"Alice, why do you have to do this? Why can't we just break up peacefully? How many times do I have
to tell you this? I don't know what to do to make you give up. I know that it's my fault, but you know that
it's yours too."
Jacob's tone was indifferent when he spoke, but there was also a hint of exasperation in it. The longer
this matter dragged on, the greater its impact on his life. And now, he was tired of it.
Every time Jacob realized that he and the person he had once loved had come to this point, he felt
desolation and regret in his heart. After all, in people's mind, couples usually become enemies after
breaking up.
That might actually be the most euphemistic farewell among all farewells. At the thought of this, Jacob
glanced in the direction of the bedroom. James' door was still closed, and nobody knew what he was
thinking about at that very moment.
Meanwhile, Jacob felt as though he was the arrow in a bow. There was no way back for him, and he
could only move forward. Alice loved him? A sneer formed at the corners of Jacob's mouth. Her love
was certainly not real. Real love means taking care of each other and not the opposite.
The person whom Alice loved the most was not Jacob but herself. Jacob had already figured this out
even when they started dating. Although he was aware of it from the very beginning, he had been so
forgiving to her that he even gave her the benefit of the doubt.
"Jacob, if you do this for my own sake, you won't be so heartless. Your apathy has made me
understand a lot of things. Because of you, I learned that there's no need for me to hide anything."
Judging from Alice's voice, she was already resolute. Anyway, once a person gets used to loneliness,
that person eventually turns vicious and fearsome. Alice was like that. She slowly became more lonely
and vicious as time went by.
A chill ran down Jacob's spine upon hearing her words. Women are indeed difficult to deal with,
especially a woman as resolute like Alice. After a break-up, couples finally see what kind of person
their partners really were. No wonder Sara wanted to stay away from Jacob after they split.
But what about Alice? They were no longer together, and the pain was all that was left for them. Jacob
was exhausted. If he gave in to her wishes, Sara would definitely be hurt and disappointed in him
again.
He did not care if he was hurt. But if it hurt Sara, he would not be able to bear it.
"Alice, do you know what I liked the most about you when we were still together? I've never told you
this before, but I think that it's necessary to say it now. I liked your innocence. But now, I figured out
that it was all just a ruse."
Jacob closed his eyes for a moment. Meanwhile, James was standing behind the door, listening
intently to Jacob's phone call with her ex. Knowing his nephew's situation, he felt uneasy and worried.
Truth be told, it was just an excuse when he said that he wanted to leave. If Jacob asked him to stay,
he would come back as soon as he could, no matter where he was and what he was doing. He would
do so without hesitation.
For James, home was where Jacob was. He was James' biggest hope.
"Jacob, are you really going to be so cruel?" Alice was trying her best to hold back her tears. She had
already said what she had to say, and there was nothing left anymore.
The truth of life was fake. The only thing that was real at that moment was her dilemma.
For her, there was no turning back. There was nothing else that could be changed regardless of who
persuaded her. Alice's hand trembled as she held the phone. She figured that what Jacob was about to
say would be even more hurtful and piercing.
After being together with Jacob for a long time, she had gained the ability to predict what would happen
next.
Whether true or not, speculations can be painful and, sometimes, lethal. In the end, the ones who end
up with the most pain are the ones who have speculated in the first place. Sadly, all of the speculations
Alice had made were right, and it hit her every damn time.
Constant pain and humiliation taught her that as long as things were like this, she had to be cautious
and hesitant all the time.
"Alice, let me be straight to the point. If you continue to be stubborn, I have no choice but to pretend
that I don't know you. I won't even acknowledge your existence. I won't care no matter what you do in
the future. You want to know why? Because I don't care about you anymore."
Jacob had his phone in his one hand and a cigarette in the other. Then, he put the cigarette on top of
his left knee and gently shook off the ash.
He wanted to say those words for a long time, but he did not have the chance to do so until now. At the
same time, he felt sorry for Alice. However his tolerance for her had led to her insatiable greed.
"Jacob!" Alice's shrill voice sounded more desolate than ever, yet he remained unmoved.
"I'll have an abortion, but you can never get rid of me in your life. I just want an apology, but what did
you do? You never gave me a sincere one! Why? Do you think that I'm just a pushover?"
At that moment, Alice's eyes lit up. Although it was now deep into the night, she suddenly felt her
stomach rumble in hunger.
She struggled as she tried to get up. Then, she fumbled in the dark as she searched for the light
switch. Once the light was on, she went to the kitchen.
The moment she opened the refrigerator door, a wave of a rotten smell hit her. There was nothing
edible in the refrigerator, and all that was left were spoiled leftovers.
The disgusting smell made her retch. She took a step back and accidentally tripped over by something.
With that, she fell on the floor with a loud thud.
A sharp pain suddenly came from her stomach, making her scream in pain. On the other end of the
line, Jacob was silent for a long time and was about to hang up until he heard on the phone that Alice
had fallen down.
"Alice, what's wrong? What happened?" Although he was indifferent about her a while ago, he felt
worried when he suddenly heard Alice's scream.
It was cruel for him to say those words, especially when he just said that he did not care about her.
However, he just could not turn a blind eye now that something had happened.
"Blood..."
It took Alice by surprise that she did not notice that she threw her phone. Then, she saw a glint of liquid
streaming on the floor and touched it. To her surprise, it was blood oozing out of her. She felt helpless.
Although she wanted to terminate her pregnancy by having an abortion, she did not want it to end this
way.
"Hello? Hello? Hello?! Alice, what happened? Where are you? I'll pick you up! Tell me!" Jacob stood up
anxiously and looked at James' room. Even if Sara was here, she would not blame him, right? Besides,
this was an emergency.
Finally, he made up his mind and rushed out of the villa. For others, a huge villa was meant to show off
their strength and capabilities. For Jacob, it was his home.
Money can buy a house, but it cannot buy a home. Sadly, the hostess of Jacob's home was not there
right now. Alice's voice sounded urgent and real. Although Jacob had no idea what had happened, he
decided to go to her house without a second thought.
Besides, he felt that he somehow owed her. If he did not go, he would only feel regret if something
indeed had happened to her.
God has always reminded humans to cherish their lives. Even if it was a stranger's life in danger, Jacob
would still help that person. But since Alice was not a stranger but someone who was once close to
him, he felt uneasy.
If Sara was here, she would agree with him, would she not?
Regardless of these thoughts, Jacob hurried to the garage. But before he could get to his car, he called
an ambulance. In this way, help would arrive as soon as possible.
Although Alice said on the phone that she was fine, Jacob knew that she was not. Something was
wrong, and he could feel it.
Jacob tightly clutched the steering wheel and looked at the brightly lit scene on the street. He felt more
and more nervous as he was nearing Alice's house. Was the child who was about to be gone really
his? If so, why did he feel that everything was unreal?
Meanwhile, Alice was lying on the floor, a cold and piercing feeling creeping into her. She reminisced
about her sad past that led to her present. At the thought of this, tears welled up in her eyes.
Fortunately, nobody else was there with her to witness her crying. But she had to admit, she broke her
promise never to cry again. She used to show weakness and cry in front of other people. She never
cried alone and in silence.
However, Alice realized that a genuine cry was not something she wanted anyone to see. As if it had
been torn apart by something, she felt an excruciating pain in her heart.
It felt as though Jacob crushed it and stitched it afterwards. Nevertheless, it still hurt as if it was being
pulled mercilessly.
Alice felt that her heart was now empty. In the past, although filled with something unknown, it was not
barren and void. But now, everything felt as though it had been reduced to nothingness.
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