My Neighbor Jessalyn(1)

Author：Mo Lü Xiao

I'm Chris Xavier. I was a freshman, and I grew up in a single-parent household. My mother went to Sirmoor on a business trip during the summer vacation and asked me to have meals at the house of her friend, Jessalyn Tate.

Jessalyn was 38 years old and lived in the same building as me. My mom said that Jessalyn's husband was also away all year and did not return much.

Jessalyn's family was quite wealthy. She owned a beauty salon and would also take good care of herself; her skin was fair, and she appeared to be at least ten years younger. She was very beautiful and resembled the actress, Stella Chambers.

Jessalyn was always well-dressed. Even at home, she would wear silk pajamas with lace edges. Occasionally, Jessalyn would wear short gowns with split ends that barely covered her buttocks. Additionally, the lingering scent of perfume on her body would also make me feel tempted at times.

However, Jessalyn only treated me as a child and never tried to hide anything from me.

Jessalyn led an exciting life. She would cook various delicacies for me, and invite me to work out and watch movies with her. When she felt inspired, she would ask me to make TikTok videos with her, and we'd imitate those fitness couples and perform difficult actions.

I also loved to cooperate with her because Jessalyn had a fantastic figure, particularly her waist, and buttocks; she had amazing body proportions. A netizen had left a comment on the video, mistaking me for her boyfriend. When she saw it, she giggled and replied to the netizen: [How blessed must I be to have such a young boyfriend? This gentleman is my nephew.]

However, the netizen said that Jessalyn seemed like she was 20 years old and would be a good match for me.

Jessalyn burst out laughing, and when she'd had her fill, she pinched my face. "It's good to be young. Your face is so jiggly and full of collagen."

I mustered the courage to pinch her face as well. She laughed so hard that she nearly burrowed into my arms to hit me.

We were getting increasingly close after more than a week. Jessalyn never treated me as an outsider. She would occasionally ask me to help her pull the back zipper of her dress.

It was difficult for her to pull the back zipper, and I was clumsy. I couldn't stop my imagination from running wild, so my face would be flushed. On the contrary, she would always remain composed and dignified.

Jessalyn even asked me to buy her sanitary napkins on Saturday night.

She was going to make me shrimp puffs at the time. She was dressed in a black sling dress and peeled the shrimp on her own. She asked me to get some puff pastry as she was too busy.

When I was about to leave in my shoes, she called out to me again and said calmly, "By the way, help me buy a pack of sanitary napkins, the nightly-use ones from Sofy."

I was stunned. I could only blush and hum a response.

I'd never purchased sanitary napkins for anyone before. I'd been anxious since I walked into the supermarket. I went to the women's supplies shelves like a thief after I got the puff pastry. I quickly scanned the word "Sofy" and took them regardless of whether it was used during the day or at night.

The cashier at the checkout counter looked at me suspiciously. I hid behind my mask, embarrassed, and wished I had worn a hat and sunglasses when I came out.

I kept the plastic bag covered on the way back to the community. I was only able to relax once I arrived at Jessalyn's door. However, I heard someone quarreling in the house.

I knocked on the door in confusion, and Jessalyn opened it for me. A man, who looked to be in his 40s or 50s, sat on the couch with his feet crossed on the coffee table.

His beard was unkempt and greasy. He looked at me when he saw me walk in and asked, "Who is this brat? Is he your boyfriend as well?"

I was confused. "What?"

Jessalyn said, "This is Freya's son. Freya is on a business trip. Hence, he will be having a meal here."

The man pursed his lips. "What did I say, no matter how slutty you are, you won't be able to hook up with such a young boy."

I became enraged when I heard him call Jessalyn "slutty." "What are you on about? Who are you?" I questioned.

The man sneered. "I'm her husband. What? Do I need your permission to discipline my wife?"

I was surprised, so I looked at Jessalyn.

"Don't swear in front of the child," Jessalyn said coldly to him.

However, the man continued, "No matter how foul my words are, could they be as dirty as you? Did you think I was oblivious to the fact that you've had an affair with someone?

Jessalyn retorted, "I did not have an affair with anyone. Someone was pursuing me, but I've turned him down!"

The man added, "Someone was pursuing you because you're so easy. Stop pretending to be innocent, you witch!"

I couldn't bear listening to their conversation anymore. I tossed the groceries to the ground and stepped forward to grab him. "Watch your mouth! If you dare to slander Jessalyn again—"

Surprisingly, the man had a lot of experience. Instead of getting up, he kicked me in the stomach, and I fell violently.

Jessalyn screamed and wanted to help me up. However, the man quickly got up and stomped his feet on my stomach again, and I couldn't stand up because of the pain.

I realized that this guy was a ruffian who was good at fighting.

Jessalyn shouted, "Yves Larson, stop! He's just a child!"

It turned out that his name was Yves, and he was about to stomp me again. "Damn it. He dared to come at me first. I'm going to beat him to death."

Jessalyn hugged his waist. "If you hit him again, I'll fight you!"

Yves yanked Jessalyn's hair and slapped her in the face. Amidst the chaos, he ripped the sling on her clothes. Half of Jessalyn's body was exposed, but he didn't care at all. He cursed, "You said he wasn't your boy toy, so what's in this bag?"

Only then did Jessalyn and I notice the sanitary napkins had fallen out of the bag.

Jessalyn was equally enraged. "You rogue! If you're upset, take it out on me. Don't lash out at the child!"

Yves scoffed. "Great. Since your period is here and I can't do anything, I'll just beat you up tonight!"

He bent down to grab me by the neck and dragged me out of the door. Jessalyn tried to stop him, but he turned around and slapped her again. He yelled at me, "Scram!" Then, he shut the door.

Following that, I could hear sounds of slapping and Jessalyn's wails.

I hit the door hard, and Yves yelled from the other side of the door, "If you don't mind your own business, I'll find someone to remove your legs!"

I didn't care. I wanted to save Jessalyn. I slammed the door fervently and shouted loudly.

The neighbors were alarmed and came out to investigate, but when they heard what I said, someone whispered, "Her husband is a well-known gangster. He's not someone to be trifled with. Let's leave them alone."

Someone else also exclaimed, "Yes, it's not a big deal for a husband to beat his wife. It's just a conflict between husband and wife. They'll be fine after a night."

I was so angry that I scolded them for being cowardly and shameless, but no one paid attention to me. They half-heartedly dissuaded me before going back into their houses.

I screamed and shouted at the door of Jessalyn's house, but the noise inside lasted only a short while before dying down.

It was probably because Yves had vented enough.

My heart ached. Jessalyn's period had just arrived, and she was abused by Yves. It made me feel distressed. That night, I spent the entire night staying outside her front door.

The next morning, I was curled up while I took a nap, and the door opened. Yves came out and noticed me by the door. He looked surprised for a moment, then sneered, ignored me, and took the elevator downstairs.

I could tell he was in a good mood, mostly because he hit Jessalyn until he was satisfied. I considered going after him and beating him up, but I didn't dare to do so.

Then, Jessalyn came out. She noticed me squatting by the door and understood everything. She pulled me into the house with distress and warmed some milk and bread for me to eat.

I was not in the mood to eat because I saw Jessalyn's arms were covered in bruises, and her face was hurt despite her heavy makeup.

I inquired, "What's going on with Yves, Jessalyn? Is he really your husband?"

Jessalyn didn't say anything and lowered her head.

I was anxious. "Don't keep it a secret from me. I'm not a child anymore. I'm not going to eat unless you tell me the truth."

Jessalyn's eyes reddened. She tried to calm herself down before saying, "He is indeed my husband."

My heart went cold, and I didn't know what to say anymore.

"Things are a little complicated between me and him. If you're interested, I'll tell you," Jessalyn said.

Of course, I was interested, so I nodded.

Jessalyn wiped her tears away with a tissue and slowly said, "His name is Yves Larson. He partnered with someone to start a microfinance company, but they were actually loan sharks."

I understood now. No wonder those neighbors said he was a gangster. A loan shark couldn't be a good person.

Jessalyn continued, "He pursued me when I was younger. I was naive then, so I agreed to date him. Later, he forced me to... so I had no choice but to marry him."

It turned out that Yves was such a scumbag. I felt bad for Jessalyn.

Jessalyn added, "He didn't have a proper job in the past, so he would assist a friend in keeping an eye on the gambling dens. Later, that friend founded a microfinance company and invited him to join his company, which specialized in lending money to gambling dens. That gang was ruthless, and there were many gangsters working under them. As a result, their business kickstarted and grew increasingly wealthy."

I'd heard that loan sharks would hang out near gambling dens, enticing those who were gambling to get a loan, causing many people to go bankrupt.

Jessalyn continued, "Once Yves had obtained wealth, he went wild. He would spend a lot of money fooling around outside every day. Later, I heard that he had several mistresses outside. At the time, I questioned him, but he was not afraid at all, and he confessed. Once, he said he'd take me out to dinner, but he called his lover to join us in the middle of our date. His lover was a married woman, but she was very young. He tried to let us bond with each other and please him together. He also said that he liked married women and had several lovers besides the one he called here."

I was shocked. "That's so shameless of him."

Jessalyn said, "At the time, I argued with him and swiped the plates and cutleries off of the table before I left. The next day, I filed for divorce, but he did not agree to it."

"Why did he disagree?"

"Because he made a lot of money as a loan shark, and he only started to earn a lot after we got married. If we divorce, these assets will have to be divided. He would rather die than agree to a divorce."

"How shameless," I cursed.

Jessalyn said, "He also threatened me. If I dared to mention divorce again, he would use various methods to ruin my reputation, and if a man approaches me and takes a fancy to me, he will ask someone to break all of his limbs."

I was furious. That Yves must have been out of his mind!

Jessalyn continued, "Later, he moved out. However, he would return from time to time in order to avoid leaving evidence of long-term separation so that the court would agree to let me divorce him. At first, I would make a scene when he came back, but no one dared to help me every time he beat me up. I eventually accepted my fate. If worst came to worst, I'd live alone for the rest of my life, and everything would be fine once I died."