Chapter 603 A Broken Heart
Jesse had already taken off with Elara by his side.
Seeing Jesse's stone-cold face, Elara reached out. "Come here, let me give you a hug."
Jesse hesitated for a moment. But Elara had already wrapped her arms around him.
"I'll always love you," Elara whispered, knowing Jesse was hurting inside. "I'll give you all my love."
Jesse slowly raised his arms to hug her back. In that embrace, his shattered heart started to mend, and he felt a bit of healing.
He thought maybe life wasn't so bad after all. Sure, he didn't have loving parents, but he had the best boss, Daphne, and his girl, Elara.
"Why did you say 'borrow' earlier?" Elara asked, a bit confused. Jesse's quarterly dividends were over three million bucks, so why'd he say that?
"I never told her how much I make now," Jesse's voice was rough, tinged with complexity. "I just wanted to see if she'd pick three million dollars or me."
Rainey might have thought it over, maybe hesitated, or even agreed; he had considered it and wasn't shocked.
When he was about four, Rainey ditched him without a second thought and didn't reach out for over a decade. Even when they reconnected, Jesse didn't think there was any deep family bond between them.
Taking three million to cut ties seemed like a good deal for Rainey. With the cost of living in her city, after buying a house, she'd still have tens of thousands left. Even if she did nothing from then on, she could still live comfortably in retirement.
But sometimes, when he thought of those parents who fiercely protected their kids, Jesse could still feel a pang of sadness.
He would've preferred Rainey to be like Eugene, with a bad temper and no care or love, so it would've been easier to walk away.
"If you can't let go, you can..." Elara sensed Jesse's disappointment and sadness, trying to comfort him.
"I don't want to use money to keep our relationship," Jesse said bluntly, forcing himself to be firm. "The bond between a mother and son should be pure."
Honestly, Jesse thought Rainey was pretty clueless. If she had kept up the initial care and warmth, even with a bit of an ulterior motive, as long as she didn't make it obvious, he would've helped her whenever she needed money or support. But Rainey was too impatient.
"Do you want to say a proper goodbye to her?" Elara asked, her beautiful eyes showing some complexity as she looked at them coming out.
Jesse followed her gaze, seeing Rainey's slightly worried face, still felt the urge to go over. But just as he was gearing up to approach, a girl in her twenties, Briar Perez, walked up to Rainey and called out "Mom" and "Dad."
The worry on Rainey's face vanished instantly, replaced by a big smile and happiness. Jesse saw Rainey's doting and concern for Briar and the picture-perfect family of three, and he felt there was no reason to hold on anymore.
"No," Jesse said, pulling his gaze away, realizing Rainey's life would be just fine without him. "Let's head back."
"Okay," Elara didn't push it. In a situation like this, she probably wouldn't handle it calmly either.
Especially for Jesse, who seemed cold on the outside but was really emotional inside.
After walking a bit, Jesse suddenly stopped, thinking he needed to check one last thing. He pulled out his phone and transferred three million dollars to Rainey.
Once the transfer went through, Jesse's eyes locked onto Rainey, curious if she'd show any sadness.
Maybe it was the notification sound, but Rainey pulled out her phone and checked it. Her face lit up with excitement and joy as she hugged Briar and Terry. Jesse could vaguely hear bits of their conversation.
They were talking about "the house," "full payment," "no need to borrow money," and "we'll go see the house tomorrow."
"Jesse," Elara said, clearly worried about him.
"I'm fine," Jesse tried to sound indifferent, not wanting her to worry. "I knew this would happen."
This time, Jesse didn't stick around. He left the city with Elara, feeling no regret.
After Rainey's excitement died down, she asked Briar and Terry, "Jesse transferred the money. Does that mean he's decided to cut ties with me?"
"Honestly, that's probably for the best," Terry said. "If he makes the first move, it won't be as hard on you."
Briar looked puzzled. "What do you mean by cutting ties?"
Terry and Rainey hadn't planned to tell Briar about this, but since she kept asking, they eventually explained the situation.
"How could you do this?" Briar got angry, her earlier joy vanishing. "Didn't you say you felt guilty about Jesse and wanted to make it up to him?"
"He doesn't need it," Rainey quickly explained, not wanting Briar to overthink. "He was pretty cold during the meal today, and he's about to marry some rich girl. It's better for him to cut ties with us."
"Really?" Briar still felt something was off.
"Would your mom lie to you?" Terry chimed in, clearly wanting Briar to accept the money. "This money is for you to buy a house. Just take it."
Briar looked at the two of them and eventually said nothing. But in her heart, she decided to go to Gedser to find Jesse and get the real story once everything settled down. Such a large sum of money must not have been easy to earn.
"Mom, can you give me Jesse's phone number and Facebook?" Briar asked.
"Jesse said he didn't want to be connected with us. You better not contact him," Rainey recalled Jesse's words and replied word for word. "If you want to thank him, I'll convey it for you."
Hearing Rainey say this, Briar didn't push further.
Meanwhile, Jesse had already arrived at the airport. His phone buzzed. Seeing the message from Rainey, he quickly hit the back button, sealing his heart once again.
Elara sat next to Jesse, holding his arm while they waited for their flight. She felt a bit guilty and blamed herself. "It's my fault. If I hadn't suggested coming here, none of this would have happened."
Why did things get so messed up?
"It's not your fault," Jesse said, gently rubbing Elara's head. Though he felt a bit sad, he had come to terms with it. "If it weren't for you, I might never have known how to face her, or that to her, I was actually dispensable."
"Do you have any other relatives who are good to you?" Elara asked.
"Not really. After they split up, I didn't live at home anymore," Jesse said, recalling his lonely and isolated childhood. "No one contacted me, and I didn't contact anyone."
"Then who should we invite to our wedding?" Elara asked, wanting to settle this matter in advance.
"Whoever you want to invite," Jesse said, being very easygoing about it. "On my side, it's just Mark, Daphne, and the others."
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