CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 98: JENSON FORREST COAXES HER

Jenson’s voice was clearly soft, yet Zinnia’s heart felt as though it had been struck by something, a sour, aching pain churning inside her.

She stared blankly at the man before her, her eyes involuntarily misting over.

She wanted to turn her head away, unwilling to show him her vulnerability.

But Jenson’s hand, which had been on her chin, shifted to cup her face, refusing to let her look away.

Zinnia’s tears rolled down, splashing onto his knuckles and seeping into his palm.

"Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault..."

Her tears were warm, but to Jenson, they felt scorching, as if every drop was landing on his heart.

He thought of the video Old Madam Forrest had sent him on his way back. It had captured the chaotic scene by the pool. He saw himself leaving with Crystal Sutton, while the pool remained eerily quiet. Zinnia hadn’t surfaced on her own. He then saw Finn Quinn dive underwater and rescue her. At that moment, her face was so pale, her eyes were shut tight, and her entire body seemed lifeless. It was Finn who laid her flat and performed first aid, only then did she violently cough up the water she had choked on. When she opened her eyes, they were red, unfocused, and blank. She had really been drowning. She had almost drowned right in front of him, yet he had been completely unaware. The video was quite long. He hadn’t even dared to finish it before frantically shutting off his phone, unable to watch another second. He couldn’t bear to imagine what would have happened if Finn hadn’t dived in to save her that day. Would she have sunk to the bottom of the pool forever? If that were the case... At that thought, he felt an unprecedented wave of panic and fear, hating himself so much he wanted to stab himself.

Now, looking at Zinnia’s involuntary tears, Jenson’s heart twisted in agony. He was overwhelmed with a helpless, heart-wrenching compassion.

His thumb gently caressed her tear-stained cheeks, his movements as careful as if she were fragile glass.

But the more he wiped, the more her tears seemed to fall.

Jenson reached out and embraced the trembling Zinnia. He held her so tightly, as if wanting to fuse her into his body to alleviate the guilt and lingering fear in his heart.

He stroked her hair and lowered his head to kiss her gently, his voice softening to coax her, just like he had when they were children.

"Zinnia, don’t cry. I was an idiot. I didn’t know you were drowning. I thought you were a good swimmer and that you’d be fine, but I forgot that accidents can happen...

"I was wrong, and I broke your heart, didn’t it? Don’t cry, don’t cry. How about you hit me a few times?"

Zinnia nestled in Jenson’s arms, her tears soaking the front of his shirt.

No wonder Old Madam Forrest’s crude acting could fool Jenson, she thought. No wonder the whole act was full of holes. Jenson had been in the pool for so long, diving again and again, letting Grandma Forrest lead him around in circles. So, he knew she’d almost had an accident in the water that day. He was punishing himself and apologizing to her in his own way. Grandma Forrest wasn’t mistaken. Jenson really did still care about her. He hadn’t just disregarded her life.

Zinnia hadn’t cried like this even when she first fell into the water.

She had thought the incident was long past. She hadn’t expected that all the grievance, sadness, and resentment hadn’t been resolved by her own strength. Instead, she had only pretended they were gone because she felt no one cared about her.

But they had already reached this point. She shouldn’t be greedy for this little bit of tenderness anymore. Jenson’s affection now was just for a sister.

Zinnia suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on his chest, right over his heart.

Jenson’s body tensed for a moment before he relaxed, letting her bite him like a small, angry beast seeking revenge.

After a moment, she slightly loosened her jaw. Jenson let out a long breath.

A faint smile touched the man’s thin lips as he ruffled her long hair.

"Alright, alright. Did you hurt your teeth? Can you forgive me?"

Hearing the amusement in his voice, Zinnia let go of him, feeling utterly pathetic. With just a few apologies and some gentle coaxing, the knot in her heart had mostly unraveled, and her resentment was gone.

She lowered her head, too embarrassed to look up at him. She pushed him away and mumbled in a muffled voice, "You should go take a hot shower."

She turned to leave, but Jenson grabbed her hand, refusing to let go.

"So, are you still angry? Can you forgive me this time?"

It’s pointless, Zinnia thought. What does it matter if I forgive him or not? We’re getting a divorce anyway. That won’t change.

She raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at him. "Didn’t you say we would go our separate ways and never see each other again? Does my forgiveness still matter to you?"

Jenson frowned. "Of course it matters."

Zinnia’s nose tingled again. "Then I don’t blame you. Can you let me go now?"

Her reaction was overly cold. Jenson felt a lump form in his throat, making it hard to swallow or speak.

But Zinnia forcefully pushed him away. "I really don’t blame you."

He never had any obligation to save me in the first place. Even if he cares now, it’s only out of brotherly affection. If it happened again, and he had to choose between me and Crystal, he would probably still choose Crystal. Still, his reaction today did put my heart at ease. I never wanted to resent him, and for our current situation, this is enough.

She left the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind her.

She didn’t see that Jenson remained standing inside, unmoving, for a long time. After a moment, he finally turned and leaned his back against the wall, feeling powerless.

Frustrated and helpless, he ran a hand through his dripping hair before abruptly turning on the shower. He tilted his head back, letting the water pour over him.

Zinnia went downstairs. The villa was silent, without a soul in sight.

Presumably, Old Madam Forrest had called everyone away to give her and Jenson some space alone.

Zinnia felt a bit helpless. She went into the kitchen and made a bowl of ginger soup for Jenson to ward off the cold.

She was carrying the tray back to the bedroom just as Jenson walked out of the bathroom.

The man had nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He was wiping his hair with one hand, while his other hand held his dripping wallet and phone.

Thinking of her breakdown in the bathroom just now, Zinnia felt a bit uncomfortable.

She was too embarrassed to look at him, so her gaze fell on the phone in his hand.

"It’s wrecked, isn’t it? Since you knew Grandma was doing it on purpose, you could have at least taken your phone out before getting in the water."

Jenson tossed the phone and wallet onto the low cabinet. "Didn’t have time."

He had seen the video on the way home. Just as he walked in the door, he heard Old Madam Forrest say that a drunk Zinnia had fallen into the pool. He lost his composure at that moment. He was so panicked he didn’t even think to take off his coat, let alone his phone. It was only after he’d dived into the water twice and couldn’t find her that he came back to his senses.

Zinnia didn’t quite understand what he meant. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, she bent down to place the ginger soup on the table. "I made you some ginger soup. Go ahead and drink it. I’ll head out first," she said.

She didn’t know how to face him when he was half-clothed like this.

Jenson didn’t say anything or try to stop her. Zinnia walked quickly to the door and tugged forcefully at the handle, but it didn’t open.

She frowned, twisting the handle again with all her strength, but the door wouldn’t budge.

She was dumbfounded. Footsteps sounded behind her as Jenson approached.

"Grandma’s usual tactics," he said. "It looks like unless we reconcile today, neither of us is getting out of here."

Zinnia was speechless.