The Last Time I Loved Him (Autumn and Ryan)
Chapter 32

Chapter 11 Jacob played a video on his phone. It was my mother. She was crying, her face streaked with tears, apologizing to me.

"I'm sorry, Ivy. I really have been too hard on you ever since you were little."

"But it was all for your own good!"

"I know you and Jacob have had some disagreements. That's normal for young couples; arguments come and go. Both Jacob and I realize our mistakes now."

"We promise we won't hurt you like that anymore."

In the video, my mother was sobbing with regret. Outside the video, Jacob had tears in his eyes too.

"After you left, I realized how much you love me."

"There aren't many good women like you left in the world, Ivy."

"Whether you believe it or not, your mother and I both love you.

You have to understand that we were hard on you because we cared. We might have hurt you unintentionally."

"But... it was all for your own good."

"For my own good." Those light, effortless words had haunted my life like a nightmare. No matter how much pain they caused me, as long as it was under the banner of "for my own good," they could accuse me from a position of superiority. But why? I reached out and knocked Jacob's phone from his hand.

"It's useless."

"The person I am today has the strength to free myself from your control."

"Your criticisms, your 'guidance' - they don't matter anymore. I won't believe anything you say. Al I want... is to leave you forever."

When I was a child, my mother apologized too. But the next time, her punishments were even harsher. Jacob was the same. Every time he apologized, it was only to prepare for even greater harm next time.

Jacob stared at me, his eyes filled with emotions I couldn't decipher. He looked like a general who had won battles all his life, but now, defeated in this one moment, he had lost everything.

"Ivy, whether you believe it or not, I truly love you."

"I just... couldn't let go entirely."

"I'm still young, and I worked so hard to achieve what I have. I wanted to enjoy it, to indulge myself before marriage..."

Jacob admitted he had intended to settle down after he'd had his fun. After seeing the exciting world outside, he planned to return and live a stable life with me.

How ridiculous.

I looked at him with utter disdain. "Jacob, what makes you think I would wait around endlessly without complaint?"

He frowned at me and murmured, "Because..."

"Because you love me."