Come To Me (Amelia and Patrick) novel Chapter 1520

'I looked down at what my mother did. But the irony is that in the following four years after that incident, I eventually found myself in her shoes.'

Amelia began to understand what she meant from the outset.

Then, Jessica said, "When I took over the card from the guy, I couldn't help but notice that his eyes went soft for a split of second before they filled with a glimpse of contempt.

I was struck by the way he looked at me and my eyes tea red up instantly. I could not bear to face him any longer. So, I turned around and ran back to the dorm at lightning speed.

His eyes got me wondering why he looked at me that way. At last, I concluded that he was probably relieved that I accepted his offer. Meanwhile, he could not help but look down at me.

It was clear that he had since assumed me as someone who was willing to trade her body for money. I couldn't help but panic at the thought of this. What difference did it make if I were to compare my action to what my mother did?"

Amelia disagreed, "That's totally different! Aunty was already married but you were single! What you did wasn't morally incorrect!"

Jessica replied blatantly, "Amelia, you don't have to say that for the sake of comforting me. At the end of the day, our relationship status doesn't negate the fact that it was prostitution in essence."

Amelia choked on her words.

"I was shocked when I discovered the amount of money deposited in the card. Amelia, I bet you can't guess the amount he offered."

What Amelia did not say it out loud that no amount of money could turn back time and compensate her virginity and innocence.

Jessica then revealed, "He gave me two hundred thousand dollars! That was the first time in my life to hold that much money in my hands! I couldn't help but burst out crying in front of the ATM. How much I wished my father was still alive at that time. I would have bought my dad everything the was the best in the world. However, he was long gone and would never come back to me. My wish could never come true!"

Clearly, time could not wash away the grief of losing her father.

Amelia patted on the back of Jessica's hand as she comforted, "Jessica, I'm sure that your father could hear you out from heaven. You'll always be his best daughter."

"That's right!" Jessica wiped away her tears and continued, "The new semester was about to start when I fully recovered. Although I had a lump sum on hand, I didn't spend a penny after paying my tuition fees."

Speaking of this, Jessica could not help but ridicule, "You might find it hard to understand. I had accepted his card, so I was entitled to use the money.

But the truth was there was a voice that reminded me that I was slowly evolving into the kind of person I once despised the most. So, I made a promise to myself.

I would only use ten thousand dollars to pay for my tuition fees. That much was enough to be viewed as his compensation for my injuries. As for the remaining amount, I would somehow find a way to return to him!"

Amelia nodded understanding^. While Jessica might appear to be pretentious to the rest, Amelia understood why she behaved so. She recalled how offended she felt back then when Patrick similarly offered her money.

In the next second, Jessica muttered in melancholy, "But I didn't see him for a long time after that. I tried to reach out to him via the number that he used to contact me to no avail. I was then notified that the number was no longer in operation."

"I had no other choice but to go back to my boss, hoping that he might be able to help me out. Unfortunately, he didn't have any means to contact him either. However, I didn't want to cave in just yet. Since he stopped by and patronized the club before, it was always possible for him to revisit the club in future. I could wait no matter how long it was going to take!"

"To put it bluntly, it was not about returning money that mattered the most. What I wanted was to prove that I wasn't a gold digger! I was nothing like my mother!"

Amelia could tell that Jocelyn was a nightmare that followed Jessica. Jessica could never be freed unless she conquered past it.

"I made a deal with the boss. I made him promise me that he would contact me if the guy showed up again one day. He laughed at me for being foolishly naive as he didn't think the guy would visit again, especially after the club was exposed for its illegitimate business. But I was too stubborn to give up. The club became the only strain of hope I was holding onto!

When the new semester started, I managed to secure a job at a coffee shop. It was only then I could finally be at ease with myself. Everything I encountered back then, including the guy as well as two previous incidents, seemed to be dated to me."

Amelia finally cracked a smile on her face. She was genuinely happy for Jessica. After all, it was good for her to finally get to stay away from all the mess. She deserved a chance to start over her life.

"In the blink of an eye, I managed to get through the final semester of my first year. It was almost a year since I went home, so I guessed it was time for me to go back to Northville and pay a visit to gramps. My plan was to find a job there during my summer break.

It wasn't even half a month after I went back home when I received a call from the boss. He told me that the guy showed up in the club. Not only that, he had appointed me to massage him.

I was stupefied. There was no way that I could reach there in time to meet him even if I took the next scheduled flight. Fortunately, the boss told me that the guy was going to stay for some time.

According to him, there was no need for me to rush. I felt relieved at that."

The guy had returned to the club and looked for Jessica after knowing that the owner of the club had a ploy on him previously. Amelia could not help but wonder if Jessica was someone special to him.

Jessica nodded and said, "I did. After leaving the card to him, I left without turning back. I had to admit that I was traumatized afterwards thinking back on what I did. But also, I was triumphed and proud of myself! Amelia, don't you think I was such a fool? I resigned from my summer job and travelled back just to return his card."

Amelia blurted out, "No, I don't think so! Most importantly, you defended your dignity! Alongside, you also proved that you and your mother are nothing alike!"

Jessica smiled in relief when she heard this. She continued, "What I didn't expect was that we began contacting each other after that day. Occasionally, we would send each other text messages and call once in a blue moon. We maintained this kind of contact for some time."

"Eh, I thought he despised you. Hold on... I get it now! You successfully changed his perception of you after you insisted to return him his card! Am I right?"

"You're right. Gramps used to tell me that I have to respect myself before I could earn respect from others. When I returned the card to him, for the first time, I could look him in his eyes without feeling ashamed."

"But at the end of the day, he was still the culprit who did such a horrible thing to you. How could you let him slide so easily?"

Jessica looked away sheepishly in an attempt to avoid meeting Amelia's disapproving gaze. She muttered, "To be frank, after learning the truth of the massage oil, a part of me couldn't help defending him." "There was a voice in my head that convinced me that he, too, had no idea that something was wrong with the oil. That was why he lost his control involuntarily. When the misunderstanding was cleared up, he compensated for my loss too. The fact that he travelled to find me was sufficient to prove that he wasn't a rotten person."

Amelia fell into momentary silence. Sure enough, if she were to think from Jessica's perspective, she would regard that guy as an unforgivable r*pist. What she did not think of was that the guy might have regarded himself as a victim too. Amelia bet that he felt unjustifiably wronged for something that he never intended to commit. It was never his intention to get aroused and r*pe a woman that he did not know. Following that incident, he was forced to take initiative for an investigation and ended up compensating Jessica for her physical as well as psychological injuries when no one was concerned to compensate for his loss."

Then, another voice echoed in Amelia's mind, "Hold on a second! Jessica sounded as if she had feelings for the guy from the beginning! Surely, she conceived the incident with a tinted filter! I can't be influenced by her perspective!"

Amelia shook her head as if it could shake off her thought. She then stated, "Now, it makes sense to me why you were so caught up with your phone after the summer break. I remember everyone wouldn't stop teasing you as we thought you were texting some you had feelings for. So, it turned out that you were contacting that guy!"

Jessica nodded before she explained shyly, "I was diffident back then. I was afraid that I might slip it out when everyone bombarded me with questions about this guy. I was scared that you bunch would look down at me about it. That was why I chose to avoid everyone."

Amelia disapproved with a scowl, "How could you think of us that way? We're your friends. We feel sorry for what you went through!"

Jessica replied with a hint of sorrow, "Even so, I didn't want to air my dirty laundry. I didn't want to stand out from my peers for this reason. If... If you were me, would you choose to announce it to your dormmates?"

Amelia was taken aback by her question. She then said apologetically, "I'm sorry. My bad."

Jessica shook her head. "Amelia, I didn't mean to blame you. It was just that there were things in life that were meant to be buried deep in the heart."