Chapter 27:
I reached out and gently pushed a strand of hair off his forehead, my voice soft. “Sweetheart, I made a deal with your grandma years ago to take care of you. I even gave up studying abroad for it. But now, it’s time for me to chase my dreams again. And I want to take my mom with me–let her see the world, too.
Tears welled up in his eyes. “So what about me? Are you just going to leave me here all alone?”
“You’re not alone, Jayden,” I said, crouching to meet his eyes, “You have your dad. He’s a good man and he’ll take care of you. And I’m not abandoning you. I come back, okay? Once I finish my degree, I’ll come visit you.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but I pressed my finger gently against his lips.
“If you say no now… I might never come back
His eyes widened in panic. “No, no! Don’t say that! Please, come back! I promise I’ll be good. You can go, just just come back.”
I smiled and nodded. “Then be your best self, okay? Show me how amazing you can be when I come back.”
Jayden sniffled and nodded hard, then threw his arms around me and started crying !
I let him. I knew kids didn’t always know how to control their emotions, so I held him until he cried himself to sleep &
Once he was out, I called Nick and told him to come get him. When he arrived, he looked at me like he wanted to ask something–but hesitated
Finally, in a low voice, he asked, “Will y
“Yeah,” I said simply.
you really come back after you finish school?”
Something lit in his eyes. Maybe it wasn’t much, but to him, it must’ve felt like hope. He nodded, holding Jayden close and walked away without another word.
That night I bought my ticket. By dawn, I was on a plane, leaving my homeland behind.
As we soared above the clouds, I looked out the window and gently touched the jade bracelet on my wrist. I whispered,
“Mom… let’s go see the world together.“1
Eight years later, I’d built a new life for myself. I’d finished my degree, started my own company and was doing pretty well. Every month, I took a trip to somewhere new, bringing along my mother’s jade bracelet as if she were still by my side.”
One day, my assistant came into my office and said someone wanted to see me. I told her to bring them in. A moment later, a tall, lean teenager stepped into my office. His features were sharper now, his boyish roundness replaced with the confidence of youth. At nearly six feet, he carried himself with a maturity that surprised me. But that smile–that big, boyish grin–was still the same.
“Mom,” he greeted me, his voice deeper, but still filled with that same warmth.
“Jayden?” I blinked, caught off guard. “How’d you find me?”
“Dad told me,” Jayden said casually, like we hadn’t just missed nearly a decade–walking closer. “He said you finished school three years ago but never came back. He thought maybe I should come see you.”
I let out a soft chuckle, more out of exasperation than humor. “Of course he did,” I muttered and gestured for him to sit. “Come down. Tell me everything.”
оп,
We caught up like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years–which, I guess, we were. I told him about my work, my travels, how I’d brought Mom’s bracelet everywhere with me. He talked about school, his interests, how he was considering studying business. Then, after a pause, he mentioned Nick.
“Dad hasn’t been doing great,” he admitted, looking down at his hands. “He waits around for news about you, but you never reached out. He’s been sad. He never got over you Said he didn’t want to bother you, but… he misses you. A lot. He throws himself into work just to get by”
I didn’t say anything Guilt and confusion twisted together in my chest!
“He really wanted to come see you,” Jayden added. “But he was scared. He didn’t think you’d want to see him.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples. “He’s still the same, huh?”
Then I pulled out my phone and called him. “Come to dinner tonight,” I told him. “Jayden and I want to eat together. You should come
too
That evening. I booked a private dining room at a quiet restaurant. Just the three of us. We sat across from each other like some version of a family frozen in time
Nick looked like he wanted to say something more than once. His lips parted, his eyes searched mine–but he always hesitated. Finally. Jayden broke the silence for him
“Mom,” he said gently. “Dad wants you to know that he miss you all these years. He still hopes you two can get back together”
I was stunned for a moment. All these years and Nick still hadn’t let go
I didn’t love him anymore I hadn’t for a long time. I couldn’t give him what he wanted
Nick must’ve caught the shift in my eyes, the flicker of truth I didn’t have the heart to voice. A shadow crossed his face–disappointment, maybe–but it passed quickly He smiled, like he didn’t want to make it harder on anyone.
“Don’t listen to him,” he said with a soft chuckle, the kind that tried to mask something heavier underneath. “I know we’re not meant to be
320 PM ₫ ₫
anymore. I made my
by peace with that a long time ago.”
He hesitated for a second, as if choosing his words carefully
“I just… I just hope you’d visit once in a while. That would mean a lot to me. Honestly, that’s more than enough.”
Jayden nodded eagerly. “Yeah, Mom. Promise you’ll come see us more often.“8
I smiled, reached across the table and placed a piece of meat on each of their plates.
That night, something shifted. We weren’t a family in the traditional sense anymore, but we found a new kind of peace. I saw Nick as a friend now, nothing more. We didn’t keep in close touch after that, but there was no more bittemess between us.
Three years later, I got mamed again!
My husband was once my fiercest business competitor. We’d spent years battling it out in boardrooms, only to end up falling for each other in the middle of it all. He challenged me, respected me, made me laugh–and most importantly, he loved me without condition.
Jayden came to the wedding, all grown up in a sleek navy suit, grinning ear to car. But I hadn’t spotted Nick anywhere.
“Forgive him. His health gotten worst” Jayden explained when I walked over to his table during the reception. “But he sent a message.
Jayden paused for a moment, then looked up at me with a gentle smile 8
“He wanted to say congratulations on your wedding–and he hopes you’ll be happy Forever”
(The End)