Chapter 410 The Past 2
"Alright," Jacob chuckled softly, pushing him back down before continuing, "So, the girl wanted to give the money back, but then she saw the rich guy getting engaged to someone else."
"And right then, she found out she was pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby but didn't want to mess up the rich guy's new life. So, she took the money and left town."
Benjamin's expression softened a bit, but he couldn't help but say, "The rich guy was already getting married, why'd she keep the baby? Isn't that just asking for trouble? But at least she kept the money."
Jacob tapped his nose, "If she had gotten rid of the baby, you wouldn't have met Mr. Percy."
Benjamin's eyes widened as he realized Jacob was talking about Charles' story! The woman in the story was his own grandmother!
He clasped his hands together and whispered, "Thank goodness she kept Mr. Percy, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to meet him."
Most importantly, without Charles, Benjamin wouldn't have been born either.
Jacob nodded with a smile and continued, "After leaving town, the girl raised the child on her own. Even though she had money, she had to think about the future, so they lived frugally. She was a great mom and took care of the kid until he was seven."
"And then? Did she go to work? Did the kid start school?" Benjamin, now realizing the story was about Charles, was much more curious than before.
Jacob paused, looking deeply at Benjamin before continuing, "No, she died in a car accident, and Mr. Percy saw it happen."
Benjamin's expression turned solemn. He hadn't realized how tragic Charles' childhood had been.
If it were him, witnessing his mom's death... 'No, Mommy can't die. I want to be with her forever.'
Shaking off those thoughts, Benjamin continued to listen to Jacob.
"After she died, the kid's background came out. His grandmother took him in out of pity, but he wasn't really welcomed because of his status. He always felt like his mom died because of him, that he was a burden. Mr. Percy has always hated himself..."
Jacob's voice grew hoarse, and his eyes misted as he continued, "Mrs. Juniper Percy was the only person who accepted him, but she also passed away."
"Mrs. Juniper Percy understood Mr. Percy's personality and wanted to find someone who would love him and spend their life with him. She hurriedly arranged for him to get married, hoping that having his own family would change him."
Jacob lowered his eyes, letting out a bitter laugh and shaking his head, "But Mrs. Juniper Percy's wish never came true."
Benjamin pursed his lips, guessing that Charles' marriage partner was his mommy. He asked, "Did he not like his marriage partner? Did they get divorced?"
"How do you know?" Jacob was surprised. How could a four-year-old know about these old stories?
"I searched for Mr. Percy online. The news mentioned it," Benjamin lied.
There were indeed some news articles hinting at it, and Charles didn't bother to address them.
Jacob didn't press further and instead refuted Benjamin's earlier statement, "The news isn't always true. At first, Mr. Percy didn't like her, and their divorce was a big deal. But after the divorce, the woman got pregnant."
Benjamin's eyes widened. This was his part of the story! His mommy got pregnant with him after the divorce.
Realizing this, Benjamin thought his mommy and grandmother were similar. Both encountered unworthy men but chose to keep their children.
'Sorry, Grandma, I shouldn't have said that about you.'
Benjamin felt a pang of guilt and asked, "Did Mr. Percy fall in love with her then? Did he love the child or her?"
Jacob shook his head, "It wasn't that quick. But because of the child, the woman was brought back. She changed a lot after getting pregnant and no longer had feelings for Mr. Percy."
'Good job, Mommy,' Benjamin thought proudly.
"But over time, Mr. Percy's attitude changed. He didn't keep her just for the child; he started to love her."
Jacob's lips curved into a small smile, but it quickly faded, "That was the first time I saw Mr. Percy be so patient with someone other than Mrs. Juniper Percy."
"But Mr. Percy's love was too reserved; he didn't realize it was love. Similarly, because of past events, Mrs. Diana Percy was very resistant to Mr. Percy, and they weren't happy together."
Benjamin tightened his grip on the blanket, listening intently as Jacob continued.
"I thought their relationship would improve after the child was born, but then Mrs. Diana Percy lost the baby, and their relationship deteriorated."
"Mr. Hearst, I heard Mr. Percy didn't want that child, is that true?"
"Absolutely not! Who said that?" Jacob immediately denied, frowning, "If he could trade his life for the child's, Mr. Percy would have done it. He would never abandon his child!"
Benjamin saw Jacob's intense expression and felt a lump in his throat.
"But he signed the surgery consent form."
Jacob was stunned, surprised that Benjamin knew this, but quickly, he didn't dwell on it. His voice filled with sorrow, he said, "That was the first time Mr. Smith and I saw Mr. Percy cry."
"Mr. Percy did sign the form, but it was an emergency. If he didn't sign, both the mother and the child would have been lost. I still remember Mr. Percy's hands shaking as he signed."
Jacob met Benjamin's gaze, saying, "When the nurse took the form into the operating room, Mr. Percy, with red eyes, said, 'If I lose the child, I'll really lose her.'"
Benjamin was silent, surprised to see this side of Charles.
He had heard from Dean about how his mommy escaped with him.
He used to hate Charles, but after hearing Jacob's story, he felt a bit of sympathy and relief.
At least Charles didn't intentionally abandon him.
"What happened next?"
Benjamin wanted to know why Charles sought a new girlfriend after his mommy left.
But Jacob, feeling down after sharing so much, sighed and changed the subject, "It's late, you should go to sleep. Next time, ask Mr. Percy to tell you himself."
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