Chapter 82
Jason trembled all over. He lowered his head guiltily in front of me, his voice shaking, "Sue, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I was such a jerk before, and that's why you suffered so much."
This usually proud and noble man was now humbly bowing his head to apologize to me.
I instinctively raised my hand, wanting to touch this man I'd been thinking about day and night for five whole years, who was almost carved into my very soul.
My hand froze in mid-air. I forced myself to hold back.
I stared at Jason.
I'd imagined many moments of telling Jason about Jessica's identity, but I never thought it would end up like this.
But my heart was surprisingly calm at this moment.
My voice was soft, "I chose to have Jessica myself. It was my own choice."
Jason looked up, his eyes so red they seemed ready to bleed.
He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his face.
"Sue, Sue..."
Jason murmured my name over and over, looking at me earnestly with sincere guilt in his voice, "You should blame me. It's all my fault that you had to take care of Jessica alone for five whole years, raising a child by yourself..."
By the end, Jason was so choked up he could barely speak.
My heart felt sour too.
I pulled my hand back and shook my head gently, "Jessica is hope to me, never a burden. Having Jessica by my side is what makes me feel hopeful about life."
As I spoke, I stared seriously into Jason's eyes.
I was sad, very sad.
I was sad about my stubbornness all these years. Five whole years. I regretted being so final when we broke up, regretted letting go of Kean's hand.
But in this unexpected reunion five years later, Jason's status made me clearly realize that with his position and status, he didn't need me specifically. If he really wanted to find me these past five years, he couldn't have failed to.
But he didn't. In these five years, he didn't even look back at me once.
I was like a complete joke, stubbornly holding on.
The sourness in my heart grew stronger and stronger. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
Now wasn't the time for emotions. Since Jason knew Jessica's true identity, I needed to make things clear about Jessica first.
"Jason."
I called his name, trying to speak as calmly as possible, "Now that you know about Jessica's background, I hope Jessica can have both her mom and dad's love. I want her to grow up in a healthy and happy environment, to have a happy childhood."
"But Jessica is my daughter. She needs to live with me. You can't take her away. However, I won't stop you from seeing our daughter or taking her out to play."
The light in Jason's eyes dimmed inch by inch.
He stared at me in disbelief. "What do you mean? You're not going to have me?"
I lowered my eyes to avoid his overly intense gaze and continued, "There's one more thing. Jessica's about to start elementary school. I hope you can help get her registered in Seaside City, so that..."
"Sue! Jessica is my daughter. Of course I'll handle these things!"
Jason cut me off urgently, anger showing in his expression. "I'm trying to talk to you about us right now. Why do you keep bringing up Jessica? Are you really not going to have me? You just want to give Jessica a father, nothing more?!"
I kept my head down, the corners of my mouth lifting in a slight sneer, "Isn't it obvious?"
Suddenly, Jason pressed me down on the bed.
His eyes were bloodshot, staring at me intently.
I just looked at him expressionlessly.
Jason suddenly lost his strength and lowered his head in pain, saying, "Sue... tell me what I should do, okay? Just tell me, and I'll definitely do it. As long as you're willing to forgive me, I'll do anything."
"No need." I tried to push Jason away, but I couldn't move him, so I just replied calmly, "I simply don't want you anymore."
"No! I don't agree! You were the one who said you wanted to break up and find a rich man. Now I have money, I meet all your standards, so why won't you get back together with me?" Jason said through gritted teeth.
The most sensitive part of my heart was touched, and I finally lost control of my emotions. Tears burst from my eyes.
In these five years, if Jason had been willing to look back at me even once, he would have found that I'd been looking for him all along.
A flash of panic crossed Jason's eyes. He wiped my tears tenderly: "Don't cry, Sue."
"Get out!" I screamed hoarsely, punching and kicking Jason like crazy.
Jason seemed to want to explain, but in the end, his face went pale, and he closed his mouth. He held me tightly and wouldn't let go.
His voice was heavy and muffled, "No matter what, I won't let go. You don't get to decide. I don't agree."
"I don't want you anymore! In this life! In the next life! I never will!"
Before I could finish, Jason kissed me directly on the lips.
He kissed fiercely and roughly, almost completely taking away all my breath.
I tried to struggle, but Jason grabbed my chin, forcing me to accept his kiss.
"Don't say things I don't want to hear, or I won't be nice to you!"
His familiar intense scent wrapped around me. My heart was racing, and my mind was in chaos.
By the time Jason and I came out of the bedroom, it was already an hour later.
When Jessica saw me, she immediately ran up to me, "Mommy!"
She paused, looking at my lips in confusion, "Mommy, what happened to your mouth? Did you get hurt?"
I instinctively touched my swollen lips, then awkwardly made up an excuse, "I accidentally bumped into something just now."
Fortunately, Jessica was still young and didn't understand these things.
She nodded, holding my hand with concern, "Mommy, you need to be careful! Otherwise, Jessica will feel bad!"
Only then did I notice that Grandma Cooper was here.
Although I knew Grandma Cooper had known about Jessica's identity for a while, seeing her in this situation still made me feel awkward. "Grandma Cooper..."
"These past years must have been so hard for you!" Grandma Cooper held my hand, her eyes full of sympathy.
She turned her head and scolded Jason irritably, "Look what you've done!"
Jason touched his nose guiltily.
His gaze fell on Jessica, and he pushed Jessica in front of Grandma Cooper, smiling, "Your great-granddaughter is right here."
Grandma Cooper looked at Jason with disdain and said, "I've known about this for a long time, unlike you, who didn't even know you had a child!"