Chapter 19
The car fell into a deathly silence.
Jason looked at Jessica's cute, fair face through the rearview mirror, and surprisingly, he wasn't angry.
Instead, his expression softened quite a bit.
"You're really handsome. If you smile more, maybe some lady will want to be your wife." Jessica tilted her head, her voice childish.
I secretly glanced at Jason's expression from the corner of my eye and saw the man actually crack a slight smile. "I'll give it a try."
We arrived at the restaurant.
Jason took the initiative to lift Jessica down and held her hand, leading her into the restaurant.
With him there, it saved me the effort of looking after Jessica.
Watching the big and small figures walking ahead, my heart felt mixed.
It was such a beautiful scene, but like a bubble, it would burst at the slightest touch.
The restaurant Jason's friend recommended was really good, and surprisingly not that expensive.
Jessica ate happily, and I was happy too.
After the meal, I noticed Jason had no plans to leave, so I said, "Mr. Cooper, should I give you a ride?"
"Sure." Jason agreed without hesitation and got back in the passenger seat.
I had no choice but to ask reluctantly, "Where to?"
Jason rubbed his lips, drawing out his words as he gave yesterday's address, one word at a time.
My gaze involuntarily locked onto his lips, and the passionate, burning kiss from yesterday instantly flooded my mind.
I swallowed hard and turned my head away, not daring to meet Jason's eyes anymore.
My cheeks were burning hot, definitely looking very red.
Jason seemed quite satisfied with my reaction.
He smiled with pleasure, about to say something, but then noticed a gaze from the back seat.
Jessica was watching us curiously.
The words on Jason's lips circled and were swallowed back down.
Not appropriate for children.
Next time.
I quickly calmed down and drove Jason back.
When getting out, Jason asked, "Want to come in for a bit?"
"No, I'm meeting a friend." I shook my head in refusal.
"Who?" Jason's tone turned a few degrees colder, staring straight into my eyes.
I explained helplessly, "I'm going shopping with my best friend, it's almost time."
It wasn't that I wanted to explain, but I didn't want to keep getting tangled up with Jason, so I might as well be clear.
"That girl who went car shopping with you last time?"
I was surprised that Jason actually remembered Lily.
I nodded. "Yeah."
Hearing it was Lily, Jason's expression softened.
He got out of the car and waved at us. "Goodbye."
Jessica leaned against the window, waving at Jason. "Bye!"
Back home, I immediately looked up the price of child safety seats online and transferred the money directly to Jason.
Sue: [Mr. Cooper, thanks for buying the safety seat. I'm transferring you the money.]
Jason immediately sent the money back: [No need, it didn't cost much.]
I insisted and transferred it again.
Sue: [It's not about how much money it is. I should have been the one to buy it for Jessica. I feel bad having you pay for it.]
Most importantly, I didn't want any more ties with him.
Jason sent it back again.
Jason: [You think I bought this for you? Stop being so full of yourself. I bought it for Jessica.]
Jason: [If you transfer it again, there will be consequences.]
Looking at the chat window, I shook my head, feeling a bit confused.
But Jessica was his child too, so spending money on his own daughter was reasonable.
Thinking this way, I thanked Jason.
Then, deleted from Facebook, deleted from phone.
I quickly deleted all of Jason's contact information, not giving myself any chance to regret or hesitate.
If I kept his contact info, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist reaching out to him.
Since I'd decided to separate, it was better to make a clean break.
The following days were especially busy - following Brian on business during the day, and spending time with Jessica after work.
I was like a spinning top that never stopped, so busy that as soon as I touched the bed, I'd fall asleep immediately.
This was good, at least I felt fulfilled.
Being busy left no time to think about other things, and I wouldn't think about Jason either.
On the weekend, I finally had a moment to catch my breath.
I was cooking in the kitchen when I heard someone knocking on the door, so I called out to Jessica, "Go see who's at the door."
Jessica responded obediently and ran to open the door.
"Lily!" Jessica cheered and threw herself into Lily's arms.
Lily hugged her and spun her around, patting her head. "Jessica, I need to talk to your mom."
I could hear something was wrong with her emotions, so I quickly put down what I was doing and hurried out of the kitchen. "What's wrong? Did someone upset you?"
The moment Lily saw me, her eyes turned red.
She hugged me tightly, saying nothing.
I gestured to Jessica, who looked at Lily with concern before slowly going back to her room.
I pulled Lily to sit on the couch and asked gently, "Tell me, what happened?"
Lily wiped her tears, sniffling. "Sue, I want to drink."
"Sure, but I can only keep you company." I gently held her hand.
I was allergic to alcohol and couldn't drink.
At work functions, Brian always helped me dodge drinks.
Lily nodded and ordered two large cases of alcohol.
I watched quietly without stopping her.
The alcohol arrived quickly, and Lily drank straight from the bottle.
She downed more than half a bottle in one go, her face quickly turning bright red.
I tried to persuade her worriedly, "Drink slower, you'll get drunk too easily like this."
Lily shook her head groggily, mumbling, "Getting drunk is good, then I won't have to think."
I patted her shoulder and put two plates of food on the table. "Eat something to line your stomach, or it'll hurt."
Lily burped and spoke slowly. "My ex-boyfriend, he came to find me."
I froze.
I'd heard Lily mention her ex-boyfriend before, but didn't know much, only that his last name was Smith and he was Lily's former boss.
Lily had quit her job because of that man, and later became a writer.
"Six years, I was with him for six years, and he never made our relationship public!"
Lily's voice suddenly got louder, her eyes bloodshot, tears streaming down. "He told me to wait, wait until he had the means and he'd make us public, wait until he inherited his fortune and he'd introduce me to his family, wait until everything settled down and he'd give me the grandest wedding..."
Lily suddenly laughed through her tears.
She shook her head hard, hair sticking to her face, looking miserable. "But what I finally got was news of him marrying another woman! Six years! We were together for six years! This is how he treats me!"
My heart ached hearing this, and I reached out to hug her. "That kind of person is just a scumbag! You're better off without him!"
I suddenly realized something and quickly grabbed Lily's shoulders. "So why did he come find you this time?"
Lily laughed mockingly, her alcohol-filled eyes full of coldness. "He wants me to be his mistress, says he loves me, can't live without me."
"So you..." My heart tightened.
"I told him to get lost." Lily waved her hand. "I've figured it out. That piece of trash doesn't deserve my tears!"
I nodded in strong agreement, looking at Lily with concern and asking, "So what are you planning to do next?"