Jamir tapped the steering wheel with one hand. “Callie, after all these years, I realized my feelings for you are unlike any I’ve had for anyone else. Can you give me another chance?”
His words left room for negotiation, unlike Nelson.
Nelson was possessive, always needing to confirm that she was his and not allowing anyone else to come close, like someone with an obsession for cleanliness.
But Jamir could accept her being with someone else, waiting for her to change her mind.
She found it hard to respond.
Jamir remained calm, having spoken his mind, his initial anxiety fading.
“Did my words surprise you? I’m sorry.”
Callie shook her head, laughing in exasperation. “Tell me, what do you like about me?”
She didn’t believe that someone who abandoned her back then could still love her now.
Jamir tapped the steering wheel, pondering. “I like your purity.”
“My purity?” Callie’s smile widened. “I’m sorry to tell you, my purity is long gone. The Callie standing before you now is a woman who can use marriage as a transaction.”
Jamir stared at her. “You’re not.”
“Are you so sure? Let me tell you, after you went abroad, my father was severely injured in a car accident. I suffered greatly to survive. I’m no longer that naive girl who only knew about so-called love. I’m not so easily deceived anymore.”
Callie spoke with anger and pain, feeling a sense of relief as she saw Jamir’s almost helpless expression.
“I’m not worth it. Not to mention I’m still someone else’s wife. Even if I were single, I wouldn’t be with you.”
With that one sentence, she cut off Jamir’s affection.
Jamir’s face changed; he hadn’t expected such a rejection.
“Am I not better than Nelson? The Quinn family’s assets are no less than the Oconnor family’s. If I wanted to, if I accepted the Quinn Group, what is Nelson compared to that? He even needed your help to get through his troubles!”
“Yes! You’re great, you’re wonderful. It’s precisely because you’re too good that I feel unworthy.” Callie raised her voice.
“Then why are you with Nelson?”
Nelson was also seen as exceptional by outsiders.
In the privacy of the car, Callie took a deep breath. “I’m not that good, and neither is he. But no matter how he hurts me, he will never abandon me. Jamir, your love is terrifying. Even if Nelson isn’t that great, I still hope he’s well.”
Callie seemed to forget how Nelson humiliated her last night, her mind filled with Nelson’s noble, cunning, ruthless, and even childish sides.
He had his flaws, but she knew they stemmed from his concern for her.
Jamir squinted his eyes. “Will you always be together?”
Always?
Callie let out a short laugh, not answering the question.
“I don’t want to see you again, Jamir. I’m a particularly terrible person, not worth your efforts.”
Jamir quickly responded, “I don’t think you’re terrible.”
“Many people outside think I’m bad.”
“I knew you before the rumors,” Jamir answered swiftly.
Callie was slightly taken aback.
“Go back and rest well. I told you this today not to burden you.” He had no intention of giving up and unlocked the car’s central lock.
He was dressed casually today, unlike the formal attire of yesterday. Sitting in the morning light, he looked steady and composed.