Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Inevitable 2
Jake leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on a table, his expression more vulnerable than she had ever seen.

“I know I’ve done a lot of unforgivable things, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I need you to know that I’m going to spend the last six months of my life trying to win you back.”

Emma’s heart same as everyone’s heart in the room stopped. Last six months? What did that even mean?

“Yeah, you heard that right. Six months. That’s all I have left. Found out two weeks after I got out of jail. The doctor called it advanced heart disease. Gave me meds, said they’d slow things down, but there was no real fix.”

A sharp gasp came from Margaret. She clutched her chest, staggering back. Claire immediately held onto her, her own eyes wide with shock.

“I guess that’s karma, huh?” Jake gave a small, sad smile. “I didn’t look back breaking your heart, and now mine’s literally giving up on me.”

Emma’s knees felt weak. She reached out, gripping the edge of the table for support while Alex held her, knowing this was going to shake her.

They all watched as Jake exhaled before continuing. “Don’t be despaired. You should know there’s no way I’ll let it end without a fight. Not without feeling what it was like to be loved by you again.”

His voice wavered slightly.

“I know I promised my mom and Alex to stay far away from you but right now, I want to let you all know I’m going to deliberately go back on my words. I wanted to use whatever time I had left to try to make you love me again, Em. Even if it was selfish, even if it meant doing things I wouldn’t normally do. And trust me, I would do some truly unforgivable things. I’m going to actively try to get you. Call it desperate, I don’t care. But I wanted to leave this world knowing that, at least once, I was loved by the woman that truly loved me.”

Emma pressed a hand to her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Jake swallowed hard before continuing.

“To you, Uncle Alex… I know you hate me. And honestly? You should. Because I was gonna do everything I could to take Emma back from you. I wasn’t gonna fight fair. I didn’t care. I needed her to love me, even if it was just an illusion or by force. I really don’t mind kidnapping her and forcing her to be mine until I draw my last breath.”

Alex clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He had despised Jake’s actions, but now, hearing this, it felt different.

“So yeah, I’d do things I would not be proud of. And for that, I’m apologizing in advance. I’m sorry. But I won’t apologize for loving her. I never stopped. I just didn’t know how to love her right. But seeing her with you, I have learned and I’ll do all I can to love her just as she deserve.”

Emma shut her eyes tightly, fresh tears slipping through.

Jake ran a hand down his face, his fingers shaking slightly.

“To my Mom… I dragged you into so much shit, and I hate myself for it. I wasn’t a good son. I know that. But you never gave up on me, and I never got to tell you how much that meant. So I’m gonna leave this here, hoping one day after I’m gone, someone would see it to bring it to you. I love you, mom and thank you for always loving me unconditionally regardless what I did.”

Margaret let out a strangled sob, her hand covering her mouth.

“Aunt Claire… you tried, didn’t you?” Jake let out a humorless chuckle. “You tried to bring back the Jake I used to be, but I was already too far gone. Maybe if I hadn’t gotten that diagnosis, I could’ve found my way back. Maybe I could have been that person again.”

Claire’s eyes shone with unshed tears.

“But it was too late.” Jake’s smile faded. “I guess this is the only way I can explain myself now. I didn’t want any of you to know. I didn’t want pity. I just wanted to live whatever time I had left my own way. Recklessly, selfishly. Maybe if I had made different choices, I’d still be here. But I didn’t, and I’m not. And I just… I needed to say all this before it was too late.”

He exhaled sharply, staring at the screen as if he was looking right at them.

“I don’t know if you can ever forgive me. But if you can… please, don’t let me be remembered as just a mistake or by the evil I did to you all. Remember the good times, too. I love you all and you all are all I have and hope to have in the afterlife.”

With that, the screen went black and silence filled the room.

The weight of his words crashed over them like a tidal wave. Emma’s body trembled as she pressed a hand against her chest, trying to breathe past the ache spreading through her.

Margaret sobbed quietly, clutching Claire’s arm for support. Claire wiped away her own tears, struggling to process everything.

Alex inhaled deeply, his expression unreadable. But when he looked at Emma, his gaze softened. He knew this changed everything for her.

Jake hadn’t just been desperate—he had been dying.

And now, he was gone. Now it made sense why he had brought Dawn into the picture. If it hadn’t been Vanessa’s plan, perhaps, Jake had planned to do some other despicable things just to get Emma.

Emma stood frozen, staring at the dark screen, her tears blurring her vision. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, but amidst the storm of emotions washing over her, there was something else—relief.

For hours, she had tormented herself, believing Jake had died because of her. That he had jumped in front of the bullet as a form of twisted redemption for all he had done. But now, hearing his words, knowing about his condition, she understood.

Jake hadn’t thrown himself into the line of fire because of her.

He had done it because he knew he was already dying and his death was inevitable. He had wanted to save her full life with his life which were numbered.

A shaky breath escaped her lips as the realization settled in.

He had nothing to lose.

The weight pressing down on her chest, the crushing guilt that had suffocated her since the moment Jake took his last breath—it lifted. It didn’t erase the pain, but it gave her something she desperately needed.

Peace and closure.

She wiped at her tears, her body trembling from the emotions warring inside her.

Jake had made his choice. He had chosen how he wanted to go. He hadn’t wanted to waste away in a hospital bed, waiting for his body to fail him. He had wanted to do something that mattered, something that, in his mind, would make up for all the hurt he had caused.

And in his own twisted, self-destructive way, he had found his redemption.

Emma let out a breath, feeling the tightness in her chest slowly ease. The anger she had carried, the resentment she had clung to for so long—it wasn’t necessary anymore. There was no more Jake to hate. No more Jake to blame.

All that remained was grief… and understanding.

Alex must have sensed the shift in her because he stepped closer, his hand gently resting on her back. “Emma…” His voice was soft, careful. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, even though her throat felt tight. “I think…” She swallowed hard, looking at him. “I think I finally understand him.”

Margaret sobbed quietly in Claire’s arms, her fingers trembling as she gripped a tissue. “He was suffering… and he never told me.” Her voice broke with sorrow, but there was also understanding.

Emma turned to her, her own eyes red with unshed tears. “He probably didn’t want you to worry,” she whispered. “He didn’t want any of us to see him as weak.”

Claire, who had remained silent all this time, exhaled deeply. “That fool,” she murmured, shaking her head. “He could’ve come to me. We could’ve tried to find treatment…”

Alex sighed, rubbing his face. “But that wasn’t what he wanted,” he said, his voice laced with resignation. “He wanted to be remembered on his own terms.”

Emma looked back at the screen as though she could still see Jake’s face there and his face just before the lights dimmed.

He had been so full of regrets, so weighed down by his mistakes, yet in the end, he had found his own way to seek forgiveness. And maybe… maybe she could finally let go.

She placed her hand on her chest, inhaling deeply. The grief was still there, the pain of losing him still fresh. But the guilt—the unbearable weight of self-blame—had begun to fade.

Jake had made peace with himself. And now, so could they.

Margaret wiped her tears and gave a small, shaky smile. “At least… at least now I know why he did it.” She turned to Emma. “And you, my dear… you don’t have to carry this burden anymore. He made his choice, and he did it knowing what it meant.”

Emma nodded, her lips quivering. “I forgive him.” The words felt like a release, like a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “And… I hope, wherever he is, he’s finally at peace.”

Claire wrapped an arm around Margaret, squeezing her gently. “And we should find peace too.”

Alex reached for Emma’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Jake wouldn’t want us to keep hurting that’s why he made this video as soon as he found out. It’s time we move forward.”

The room fell into silence, but it was no longer the heavy, suffocating silence of grief. It was a moment of closure, a quiet acceptance of what had been and what could never be changed.

Emma took one last look at the screen before exhaling softly.

Jake was gone. But so was the anger, the guilt, and the resentment. It was time to let go and cherish this life with her husband, Alex.