James was overwhelmed when he saw Jacob cry in the room. He had already guessed something. He
knew his brother very well. This made him sad. Now his eyes were already a little wet.
If it were up to him, he might have also made the same decision. He knew this would be the last time
so he had to stay there.
He would never have another chance to visit him again in the hospital.
The biggest decision a person had to make was rejection. Reject everything. Reject the world. His
elder brother might not be rejecting, but he was absolutely bidding the world goodbye.
He and Sara both silently watched the scene in the room with such an indescribable feeling.
Jacob wiped his tears. He had to pretend that he was strong because he couldn't make his father
worry. He comforted himself by thinking that pretending to be strong actually made him stronger. But
before he could help it, tears were already shedding from his eyes.
The memories that he wanted to hide away in a box seemed to have come out altogether.
"Finally, I... I can... I can go to see your mother... After so many years... she must be lonely. So now...
you should be happy that she and I... Finally... we are reunited again,"
Michael said with a smile on his face. He had waited and struggled for so many years. Fortunately, he
was still not ready to give up. But now it was about to end considering his terrible condition.
"Dad..." Jacob sobbed, feeling sadder than ever before. If only he knew about his father's condition
earlier, he would have spent more time taking care of him.
But now, he realized that it was too late to be a good son to him. He had always been losing. He
thought that the progress in their lives was never ending, but now he realized that he was wrong.
Life is so unpredictable. Fortune and misfortune correlate with each other. Gains and losses may
change in an instant and people in high positions now may lose everything later. He was dragged down
to this situation even before he had the time to carefully look into it.
He had been passive, but he didn't understand. Why do people always encounter such struggles in a
certain period of time? When would these misfortunes end?
Death is the end of life with other people mourning for you. The last thing Michael wanted was to see
his family cry. Once they did, his heart was broken.
He also couldn't leave his only son Jacob. His wife had already passed away a long time ago, leaving
him with their son as a fruit of their love. If it weren't for Jacob, he wouldn't have known how long he
could hold on.
After all, the old man had already seen a lot of things. And the only thing he failed to see was the
emotions and feelings which had resulted in many things. Now his heart was broken as he saw his son
crying.
He wanted to leave with dignity. There were a lot of things in the world that couldn't be controlled. It no
longer mattered whether he accepted it or not, if he loved or hate it, or whether he did or did not miss it,
he didn't have enough time left.
Since he was already leaving, Michael had a long time to think. When his disease relapsed, he had
already accepted that he would die the moment he had to go to the hospital.
He had made a lot of decisions in his life, but they were never as difficult as this. He wanted to travel
with his son, but it seemed that it was already impossible. He wouldn't be able to see him get remarried
and raise his own child. He also would no longer see him become a bigger and stronger businessman.
He couldn't wait any longer. The only thing he expected after he died was to see Jacob's mother, the
woman he loved most in his life.
As he tried to raise his hand, he found himself lying weakly on the bed with almost no strength left in
his body. He was struggling hard. He wanted to touch his son's face again.
One of the happiest things in his life was to see every step of Jacob's physical and mental growth. The
old man knew that his son would become more mature after this incident. However, he did not want
him to be colder than he already was.
If not for the many misfortunes that time had given him, he wouldn't have been such a cold person.
Now, there's no way for him to stop this. What was supposed to happen was about to come soon.
"Jacob, don't... don't be sad. I'm fine... I'm... I feel…… good," Michael said as he raised his hand not
minding the pain. He was like a rotten wood and could no longer hold anything.
Jacob grabbed his father's hand. He had missed this moment very much. He knew that once this
moment passed, there would no longer be another chance. It was only in memories that reunions like
this could be kept forever.
He had made up his mind. He would respect whatever his old man's decision was. If there were other
options, his father wouldn't have requested this. But what on earth did he miss about his old man?
Was it the old man's sighs in his youth? His loneliness? Or was it his ambition? Soon, all these would
be unknown, and from now on, his father would start to slowly disappear.
If only he could freeze the time at this moment, he could keep him forever.
All the things that he couldn't keep, or what he was destined to lose, was the eternal pain in Jacob's
heart. A pain that couldn't be explained in words. The big man cried again and again. He was the only
one who knew what he had lost at this point in time.
Sadness? Regret? Wasn't it all enough? It couldn't be changed. As if it was pressed by a hand.
It felt like a dream, but the pain was so real and depressing. He felt like he was being suffocated by the
air around him.
He didn't want to say a word. He just wanted to stay with his father quietly. Jacob knew that his father
also cherished that moment, even though the pain could still be seen through the old man's face.
"I... I always... I always felt that... I didn't... I didn't care much about you and didn't have much time... to
keep you company... Sorry, Son. If there was an afterlife... I hope we were... we were still father and
son... Then I... I would be a good father to you."
Tears welled up in Michael's eyes again. In the past, he always thought it was unnecessary for men to
talk like this.
But now, he realized that if he didn't say it now, there might not be a chance to say it in the future.
"Dad. It's me who should say that. You've been a good father. It was me who ignored and didn't
consider you... It was me," Jacob answered. His voice was sad and stuttering, like the cry of an injured
beast licking its own wound alone.
"Let's stop here... Jacob... Treat Sara well... She is a good girl," said Michael. Even until now, he was
still worried about their relationship.
He knew his son too well. He knew what he was being stubborn about or what he was determined to
do. Once his mind was made up, no one could change that. Also, he sometimes cared a lot about
something, but just wouldn't say it out loud.
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