Chapter 90 An Upperclassman Saved Her
They left the cemetery together and got into the car.
On the way, James suddenly asked, "I heard from Olivia that your dad's sick and you're really worried. Despite how your stepmom treated you, you still care about him a lot."
He'd never shown interest in Jessica's family before, but now he was curious.
Jessica smiled, "If you really want to know, I can tell you."
"Yeah, I'm curious now," James said, smiling slightly.
Jessica sighed and began, "My parents divorced when I was in elementary school. They used to have a great relationship, but my mom was very independent and busy with her work at the hospital, so she rarely had time for the family. My grandma didn't like that, thinking women should stay home. One day, Joan showed up with Pearl. My dad said he lost control and had a one-night stand with Joan, who was working at a bar back then. Joan got pregnant but didn't tell my dad."
James drove quietly, thinking that happy marriages were all alike, but the shamelessness of a third party was always unique.
Jessica continued, "When I was in elementary school, Joan brought Pearl to our home. My dad begged my mom to forgive him, but she couldn't. Joan worked hard to please my grandma, who then sided with Joan. Under pressure from my grandma, my dad finally divorced my mom. They fought for my custody, and the court awarded it to my dad."
James tightened his grip on the steering wheel, imagining how tough Jessica's life had been in the Evans family.
He asked, "How did you manage not to hate your dad and reconcile with him?"
Jessica took a deep breath, "I did hate him at first. If it weren't for him, our family would still be happy. So, I started rebelling in middle school and later developed psychological issues, becoming withdrawn. My classmates bullied me, those jerks made my school days a living hell with all their bullying antics."
James asked in surprise, "You were bullied at school?"
"Yeah, really badly," Jessica laughed self-deprecatingly.
Then, with a hint of happiness in her eyes, she said softly, "But there was an upperclassman who stood up for me when everyone else ignored my bullying. He saved me and threatened those who bullied me. Without him, I wouldn't have seen any goodness in this world or discovered anything worth clinging to."
James felt a pang of jealousy. He said unfriendly, "Jessica, you were in a relationship at such a young age? What upperclassman? I bet he had ulterior motives!"
Jessica lowered her eyes bitterly. She knew he didn't remember. Time had flown, and maybe back then, it was just a trivial matter to James.
But for her, it was a precious memory she kept in her heart. Whenever she felt despair about the world, she would think about it, and it would bring her a bit of sweetness.
James couldn't help but ask, "Do you still keep in touch with that upperclassman?"
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