Chapter 8
Everyone turned to look at her.
Jackson’s expression turned awkward and he hurried forward to meet her.
“You… why did you come?”
Jackson’s mom stared at her blankly, as if suddenly remembering something.
She quickly stepped in front of Jackson, positioning herself between them.
“What’s your name?”
The girl remained silent.
Jackson’s mom pressed: “You’re the girl who just called Ava, aren’t you?”
Morgan frantically looked to Jackson for help.
Yet Jackson’s mom raised her hand just to stop Jackson’s explanation and asked, word by word:
“I’m asking you-did YOU turn off Jackson’s phone?”
I knew that if this continued, an argument would inevitably follow.
Jackson’s dad was still in surgery. And while my mom hadn’t been seriously injured, the cuts on her arm had only received basic treatment.
I really didn’t want to watch them arguing in front of us.
But before I could speak, Jackson’s mom had already guessed Morgan’s identity from our expressions.
She shoved Morgan hard, her tone disgusted and full of hatred.
“What are you doing here? Coming to see if Jackson has abandoned his parents as you hoped? Get out! Get out right now!”
Then she pointed her finger in Jackson’s face.
“Ava was absolutely right-you’ve completely lost your mind over this girl!”
“Do you know where we are?! If she hadn’t turned off your phone and made you unreachable, we wouldn’t have been frantically searching for you, and we wouldn’t have crashed!”
“And now you bring her here? Are you afraid the car crash didn’t kill us, so you’re trying to finish us off with anger?”
Morgan, being just a young girl, backed away frightened, her face turning pale.
“Auntie, it’s not like that. I just care about your husband…”
Jackson’s mom’s face twisted with scorn and cut her off: “Who are you to call me ‘Auntie’?!”
“Everyone knows Jackson and Ava have been childhood sweethearts. They became official right after finals. Who are you? Some shameless homewrecker?”
Morgan looked up in shock, her eyes fixed on Jackson: “But… You said you didn’t like her…”
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Chapter 8
Jackson’s mom laughed coldly.
“Doesn’t like Ava? You think he likes you?
“Leave now. PLEASE! We can’t afford to deal with you. Jackson’s father is still in surgery-don’t stand here bringing bad luck!”
She became increasingly agitated, reaching to pull me forward to confront Morgan.
My mom couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted.
“My head is still ringing. Ava, take me home.”
“Honey, you stay and help out here.”
Jackson’s friend sighed in relief, quickly following us toward the exit.
Once we reached the hospital courtyard, my mom finally spat in disgust.
“Jackson behaves poorly outside, and somehow you’re expected to confront that girl? Ridiculous!”
“Ava, cut your losses now!”
Jackson’s friend standing nearby suddenly began coughing dramatically.
A few feet away, Jackson stood there, his face looking absolutely terrible.
But he pretended like he hadn’t heard anything, forcing a casual tone:
“Ava, can we talk for a minute?”
I held my mom’s hand, giving her a reassuring look, and calmly replied:
“Sure.”
After we’d walked about thirty feet away, Jackson just kept staring at the ground without saying a single word.
I broke the silence by pulling up Morgan’s profile on my phone.
“Maybe it was fate that I randomly scrolled through Facebook and saw her post.”
Looking at my phone, Jackson hastily explained:
“Ava, she’s just a classmate.”
“She suddenly called saying she was shopping when she got such bad cramps she almost fainted. I only went out of friendship…”
Without saying anything, I just pulled up the recorded phone call.
Morgan’s voice came through crystal clear:
“He likes me… changed his college application… going to Chicago with me.”
