Chapter 529

In the afternoon, the dorm was empty. Jack was about to call Bella when an unexpected visitor appeared—Emily.

He remembered the last time he saw Emily, which was ages ago. He had explicitly warned her not to bother him again.

He never expected her to show up again. Compared to before, she had visibly lost a lot of weight.

Since Jack's warning, Emily hadn't dared to disturb him, no matter how much she missed her son. She was terrified of setting him off and losing him completely. That fear had pushed her to the brink of a breakdown.

Two months had passed. Gaunt and frail, she could no longer withstand the torment. She had to see Jack, no matter the consequences. Today held a special significance, but more than that, she owed her son an apology—a long-overdue one, as a mother.

"What are you doing here? Did you forget my warning?" He sneered, his lips curling into a cold smile as he saw the haggard Emily.

Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Nic… Jack, can I talk to you for a moment?"

He looked at her with mockery, curious about what she had to say.

She said gently, "Jack, sweetheart, I just wanted to ask… Have you paid your tuition yet? Do you need me to take care of it for you? And how are you doing with your living expenses?

"If you need anything, just give me your bank number, and I'll transfer some money to you. I also have a few cards here with money on them. Use them however you want. If you're ever in trouble, I'll always be here to help."

"Is that all you came to say? Just nonsense?" His eyes turned icy as he pushed away the bank cards Emily offered.

She quickly shook her head. "No! There's so much more I want to tell you... Oh, right! You used to love Transformers when you were little, so I bought a limited edition one from Osmo. Would you… like to see it?"

Jack's expression darkened further. "Seriously? Look at my age. Is that really all your brain can come up with?"

Her face flushed with embarrassment.

Yes, indeed. Time had flown by. The boy who had once loved playing with toys had grown up. His interests and hobbies had inevitably changed with time.

However, Emily's memories had remained frozen in Jack's childhood. She had mistakenly believed that he still cherished the same childhood trinkets. But the harsh reality forced her to face the truth—time had passed, and things were no longer the same.

Now, she knew nothing of his world. When she met his sharp, penetrating gaze, she felt an unprecedented confusion and awkwardness.

She was at a loss, not knowing what to say to continue the conversation with Jack. All she wanted was to talk to her son, but she wasn't sure if she still had the right to.

His patience had worn thin. "If you have nothing else to say, please leave," he said coldly, his annoyance unmistakable.

The words hit hard, and the tears she had barely held back spilled over again.

"Please, my child, I'm begging you. Don't do this to me." She sobbed uncontrollably.

"Do you have any idea how much your dad and I have been through to find you? We searched every corner of Perthter City, even the entire state, but found nothing.

"There was a time we thought you were gone. Can you even imagine that kind of despair? And now that we've finally found you, you treat us so coldly. It breaks my heart..."

She broke down in tears, her cries filled with endless sorrow and despair.

At last, something stirred in Jack's heart.