Chapter 803

I gently peeled the mask off my face and nodded. “Yes.”

Jared’s gaze lingered on my face for a long moment. I didn’t say anything else, just went to the bathroom to wash up. When I came out, Jared was slouched on the sofa, studying me like I was a stranger. “Did Edward help you?”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

Jared gave me a smirk. “Looks like you picked up quite a few things from him.”

“What are you trying to say?” I really didn’t like that look on his face.

Jared shook his head and stared down at the floor. “You know, you’re way tougher than I ever gave you credit for. I really did underestimate you. I used to think without me, you wouldn’t be able to make it on your own.”

“Thanks for your pity, and for taking me in,” I replied, my voice turning colder. “In our previous life, you kept me trapped for years, never letting me go with a divorce. Was I really just someone you felt sorry for and couldn’t bring yourself to leave?”

“It’s not all like that,” Jared said, looking out the window, lost in thought. “My love for you gradually faded into family affection—it got so bland and empty, just like drinking plain water. I guess I got tired of it. I’m sorry, Victoria. I really tried to make things work between us, but…”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I said softly. “Back then, I stayed put and made love my whole world, but honestly, I got all the advantages. And in the end, it wasn’t love I couldn’t let go of—it was the comfort and luxury you gave me. This life, I chose a different road, and thankfully, I made it through.” I smiled.

Jared turned to me, and for a moment, he was stunned seeing my serene, almost indifferent smile.

“Last time around, I pitied you and gave you whatever I could, both in comfort and affection. But now, it feels like I’m the one begging for love. Maybe it’s just karma, Victoria—two lifetimes, and I can’t ever get what I want, nor hold on to what I lose.” He rose to his feet and walked quietly over to me.

He lowered his gaze, and his eyes shimmered with complex emotions and endless contemplation.

I dodged his stare and responded with a cool voice, “So, Mr. Holcomb, you just came here to dig up old memories? Sorry—I’m only interested in the future now. Let the past be the past.”

Jared looked like he’d just been doused with cold water. With a faint, bitter smile, he muttered, “Seems I’m still stuck in yesterday while you’re already rushing ahead. Turns out, the one who hasn’t woken up is me.”

“Jared, since when did you get all soft and sentimental? Wasn’t the old you always aloof and chilly—refined, polite, but so distant and indifferent?” I turned and looked him dead in the eyes, my voice tinged with playful sarcasm.

Jared just nodded, not bothered to argue. “Yeah, that’s pretty much how I used to be. Guess it’s the way people in business protect themselves… Funny, you’ve ended up becoming just like I once was.”

Wait, me? Really?

“Alright then, maybe I’m just picking up your old defensive shell for myself—and you? What have you learned from me?” I grinned.

As I flashed a smile, Jared’s eyes grew distant, and he just stared at me, looking completely spaced out.

I remembered how, in our previous life, he once said that when I smiled, there was a thousand shades of charm flickering in my eyes.

“What I learned from you… is never knowing how to let go,” Jared said, suddenly turning away, refusing to meet my gaze. He gave a self-mocking laugh. “Turns out, what you can’t have always feels so precious—and after you lose it for long enough, it just turns into yet another regret.”

“Mr. Holcomb, since you’ve got money to spare, I’ll be counting on you to look after my business,” I joked lightly.

Jared nodded. “Don’t worry, I will. So, you and those two Jennings, uncle and nephew—is that whole situation getting even more tangled?”