Outside, Lettie cooled off and got Albert a glass of water.
He leaned in and took it with both hands.
His humble stance just made Lettie scoff again.
âYou donât have to play this game, Mr.
Waston.
Itâs kind of creepy.
â
Albert was left speechless.
In the light, Lettieâs face got colder.
She said bluntly, âI can see you still have a thing for Jessie, but sheâs moved on, Mr.
Waston!
Itâs been ages since she was into you.
Yes, you treated her right and all, even spoiled her a bit, but we werenât exactly broke.
The Greens were loaded back then, and now youâre swimming in cash.
There are plenty of young girls whoâd throw themselves at you.
You donât need to keep chasing Jessie.
Sheâs got a boyfriend now, and sheâs into him.
â
Lettie sighed and added calmly, âI wonât dig into your past actions.
But as a mom, Iâm asking you to let it be!â
Those words hit Albert like a dagger, leaving him wounded deep inside.
He totally got where Lettie was coming from.
And his heart ached for Jessie.
She mustâve had it rough these past years.
But what could Albert even say? He couldnât spill the beans to Lettie about Jessieâs boyfriend cozying up to the hospital directorâs daughter as well as maybe he wouldnât choose Jessie in the end.
After a lot of back-and-forth in his head, Albert finally told Lettie, âIâll let Jessie go.
But if she wants to come back, Iâll always be waiting.
â
He didnât want anyone else but Jessie.
Heâd already married someone else and let Jessie down.
He didnât want to put her through that despair again.
But Lettie didnât buy any of it.
She knew Albertâs reputation as a player.
But that wasnât what ticked her off the most.
She was mad that her daughter had put her trust in such a guy.
Albert was ready to take off.
He couldnât barge into Jessieâs room, and Lettie wouldnât allow it anyway.
Jessie brought Jeslyn out.
The little one had just woken up, resting her head on Albertâs shoulder, looking all pitiful.
In a hushed tone, Albert said, âIâm taking you home, sweetie.
â
Jeslyn gazed at Jessie, silent, like a sad little kitten.
Ignoring it as best she could, Jessie went to open the door.
As Albert passed by her, she whispered, âDonât come back here.
â
Albert halted, looking at her.
Jeslynâs lips quivered, but she didnât say a word.
She just buried her face in Albertâs neck, staring at Jessie.
âJust go,â Jessie muttered softly.