Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

As much as Jameson's deceit was repugnant, it was also his way of trying to keep Alyssa safe. Given Alyssa's fearless and astute nature, she might inadvertently cause a catastrophic disaster-one that would be unbearable for her. "There's another thing that I can be sure of. The medication that Jasper took isn't fatal. It will not affect his physical health negatively."

Jameson took a deep breath. He chuckled bitterly. "Otherwise, Sir wouldn't have suggested having you take that medication."

"Me?" Alyssa widened her eyes in shock. Her face paled.

"Sir will not harm you. So, the medication he gave you will not be fatal. However, he said that you will be in agonizing pain after you consume it, so..."

The look on Jameson's face darkened gradually. His cuffed hands quivered slightly as if he were trying his best to suppress an intense emotion.

He didn't need to continue explaining. Alyssa understood it all.

"This 'Sir' asked you to have me take that medication. Although he didn't specify what the drug is, at the very least, he would have told you what the effect of the drug is, right?"

"He said that it will make you... belong to me forever," Jameson stuttered in a raspy voice.

"Ah... I get it now."

Alyssa knew that she wouldn't be able to get any more valuable information from Jameson, and she no longer wanted to face him.

So, she got to her feet. "I'm leaving, Jameson. There's no way that I can bring myself to tell you anything that goes against how I really feel. I will not tell you to 'take care' because you know that I absolutely despise you. "But I do hope that you will continue to stay alive and well in there until the day of your sentencing."

Just as she turned around, Jameson leaped to his feet. With tears in his eyes, he exclaimed, "Lyse, I'm sorry!"

Alyssa froze in her tracks, but she didn't turn around.

"I tried doing everything I could to make you mine because being together with you is the only way for me to feel that the Jimmy from the past hasn't died. It was the only way for me to feel that his heart was still beating and that he was still alive." Jameson reached his hand out and pretended to stroke her back gently, his tears revealing his deep pain and regret. "Ever since I fell into the deep chasm... you were the most beautiful butterfly that I met."

Nevertheless, the most regretful thing was that once he started falling, he couldn't stop.

Jameson's classic line was laden with the boundless sorrow and desolation he felt after his realization.

Alyssa shuddered. Finally, she disappeared from his view without saying a word or turning back.

Jameson hunched forward bit by bit, as if his soul had been sucked out from him. In an instant, it was like he had become broken. A smile spread across his face as he cried.

He knew that Alyssa still wouldn't choose him in their next life.

Thus, he also no longer looked forward to reincarnation or his next life.

...

The biting cold wind outside the detention center pierced Alyssa's aching chest.

"Jameson is indeed unrepentant. He's a lost cause!" Sean clenched his hands into fists, his eyes blazing with anger.

"He really doesn't know what that medication is."

Alyssa lifted her head and looked up

at the clear skies. Even so, her chest felt stuffy. There was a glint in the corner of her eyes as she added, "I

believe him this time."

"But he wasn't willing to expose the identity of that 'Sir.' He's still keeping things to himself and still persisting in his evil ways!"

It was as if Alyssa saw through his intentions. Yet, she didn't want to understand him. She simply shook her head and said, "At the very least, we know that that medication won't harm Jasper's health, and that's enough. As for the rest, I will wait for Jul to treat him and for him to wake up."

Before she finished speaking, her phone rang.

Alyssa's chest tightened when she saw that Ben, Newton's secretary, was calling. She answered the phone immediately. "Mr. Gorham!"

In a concerned tone, Ben asked, "Ms. Alyssa, are you in Solana City right now?"

"Yes, I am. Is Grandpa Newton okay?"

"Mr. Newton found out about Mr. Jasper getting hurt and falling unconscious. It came as such a

huge blow to him that he actually et

ended up being hospitalized. Fortunately, though, his critical period has passed. He has been transferred to a regular ward."

Alyssa's heart wrenched. She pressed her hands against her chest and almost lost her balance.

It was good that Sean was there to catch her in time and prevent her from falling.

"Earlier, Mr. Newton kept mumbling your name. He really wants to see you. If it's convenient for you, would you be able to make a trip to the hospital?"