Chapter 261
It was autumn again, and students wandered into campus in groups.
Jessica found herself sitting in a car at the gate of an unfamiliar university, not sure when she’d arrived there.
The entrance was packed with people, a long line of cars parked to drop off new students.
‘Am I here for the same reason?‘ she wondered. Lost in thought, she leaned back in her seat.
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Just then, a flashy Maserati pulled up with a roar. The door opened, and a grown Jacob stepped out, wearing sunglasses and looking effortlessly cool.
Jessica’s eyes widened. She almost called out, but stopped herself.
She thought, ‘No, I can’t. We haven’t spoken in years.‘
She’d only found out he’d gotten into this university from Stella.
She thought, ‘I’ll just watch from a distance. Why interfere with his day by trying to reconnect? Wasn’t I the one to push him away?”
A deep sadness welled up in Jessica as she watched him walk into campus, tears streaming down her face.
She regretted it.
She thought, ‘But how can I make up for missing his growth? Jacob will never accept me now.’
Suddenly, the sun grew brighter, its hot rays beating down on the ground but not dimming the graduates‘ bright smiles.
“Jake, look at the camera!” Madeline’s voice called out.
It was Jake! Jessica turned instinctively.
There he was, handsome in his graduation gown, standing next to a classmate.
Madeline was holding a camera, taking his photo, while Brian stood beside her, looking at Jacob with affection.
“Jake.” Jessica couldn’t hold back. She stepped forward and called his name softly.
Jacob clearly heard her, but he turned to look at her with cold indifference before quickly looking away.
That glance was so icy as if she were a random stranger on the street, not his mother.
Jessica spun around, but the next moment tears were streaming down her face.
She thought, ‘My Jake has truly become a stranger to me. He’s probably long since forgotten I’m his mother.‘
‘Isn’t this what you chose, Jessica? Why are you crying now? No, this isn’t what I want. It shouldn’t be like this.‘
She began to run as if she could outpace all the heartache and regret.
Time raced by, and in a blink, three years had passed.
One day, Jessica returned home to learn that Jacob was getting married.
“Jessi, have you sorted your dress and gift? Jake’s wedding is tomorrow. As his mother, you can’t be absent,” Stella, who had aged, urged.
Jessica froze. “Tomorrow? No one told me.”
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Wed, 18 Jun
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