Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

The atmosphere in the living room turned frosty in an instant.
Cyrus recognized that he couldn't and wouldn't be able to persuade Alyssa. If he tried, he would only make the situation worse.
So, he retreated discreetly.
Angelina also brought Lauren away, leaving space for the rest to talk.
Jasper held his breath. His hands were trembling. Subconsciously, he reached out, wanting to hold Alyssa's hand. But, he
stopped midway and curled his fingers in. He really didn't want Alyssa to leave.
He was never a coward. When he loved someone, he would love them fully. When there was someone he hated, he hated them
to the core.
It was just that he was indebted to Alyssa. At the same time, he felt guilt toward Winston.
No matter if it was the three years of heart-rending marriage or Alyssa's miscarriage... These were all his fault. He was the one
who hurt Winston's precious daughter. He had committed an unpardonable sin.
He didn't mind if Winston berated him or even beat him up again. He would allow him to vent his anger until he was placated.
"What are you thinking, Winston?" Alyssa scoffed.
With an adamant look, she continued, "I wouldn't have risked falling and running away from home if I wanted to listen to you. I
think it's best for you not to focus so much on me.
"I had spent all those years being away and wandering in a foreign land. You didn't turn the entire country inside out to find me
back then. Yet now, you are scheming and using every possible means just so you can ruin my happiness?"

Jasper pressed his lips tightly together and stepped forward. Alyssa still had a determined look on her face. He stared at her side
profile with a gaze filled with concern.
"Alyssa! You." Winston's face turned pale, and his breathing became irregular. A fire of rage burned from within him. "Look at you
now! Are you still my precious daughter?
"You even went to the supermarket in person to do your own groceries. Have you had to cook your own meals these few days?
"You were no different from a housekeeper in the Beckett family, except that you worked without pay for three years. Haven't you
had enough of that? Is this the kind of love that you wanted? Is this the kind of life that you wanted to have?"
The more Winston spoke, the more enraged he became.
She was the only daughter he had had with the woman he loved the most. She should be loved! How
could she suffer a lire like that?
Didn't Jasper know how to get the chores done?
"Winston, this is the life that I have always wanted. A normal life."
Alyssa was filled with a plethora of emotions. She choked on her tears as she continued, "I don't think that I am suffering in any
way because this is what I want. I want a life with just the two of us under one roof and spending our days together."
Blood drained from Jasper's lips, and his fingers curled up into a fist of regret.
Spending their days together...

Words were not enough to express Jasper's feelings for Alyssa. That was what Alyssa had always wanted. But he had only
managed to fulfill her wishes now.
"You have never experienced these. Neither have you really understood me. I would go as far as to say that you didn't even
know what Mom wished for. So, you do not have the right to dictate my life. You cannot get in the way of the choice that I've
made."
Alyssa's words pierced through Winston's heart. The world in front of him gradually became a blur.
"Also, these days, Jasper has been the one doing the cooking. He cleaned the house and did my laundry. I was merely
accompanying him to buy the ingredients."
Alyssa wrapped her warm hands around Jasper's tightened fist. She intertwined her fingers with his, then said, "My Jasper
knows how to do everything other than having kids. So, you don't have to be such a busybody and worry about me.
"Feel free to stay for a meal tonight, and you'll get to try Jasper's cooking. Otherwise, you may take your leave."
After Cyrus retreated, he hadn't actually left because he still had matters to speak with Alyssa about. He simply strolled around in
the manor.
He ended up walking along a long corridor. There, he discovered paintings that had been framed up in delicate-looking copper
frames that were hung up on the walls.
Some of them were paintings of scenery of the early summer. Some had lively dogs. But, more than that, there were portrait
paintings.
He couldn't help but stop in front of a three-foot-tall painting.
The painting portrayed a man in a black shirt. He was slender and tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His eyes were
as bright as a star. The man depicted in the painting was none other than Landon.
Cyrus widened his eyes and inspected the artwork carefully. His decent upbringing refrained him from giving in to his urge to
touch the painting.
"What an impressive piece. It is as lifelike as a photograph."