Jas fell silent for a mont, trying to recall what had happened years ago.
"That was a long ti ago, Sophie. All I rember is that I was waiting for you when my mother suddenly appeared with that woman. She was my father’s best friend’s daughter, so you saw talking to her casually. I know her. We’ve t a few tis, but we’re not close."
"But Jas, your mother said—" Sophie couldn’t finish. Rembering what his mother said made her heart ache.
Jas could see the disappointnt flash in her eyes, afraid she would misunderstand him again.
"Sophie, please believe . That day I t her, I had no idea she was being considered a candidate for my wife. If I had known, I would have left imdiately. I only discovered she was the woman my parents wanted to marry a few days after you left..."
"That’s impossible. Your mother said she’s already pregnant, and your mother said you will marry her soon. And... you agreed to it—" Sophie’s voice trembled. She felt confused about who was telling the truth: him or his mother.
"I’ve never married, Sophie..." Jas tried to convince her.
Once again, Sophie was shocked to hear that. Knowing this man had lied to her made her feel as though all the happiness she had when she saw him again had been stripped away. Her eyelashes trembled as she turned her gaze away from him, trying hard not to cry before him.
Jas was stunned to see she was about to cry again and avoid eye contact with him. "Sophie, why don’t you believe ? Huh?" he asked helplessly.
"Why? Why did you lie to , Jas?" Sophie’s voice cracked as tears slowly fell from the corners of her eyes. "I heard from Abby that you have a granddaughter. Why do you keep lying to ?"
Just before Abigail left the room, she ntioned that Jas had a son and granddaughter.
Jas let out a deep sigh. "I said I never married, but I didn’t say I didn’t have a son and a granddaughter," he explained calmly. But his calmness only added to Sophie’s confusion.
"What do you an? You have a son with another woman and are not married?" Her eyebrows raised slightly, clearly confused by his words.
"I have a son, but he is my adopted son. I agreed to adopt him to prevent my mother from finding a woman for to marry. His na is David Philips; he is my mother’s younger sister’s grandson. David’s parents died in a car accident, so he is not my biological son."
Sophie gasped in shock at his explanation. The coldness in her heart began to lt as she learned the truth, but she remained silent, puzzled by her feelings.
She could only let him continue explaining to clarify their misunderstanding.
"David has a daughter nad Serena. She is a few years older than Abigail. Just to make it clear... the woman you saw in the restaurant—I never married her. I rejected her, just like I turned down all the won my parents arranged for to marry. I promised my parents I would only marry you, the woman I love! If it’s not you, then I will remain single until I die..."
"Jas..." Sophie muttered under her breath, scolding herself for having trusted Violet Parker so conveniently at that ti. She was so mad at herself.
"Over the years, my mother no longer forced to get married. She stopped after I agreed to adopt David. And, Sophie, even until today, I’ve never stopped looking for you, even though I failed..." Jas paused, bitterly laughing as he recalled those tis.
Jas smiled at Sophie, gently touching her shoulder to bring her gaze toward him.
"Why did you change your na? I rember seeing your ID card; your na was Sophie Cassidy," he asked. Now he realized why he couldn’t find her; she had changed her last na. The detective he hired to follow her trail failed because he solely focused on her full na.
After hearing all his explanations and clearing up their misunderstandings, Sophie felt much more relaxed.
"Your mother threatened , telling never to appear before you. She also insisted that I change my na imdiately. If I didn’t comply, I would be in serious trouble..."
"So, you changed it to Lewis?" Jas asked.
"Yes, that’s my mother’s surna."
Jas couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, reflecting on the past and how terrible his mother had been trying to separate them.
They continued discussing many unresolved issues from their past. Sophie asked questions, and Jas did, too. They spoke for nearly an hour without realizing how much ti had passed.
Now that they had reunited, all the misunderstandings from the past had been cleared up.
At that mont, Jas had only one thing on his mind: to proceed with their plan to marry officially and live together until death separated them.
"I’m sorry, Jas. I’m really sorry. I feel so foolish for believing your mother!" Sophie expressed her feelings while wiping away the tears still lingering at the corners of her eyes.
Jas smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. The warmth he had missed so much began to enter his pores, making him reluctant to let her go. He just wanted to embrace her forever.
"We were both wrong, Sophie. There’s no need for harsh words, my love..." he whispered with a happy smile. But soon, a thought crossed his mind.
Loosening his embrace, Jas looked Sophie straight in the eye and said, "Sophie, there’s sothing I’m still confused about. If you knew you were pregnant, why didn’t you co to ? You know where to find , right?"
Sophie’s shoulders slumped like she was bringing back sothing complicated from the past.
"I just found out I was pregnant a few months after I moved out of town. When I planned to find you in the capital to share this news, I read in the newspaper that you had died—"
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