Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Elope...
Jasper stared at Alyssa's pale and haggard countenance. His heart ached even more.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with Lyse. But Landon, I can't be so selfish. Lyse's family is different from me. I can abandon
everything for her. Do you think I can sit with the idea of her abandoning her family for me? Will she be happy without her family's
blessing and presence?"
Jasper shook his head in agony. He repeated hoarsely, "I've taken away too much from her. I've almost ruined her in the
process. Landon, I don't want to hurt her again. She can't lose anything else. That can't happen."
"These are all your assumptions. Have you asked what Lyse wants?"
Landon could read the room. He frowned. "It's raining cats and dogs tonight. Lyse must have suffered a lot to be with you.
"Family is important, but Lyse cares more for you and wants to be with you. If you were to give her your version of happily-ever-
after and force yourself to let go, something more dangerous might have happened tonight. Even worse, it could have been a
tragedy. Don't regret it when that happens, Jasper."
Each word was like an arrow to Jasper's heart.
Jasper recalled how Alyssa mentioned their baby and asked him to save it.
It might have been the fever talking, but the undeniable truth was that this was the painful scar she struggled to suppress and
bury beneath her bright smile.
Jasper wondered how Alyssa managed to do it.

How did she manage to face his detestable face with a smile? How did she continue to treat him so well?
Jasper couldn't take it anymore. His tears streamed down like rain in front of his close friend. He slapped himself hard.
"Jasper! What are you doing?"
Landon's eyes widened, and he hurriedly grabbed his arm. "You have to get yourself together like a man! If abusing yourself
works, I will take a kitchen and stab your heart right now!"
The doctor came quickly to treat Alyssa.
Jasper sat at the bedside and stared deeply at Alyssa's pale face. He placed her slightly warm hand between his hot lips and
kissed it gently.
"Her fever is at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It's pretty serious..."
The doctor jabbed Alyssa to reduce her fever and placed her under an IV drip. "If we delay this any longer, it might affect her
heart. Then, things will become trickier to manage.
"But, Mr. Beckett, I would encourage you to take Ms. Alyssa to the hospital first thing in the morning. My resources are limited
here, so I can't provide Ms. Alyssa better care. I can only help to reduce her fever temporarily. If her fever persists by tomorrow
night, she will need to go to the hospital."
Jasper placed his trembling hand on Alyssa's sweaty forehead.
It was still hot. He hoped she would get better first thing in the morning.
"Oh, Mr. Beckett, has Ms. Alyssa injured her hand before? Has she fractured it before?" the doctor asked out of the blue.

Jasper was stunned. "Fracture? What do you mean?"
"Look at her left pinky. From my experience, her finger was probably fractured before. If not, she tore her ligament. Even if it
recovers, it wouldn't be the same."
Jasper's eyes widened. Her heart was beating wildly.
"Huh? How could that happen?" Landon was shocked.
"It seems like an old injury. It probably did not receive the appropriate treatment when the injury happened for it to turn out this
way."
Landon was even more baffled. "Lyse grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. It would set the Taylors off to ask an ambulance
if it was a minor cut, let alone a fracture. They would never disregard a fracture. There isn't much use for a pinky, but wouldn't
this make Alyssa disabled?"
Disabled?
Jasper's breath tightened as he grabbed Alyssa's hand tightly.
He remembered asking Alyssa about her pinky. However, she would always divert the topic. She wouldn't answer him.
What on earth happened for her to mince her words and avoid the topic?
After the doctor left, Angelina brought a clean set of sleepwear. Then, she left the room with Landon.
Jasper singlehanded helped Alyssa change into her sleepwear. He brought a bucket of water and used a wet cloth to wipe the
dirt off her feet on one knee.
Her fair and delicate feet were astonishingly beautiful, and he couldn't take his hands off them.