quickly slid the lingerie under her pillow as she looked up, holding up the phone. “It’s a phone,” she said quietly, scrolling up to the photos.

Jax walked closer, his eyes softening when he saw the photo on the screen. “At least we know for sure that they’re safe.”

“Yeah,” Mari said, her voice trembling. “That’s what matters.”

He nodded, giving her a small smile. “I’m glad.”

She wiped her face and smiled back. “Me too.”