Filed to story: A Second Chance with My Billionaire Love
Halston calmed his rapid breathing and asked Tess calmly, “Don’t step back … You can’t come back if you do.” He was advising her, but it was also a clear threat.
Tess shook her head, tears running down her face. “No, I knew I couldn’t come back the moment I chose to poison Ms. Ellsworth. You all were so nice to me, but I did such an ungrateful thing. I should go to hell, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness!” As she spoke, she started walking backwards. Some gravel rolled down the cliff and splashed into the sea.
“Stop! Don’t move!” Halston became anxious as he saw parts of the cliff give way. “It doesn’t matter whether we forgive you or not. My wife is waiting for me to save her, so I just want you to tell me what kind of poison you drugged her with. After that, you can do whatever you want. Jump off a cliff or a buiIding-it’s none of my business.”
Ms. Ellsworth… How is she now?” Tess became grief-stricken when she heard that. “I didn’t want to do it, please believe me. That wicked woman captured my family and forced me to do it! But I like Ms.
Ellsworth very much; she’s the kindest person I’ve ever met. She shouldn’t suffer like this… She really shouldn’t!”
Which wicked woman asked you to do this?” Halston asked urgently. He could tell that Tess wouldn’t do something so wicked for no reason, but he couldn’t figure out who the mastermind behind this was.
Who would want to target Flossie when she was already blind?
“I don’t know who she is, but I’m sure you know her… You’ll know her soon even if you don’t know her now,” Tess whispered cryptically.
Halston frowned and looked around. “What do you mean?”
I know I’ve sinned, and I can’t stay alive if anything happens to Ms.
Ellsworth. I tried to figure out what the poison was, but that wicked woman didn’t say anything about it, so… I came up with this method. This is the only way I can help you and Ms. Ellsworth.”
“What method?” Halston didn’t understand what Tess wanted to do.
“I messaged that wicked woman, so she’ll be here soon. You can talk to her if you have any questions.
And I…” Tess glanced at the roiling sea below her and closed her eyes. “I can leave with peace of mind.”
After that, Tess closed her eyes and spread her arms, falling backwards off the cliff.
“No!” Halston lunged forward and grabbed her arm.
Tess opened her eyes and looked at him in shock. She sobbed as she shook her head. “Mr. Guajardo, I’m a sinner. Why did you save me? I should die. Let go!”
“I believe that you didn’t harm her on purpose, so you can’t resolve this by ending your life…” Halston frowned and forcefully tried to pull Tess up.
Sweat rolled down his face as he hissed, “Come back and make up for it!”
“No, I can’t… I really can’t. If I don’t die, she won’t let go of my family. My family will become worthless to her if I’m dead, and only then will they be safe!” Tess had decided to die before she climbed up the cliff. She wanted to fix her mistake, so she had called that woman over so Halston could confront her.
Then Tess would die, and everything would be okay again.
“Cut the crap! I can’t hold you any longer… Come up!” Halston had no energy to talk as he struggled to pull her up. The cliff was steep, and the surrounding rocks rolled down one by one. At the same time,
Tess’s weight was pulling him down over the cliff, and he could no longer hold on.
At that moment, Elijah finally reached the top. He immediately rushed over and helped Halston pull Tess back.
“Why did you save me? Why? I deserve to die!” Tess lay on the ground, sobbing as she stared at the dark sky. She felt too guilty to face them.
“You have to wait for my wife to recover if you want to die. We’ll let her decide if you should die or not.”
Halston stood up and dusted off his clothes, not even bothering to look at her. He was no saint-he didn’t care whether Tess was alive or dead. He’d only risked his life to save her because he knew that Flossie would want the same thing if she was around.
Suddenly, a slim figure appeared at the top of the cliff.
“Mr. Guajardo, look!” Elijah’s eyes widened in shock.
Halston immediately turned around and met the newcomer’s gaze. It was a woman who was wearing thick black clothes and a mask, exuding a grim aura. She looked like a phantom from hell.
“Jessanna?” Halston asked in surprise. Her appearance shocked him, but he recognized her immediately.
Jessanna’s body began to tremble. She didn’t expect to see Halston there, and she certainly didn’t expect him to recognize her, especially when she was all covered up this way. 3
“You… You recognize me?” Jessanna choked out, tears running down her cheeks. Despite all the pain she suffered, Halston could still recognize her.
“Of course I know who you are.” Halston’s gaze was cold, his tone vague. “I thought you were dead.”
Previously, Seraphina had threatened Flossie with a video of Flossie accidentally pushing Jessanna off a cliff.
Thanks to that, Flossie and Halston had lost so much time with each other. Halston had thought that Jessanna was dead given the surging waves below the cliff, but he was ultimately relieved to see her.
Jessanna cried under the mask. She looked at Halston and asked, “How did you feel when you saw that I’m alive?”
“I was thankful.” Halston didn’t hesitate. “I’m thankful that you’re alive and that I can still talk to you.”
“Do you mean it?” Jessanna was surprised. “I thought you hated me and wanted me dead.”
“Yes, I do hate you. Flossie and I wouldn’t have wasted so many years if not for you, but… I’m thankful that you’re still alive. It means that Flossie doesn’t have to carry all that guilt. She doesn’t have to turn herself in,” Halston said honestly.
Jessanna staggered back, feeling like she had just been stabbed in the heart. She glared at Halston, disappointment and hatred in her eyes. “Is that the only reason?”
“What other reasons could there be?”
“Don’t you feel anything for me? I was your brother’s beloved woman when he was still alive. Don’t you feel guilty that I ended up like this?” Jessanna quickly mentioned Tristan knowing Halston would react to it.
“How could you bring my brother up? You have no right to talk about him!” Halston’s anger surged when
Jessanna mentioned his brother, and his patience snapped. He strode towards Jessanna and strangled her. “You wicked woman!
Didn’t you feel anything for him?”
“Do you want the truth?” Jessanna didn’t even struggle, and just offered Halston a strange smile.
“Yes, tell me!”
“No,” Jessanna said immediately. She shook her head. “Yes, he was a nice man who saved me from danger and gave me a stable life, and I should feel something for him but… I don’t want to lie to you. I never had feelings for him.”
“Excuse me?” Halston’s eyes blazed in anger thinking about how Tristan was worrying about Jessanna even in his final moments. What a cruel woman!
“Your brother was a nice man with good education, intelligence, and power. His family background was superb, and he was an elite. The High Street was full of stories about him, and countless women liked him, but what a pity… He had bad insight. He picked a lousy woman like me and ruined his lifelong reputation.” Jessanna smiled as if she was talking about someone else’s affairs. But the most ironic thing is that the man I didn’t love turned out to be the man who loved me the most. No man ever loved me again after he died.”
“So, you’re not that stupid after all-you know that my brother was the best man you’ve ever met.
Unfortunately, you were never sincere towards him. You’re unworthy of his love!” Halston snarled, his fingers digging into Jessanna’s neck. He took a deep breath, trying his best to hold himself back. If his deceased brother knew that his beloved woman turned out to be such a wicked and hypocritical witch, he might not rest in peace.
“I admit that I’ve wronged your brother, but who do we blame? You, of course!” Jessanna didn’t flinch even though Halston almost broke her neck. She held his arms, tears in her eyes from the pain as she stared at him. “If it weren’t for you, your brother wouldn’t have died. I would still be with him, and I might have even fallen in love with him as time went by. What right do you have to criticize me?”
Halston’s heart skipped a beat. That was Halston’s sore point, and something he had hidden from others.
Yes, Jessanna was not a nice person-she had never loved Tristan and had even cheated on him, but at least she had made him happy. Halston remembered the first time Tristan spoke about Jessanna, all shy and excited like a young boy in love. Halston had grown up with Tristan and had rarely seen his aloof and restrained brother show such emotions, so he knew that Tristan had been sincerely in love with Jessanna.
Hence, he promised to take care of Jessanna and Jessanna’s baby before Tristan died. However, Tristan might have never known that it wasn’t his child at all, and Jessanna had only used it as an excuse to manipulate him. Sometimes, it was better to live in blissful ignorance-at least Tristan died thinking that Jessanna loved him.
“If Tristan was still alive, he wouldn’t let me suffer like this. If he knew that someone had pushed me down a cliff, ruined my face, and broken my legs… And I’d been stranded at sea for three whole days…