Sebastian, you rascal! If you could just handle it by yourself, I wouldn't have to deal with the woman I hate most in my life... Jeffrey thought to himself.
Arguing with Rebecca was enough to make him sick to his stomach! But in the end, he won the battle in front of Ashley. Jeffrey felt quite smug for that.
Any man, no matter how mature he appeared, would act like a big boy in front of the woman he loved. Jeffrey was no different.
Inside the room, Ashley was feeling all kinds of emotions.
Upon hearing that Jeffrey was leaving, Emily, who was in Ashley's arms, immediately struggled to get down and rushed out of the room, shouting, "Daddy! Don't go!" Jeffrey paused at the door.
His daughter...was calling him Daddy.
This wasn't the first time, but he didn't know he had a daughter in this world then.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThis time, he hesitated... He didn't know whether or not to acknowledge her.
He couldn't protect her mother eight years ago... Could he protect them now? Jeffrey felt lost.
The Perez family, they're a complicated bunch...
Rebecca was too bold. There wasn't a bolder woman in the whole of B City.
All these things and people he couldn't control...
He didn't have the confidence...
Emily's eyes swam with tears as she stammered, "Daddy, can't you stay? Mom's tormented, so can't you stay and protect us?" These words, escaping a young girl's lips, were heart-rending.
Jeffrey's instincts urged him to stay, but if his presence promised an unending calamity for them, he would prefer to depart.
Yet, in the end, he neither continued with his departure nor mustered the courage to turn back.
Inside the room, Ashley had slipped into a state of emotional numbness, her countenance void of expressions... She merely sat motionless on the bed, as if he connection to the surrounding events had been severed.
Only Emily continued her plea, urging her newly encountered father to linger.
"Why does everyone have a dad, but not Emily!" Emily's plea fell on deaf ears, which led to her breaking down into sobs.
Jeffrey's heart was lacerated, but he didn't dare spin around to console her... He felt like a coward in that moment.
Stephanie found the scene unbearable.
"Jeffrey, can't you just hug Emily?" Jeffrey gave a bitter smile, "You wouldn't understand... Take care of your teacher and Emily. I'll be leaving." Jeffrey suppressed the impulse to pivot and embrace Emily.
Even though he yearned to, he dared not.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe was petrified...terrified that any proximity to Emily, without absolute assurance, would invite ceaseless misfortune upon her.
He couldn't risk inflicting harm on m them before he could be sure of their safety. Jeffrey's eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
It's often said that men seldom cry...but once Jeffrey had retreated into his car, he succumbed to tears, ve burying his face on the steering wheel He endeavored to mute his sobs, fearing that someone might overhear. He was the head of the Perez family... He couldn't afford to weep.
From his childhood, his mother had ingrained in him the notion not to e shed tears... Else, he'd invite elne mockery, and be deemed unfit to be the Perez family's heir.
Countless eyes were watching him...
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