Chapter 7

I pushed the door open.

Inside was a hazy mess filled with the smell of secondhand smoke. Empty alcohol bottles were scattered everywhere, along with a significant amount of trash.

At that moment, I felt transported back to the day I first met Jasper.

I had eagerly visited my sponsor, only to discover he was a disheveled, heavy-drinking, chain-smoking man. Giselle had left him, and he had been drowning in despair, lost in the darkness.

Every day, I would go to help him clean up and share funny stories to lift his spirits. It had taken months of effort, but gradually, he returned to a more normal state.

Now, he was back to how he had been before—and it was all because of me.

It was ridiculous.

If he was so unhappy, why hadn't he treated me better back then? Now, who was he trying to elicit pity from?

I fully opened the door and let Mabel in to clean up while I prepared to leave.

Jasper rushed out and blocked the door, forcing a smile. "Aurora, can you at least have a meal with