After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 108

“I don’t want to have to repeat myself,” Jeffrey said, using his usual tactic of control. “We're alone in this room

now. Who knows what might happen later?”

“Threatening me? Is that all you know?” Rebecca shot back, her thoughts filled with contempt. ‘He's really

shameless,’ she thought.

Jeffrey's eyes locked onto her with overwhelming intensity, making it hard to breathe. Rebecca felt an uneasy

dread gnawing at her from within. She quickly looked away, refusing to meet his eyes, but gave up struggling.

Jeffrey, knowing how stubborn she was, bent down right in front of her. His large hand carefully lifted her ankle,

and with those slender, pale fingers of his, he gently peeled off the sloppily stuck Band-Aid.

Since he knew she couldn't handle pain, he softly blew on her wound the whole time, trying to soothe it for her.

Watching him being so patient and gentle, just like always, Rebecca just couldn't figure out why he’d want to

spend his whole life looking after Andrea. “Jeffrey.” She called him.

Without even looking up, he kept tending to her wound, his movements gentle as ever.

“Why are you with Andrea?” Rebecca asked seriously. The question was heavier this time.

Jeffrey’s hand stilled mid-motion. His eyes suddenly clouded over with emotion impossible to read.

Remembering what she’d said last time, he swallowed back the explanation he’d been about to give, then shot

her own words back at her. “Didn't you say it didn’t matter?”

Rebecca forced herself to swallow down every feeling, burying it deep inside. The room sank into silence, and

the silence between them hung heavily in the air.

Jeffrey finished wrapping her ankle with practiced care, double-checked his work, then quietly got up and took a

seat beside her on the couch.

“Try to keep it dry for the next couple of days if you want it to heal faster.” Jeffrey reminded her, handing over

the bag of meds. “Every night, just follow exactly what I did.”

Rebecca took the bag, sounding almost indifferent. “Okay.”

“Didn’t you say it didn't matter? So why are you mad now?” Jeffrey could read her like a book, right down to

those tiny shifts in her mood. He knew she was throwing his words right back at him.

“I'm not mad,” Rebecca said, sounding as calm as ever.

But deep inside, she knew she was a little pissed off. She knew it made no sense, she knew it was irrational, but

she just couldn’t stop herself.

“I know why you're mad,” Jeffrey said. He got how stubborn and proud she was. “But do you really want to hear

the real answer?”

Chapter 108

Rebecca hesitated for a second, her mind going blank. To her, the answer didn’t really matter anymore. No

matter what he said, it wouldn't change a single thing between them.

Regardless of why he was with Andrea, it was true that he had decided to support Andrea for life. It was also true

that he had forced Rebecca to apologize and had transferred assets during their marriage, ignoring Rebecca's

contributions to the family.

There were just too many problems standing between them. From that moment, she knew that they couldn't go

back.

Seeing her expression, Jeffrey knew exactly what she was thinking. His hand involuntarily clenched, and it felt as

though a jagged, barbed knife had pierced his chest and then been yanked out, leaving him bleeding and in

agonizing, unbearable pain.

For a brief moment, he felt the urge to demand why she couldn't choose him just once, firmly and without

hesitation. But he was acutely aware of what her answer would be if he posed that question.

“Whenever you cback, that’s when I'll give you your answer,” Jeffrey said, masking everything behind his

usual calm. “If there's anything you want to know, just ask. I'll tell you everything.”

Rebecca curled her lips into a mocking grin. “Keep dreaming.”

Jeffrey shot right back. “I'm not kidding.”

“Just give it up already,” Rebecca said coldly, never once wavering on this. “I'd rather beg for scraps and starve

to death than ever cback to you.”

“Don’t act so sure about things you can’t predict,” Jeffrey replied, voice steady and low. “And don’t forget, your

words have a habit of coming back to bite you.”

Rebecca didn’t want to talk to him anymore. Her dislike for him had reached a peak, but she also couldn't

swallow this indignation, so after a moment of silence, she retorted with emotion, “Why do you always insist on

holdingback?”

“Because you're Rebecca,” Jeffrey replied.

go

“Then I'll just go change my name.” Rebecca shot back, her mood clearly sour. “Maybe you should find yourself

another Rebecca if that’s all it takes.”

Jeffrey's eyes held a mix of emotions as he looked at her. In the end, he didn’t argue back, fearing that it would

only make her angrier.

After a while, Rebecca’s emotions had calmed down a bit. Just as she was about to tell Jeffrey to leave, there was

a commotion outside the door. The door opened, and Samuel's small figure rushed in, calling out. “Mommy.”

Rebecca was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Samuel to arrive so fast.

“Are you alright, Mom? Where did you get hurt?” Samuel looked her up and down, his gaze finally landing on her

bandaged ankle. “Is it your foot?”

12:59 Wed, Sep 24

Chapter 108

“Just a little scrape. Nothing big.” Rebecca reassured him, gently tousling his hair.

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Samuel's tension melted away, and he straightened up like a little champ, giving Jeffrey a skeptical stare. “So

this is what you call a serious injury?”

Jeffrey was cool as ice, not even blinking. Samuel frowned, his voice sharp for his age.

“Serious?”

“The cut’s not big, but if it gets infected and we don’t treat it, she might actually lose her foot,” Jeffrey said,

totally deadpan, making it sound like a real medical warning when it was pretty much impossible.

Samuel and Rebecca just stared, lost for words. “You liar,” Samuel said, knowing that his excessive worry had

caused Rebecca to meet Jeffrey alone.

Jeffrey arched his brow. “What did | lie about?”

Samuel glanced at Rebecca's bandaged ankle, then fixed Jeffrey with a skeptical stare, clearly not buying his

story. He didn’t say a word, but his meaning was obvious.

“I didn’t really check your mom’s wound at the time. Who knows if there was any rust on that broken glass?”

Jeffrey said, dead serious, making it sound totally legit even though he was just making stuff up.

“You swear?” Samuel challenged, eyes narrowed, refusing to let it slide.

Jeffrey just shot him a level look, totally unfazed. “Swear to what, exactly?”

Samuel stared right at him, his little mouth slightly open as he asked, “You cin just to check on Mom's

injury, right? If that’s not true, then you and Mom have zero chance, ever.”

Jeffrey’s hand, which had been absently rubbing his phone, stilled. ‘He knows just how to puton the spot, he

thought with a mix of amusement.

“Swear and I'll believe you,” Samuel said, lifting his chin. “Then | won't even hold this lie against you.”

“Swearing means nothing,” Jeffrey said coolly, barely moving his lips. “Why waste your breath on that kind of

stuff? Just ask your mom what I did after | cin.”

Samuel glanced at Rebecca. She really didn’t want to take Jeffrey’s side, but with her kid staring at her, she

couldn't lie. “He just bandaged my foot. That's it.”

Since Rebecca said so, Samuel believed her. However, he glanced at the door he had left open and, in a clear

voice, said, “Mr. Hanson, Mommy and | are going to rest now. You can leave.”