Chapter 85
Lily didn't hesitate much and agreed right away, "Sure, of course it's convenient! What do you want to know?"
Now that Jason had come to her himself, there was no way she'd let this opportunity slip by.
"I want to know everything about her." Jason paused before asking, "How much do you know about Jessica?"
"I don't know about what happened with Sue in Sunrise City before. When I met her, she was already pregnant. She was about to give birth, but because she couldn't bear to lose wages by taking time off, she went around every day with her big belly. She only rested when she was close to delivery."
As Lily spoke, she didn't look at Jason.
Her thoughts drifted to the past, and Lily sighed heavily with a somber mood. "You have no idea - the first time I saw her, there was a heavy rainstorm in Seaside City. She was heavily pregnant, holding a crumpled photo in her hand, asking everyone she met if they'd seen the person in the picture."
Jason's pupils contracted as he asked, "That person... was me...?"
"Who else would it be?" Lily shot back angrily.
Just thinking about what Sue had been through made Lily furious.
"You think that's the end of it? After Sue gave birth to Jessica, as soon as she could get out of bed and walk, she went back to work."
Lily took a sip of her coffee. The iced Americano was so bitter it made her grimace, but she kept a cold expression, full of intensity.
"Why? Didn't she have anyone to take care of her? What about her family?" Jason was stunned.
He had thought Sue must have had a hard time these past years, but he never imagined she hadn't even taken maternity leave.
"Her mom wouldn't help take care of the baby, so what could she do?"
Lily's eyes reddened as she spoke about this. "Do you know how hard it is for a woman with a child? Her original company didn't want her because she had a kid, so they fired her. She couldn't find work later, and with no other choice, she had to stay home temporarily to take care of the child, living on a tight budget."
Her tone shifted, filled with dissatisfaction and reproach. "All this time, she kept looking for you. But what about you? You were living a luxurious life in Seaside City. Did you ever look back and think about her, or check on her?"
Jason didn't answer.
Lily looked up, and in the next moment, she froze in place.
Jason's eyes had actually turned red.
"It's my fault." Jason's voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
"Thank you for telling me all this today. It's all my fault. I'll make it up to Sue properly."
With that, Jason stood up unsteadily.
Jason's normally upright figure looked incredibly hunched at this moment. Under Lily's shocked gaze, he left looking completely lost.
Grandma Cooper came back with Jessica.
Grandma Cooper was getting on in years after all. When she returned, she sat in a chair, constantly patting her legs.
I quickly walked over and asked with concern, "Grandma Cooper, are you okay? Did Jessica give you trouble?"
"No, Jessica was very well-behaved. When playing outside, she didn't run off, and even came back on her own to check on me."
Grandma Cooper took my hand and couldn't help but sigh. "You've really raised Jessica so well. Thank you!"
My heart felt warm. I sat down next to Grandma Cooper and gave her legs a gentle massage.
I had learned some massage techniques when I was working part-time before.
Grandma Cooper closed her eyes comfortably and said, "If it weren't for my grandson, I'd want you as my granddaughter."
I laughed softly and said, "Grandma, you're too kind."
"Who wouldn't treasure a girl as wonderful as you?" Grandma Cooper said sincerely.
She rested for a while longer, checked the time, then got up to leave.
I walked Grandma Cooper downstairs and didn't go back home until she got in the car.
That evening, Jessica and I had just finished dinner when someone knocked on the door.
Before I could say anything, Jessica had already run over to open it.
"Aunt Lily!" Jessica cheered and hugged Lily's leg affectionately.
"You're so clingy!" Lily picked Jessica up and kissed her twice, teasing her.
I smiled and said, "Maybe she hasn't seen you in so long that she missed you."
"That's too cute!" Lily squealed and kept kissing Jessica's soft little face.
Jessica went from excited at first to gradually looking a bit overwhelmed. The moment Lily let her go, she ran back to the bedroom.
Lily sat down at the dining table with a smile, looking at me pitifully. "Sue, have you guys eaten? I haven't eaten yet. I'm so hungry!"
"We've already eaten. How about I make you a bowl of pasta?" I asked.
"Perfect!"
A bowl of cheese pasta was soon placed in front of Lily.
While eating, Lily asked me, "Did Jason handle all that online stuff? I just checked and couldn't find any of it."
I rested my face on one hand, tilting my head to look at her. "I don't know, I didn't ask about it."
I opened my phone and checked online - indeed, none of those posts were there anymore.
"Do you know who did it?" Lily asked.
I actually knew this one.
"Victoria."
"That woman who claims to be Jason's secret crush?"
Lily paused mid-bite.
I nodded lightly and answered, "That's her."
"How can that bitch be so shameless! Why drag you into whatever's between her and Jason? None of this has anything to do with you, and she put all your personal information online. Does she not know that's an invasion of privacy!"
Lily slammed her chopsticks on the table, eyes wide. "Doesn't she work at Glacier Corp? Come on! Let's go beat her up right now!"
I just looked at Lily with a smile.
Lily paused, looking at me with some surprise and helplessness. "You've been cyberbullied with everyone online cursing at you, and you're not even a little angry? This is when you should be going after Victoria!"
I shook my head and said, "Actually, I'm not that angry. I was already thinking about how to tell Jason the truth about Jessica's identity. Now that Victoria did this, she actually helped me out."
"But everyone online is cursing at you!" Lily looked at me with concern.
I didn't really care. "Let them say whatever they want. I don't care."
More importantly, Jessica had no idea about any of this.
As long as Jessica wasn't hurt by it, I wasn't too bothered by the cyberbullying.
Lily stared at me for two seconds, then let out a long sigh. "You know what? Jason came to see me."
"Huh? What did he want from you?" I was surprised.
Lily answered, "He came to find out about what happened to you over the past five years."