Jasper hurriedly felt the temperature of her forehead. Feeling panicked, he took off his coat and shirt and wrapped them around Alyssa, giving her warmth.Alyssa weakly opened her eyes and saw that he only had a black singlet inside. The tan lines of his muscle were right in her face, making him look extra rugged out here in the wild."Is it still cold?" Jasper asked hoarsely, noticing her reddened face."Yes … It's fr-freezing …" Alyssa said, her teeth chattering.Jasper took a deep breath and slowly held her in his arms, pressing her against his chest, as if hoping she could soak up all the warmth he wanted to give."Still cold?" he asked softly.Alyssa leaned against his body, nuzzling into his chest.Jasper sighed, one hand gently combing through her hair as if he was trying to console her. Alyssa slowly relaxed in his arms, exhaustion making her body go limp.Jasper allowed her, silently bringing her hands up so he could check for injuries. Bruises and cuts lined her fin
No love lingering on.Alyssa couldn't lie. Pain swept through her chest when she said those words out loud.This pain had become a familiar companion. It was a constant presence in her three years of marriage to Jasper, and she often worried it might trigger a heart attack. It struck her more often than the occasions when Jasper spent time with her."What's the point of asking all this now, Jasper? Do you still expect me to feel the same way for you and not move on?" Alyssa asked weakly. She rarely appeared so fragile in front of others. She continued, "I've loved you for 13 years. Tell me, how many more years could I possibly sacrifice? I can't bring myself to love you anymore. I'm afraid to."She was scared of loving anyone else at this point.It felt like someone was squeezing Jasper's heart. Painful emotion rose like a wave in his throat, cutting his breath off.He suddenly realized just how vile he had been. Not only had he dragged her down in this meaningless marriage, bu
Jasper shook his head gently. Alyssa wasn't even forgiving him in her dreams. It seemed he would need to dedicate his entire life to making things right with her.While he considered committing his entire life, he abruptly halted his thoughts and questioned why he had such notions. It made him wonder if he had started to have feelings for her.Jasper's heart thumped wildly as he pondered on that for a bit. He leaned down and gathered Alyssa into his arms before gently kissing her."Mm …" she moaned softly.Jasper deepened the kiss. All he wanted was to hold her and kiss her longer. Just then, a flurry of wind swept up from outside the cave. It was a helicopter."Someone's here to save us, Alyssa! We're being rescued!" Jasper cried excitedly.The helicopter landed in front of the cave under the battering of the rain. Jasper squinted as he looked at its decal.It was not one of his copters.Then, who had come to their rescue?No matter. All that mattered now was that Alyssa
"Lyse …" Liam teared up, feeling bad for Alyssa. He attempted to get her out of Jasper's arms.Jonah might seem the gentlest among the four sons by Alyssa's mom, but that wasn't true at all. Liam always projected a stoic and aloof image due to the requirements of his profession. Yet, in reality, he was the most soft-hearted and emotional among the Taylor siblings.He had even shed tears beneath his blanket the year he couldn't make it home for Alyssa's birthday due to a mission, which went to show his sensitive nature."I'll hold her," Jasper refused to let go of Alyssa as he looked at her."You have no right to touch her!" Liam growled at him upon thinking of his poor, divorced sister. "Don't forget the way you abandoned and hurt her! Stop pretending to be a saint. I wouldn't thank you even if you saved her.""I never wanted to be thanked." Jasper paused before adding, "She means a lot to me. I admit that I had hurt her in the past. What I'm doing now is making amends.""No, y
Jasper's soul felt like it had been torn apart, and his heart twisted with a crushing pain.What had he ever done for Alyssa? Nothing.He had never proposed to her and given her anything she deserved as his wife. He left her behind on their first night of marriage and slept in a separate quarter.He had never celebrated festivals or anniversaries with her nor bought her any gifts. That year, when she was involved in a car crash with Newton, he did not even rush to her side promptly.All of these terrible actions paled in comparison to the fact that he had been in love with another woman, squandering Alyssa's best years and making a mockery of her love.His eyes welled up with emotion. He tightly clasped her hand, pressing it against his chest while breathing heavily.He felt remorseful for his past actions, but it was too little, too late.Like Jonah, Liam understood the depth of Alyssa's suffering over the years. The thought of it broke his heart every time. He began, "Jasper
Jasper stood there, unfazed by the words hurled at him. He was immune to the shaming as he had gone through it many times.Jonah approached him with a sour face and advised him, "Mr. Beckett, Lyse hasn't met Liam for a long time. I think she'd prefer meeting him over you. Your presence will not help her recovery. "You'll only be standing in the way of a family reunion. You don't have to worry now that she's with family. There's no reason for you to stay. Please go home."Jonah's eyes looked dead as he addressed Jasper in a flat tone. Despite that, Jasper felt the stabbing pain from Jonah's words that froze his blood.…Outside the hospital, the outpour had stopped. The skies brightened, like a melancholic swath of blue velvet.Jasper walked out with heavy footsteps, gripping a wet coat in his hand. He seemed to feel Alyssa's lingering warmth on the fabric. Feeling chilly, he clutched the coat tighter."Jasper, Lyse has given up too much for you.""Did you know that she almost
Xavier, Sean, and Landon were shocked by Jasper's sudden fainting spell. Fortunately, they happened to be just outside the hospital's entrance. Without hesitation, Landon and Xavier rushed to assist the doctors and nurses in sending Jasper into the emergency room.Meanwhile, Sean found himself rooted to the spot at the far end of the corridor. He watched with concern as they wheeled the pale Jasper with blood-stained lips into the emergency room.Why did Jasper suddenly faint? Was it a ploy to gain sympathy?None of it added up. Jasper had seemed perfectly fine throughout their journey to the hospital until this sudden collapse."Mr. Landon, is Mr. Beckett going to be ..." Xavier clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes."He'll be alright," Landon reassured him. He glanced fearfully at the emergency room sign and mumbled, "Jasper will pull through. He's the toughest, coolest, and bravest guy I've ever known. He'll be just fine."At that moment, one of Jonah's bodyguards
Landon and Xavier transferred Jasper to another hospital under Jasper's persistent requests.Jasper lay on a pristine white bedsheet in his room, hooked to an IV drip. The ordeal had taken its toll on him, but he still appeared remarkably handsome, much to Landon's envy."You scoundrel. I bet you'll be a casanova even in the afterlife. Tsk tsk, you sinner," teased Landon with an amused expression. He sat facing the back of his chair with his legs spread and his arms folded on the backrest."You're mean." Jasper slowly opened his eyes with rage. He couldn't breathe properly from the pain. "I was puking blood, and here you are, talking about my looks. I've always been better-looking than you. Does that annoy you?" "Ah, come on now. I was just trying to lighten the mood in case you were getting bored," Landon responded. Landon was concerned for Jasper's health but hesitant to delve too deeply into that conversation, fearing it might come across as cheesy."Don't worry, you're not