Jessie firmly said, "No."

However, Lettie wasn't convinced. She warned Jessie in a serious tone, "Don't put yourself through what happened before. Remember how much he hurt you?! Even after his marriage, he bothered you, and his wife pointed fingers at you for seducing her husband. And that mother of his? Completely unreasonable. Listen, I will never let you be with a man who's lost his wife. Our family might not be what it once was, but you, you're untainted. You shouldn't settle for someone Like him. Please, steer clear of your ex."

Jessie realized she couldn't keep things from Lettie any longer.

With a small nod, Jessie confessed, "Yes, I saw him. I had no idea Albert would be there; I wouldn't have gone if I had known. Mom, please don't worry. I'm done with him long ago."

Lettie stared at Jessie for a moment.

Jessie braced herself for an outburst that never came. Instead, Lettie quietly retreated to her room.

The living room fell into silence. Jessie remained seated on the sofa, the light making her face look ghostly pale.

She sat there silently, lost in thoughts about the past and her mother's advice, telling herself she should stop chasing after her former lover.

Hours passed, and by one in the morning, when Lettie emerged to make a trip to the bathroom, Jessie was still lost in thought.

Lettie watched her for a moment, and then went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. She placed it gently in front of Jessie and said, "A couple of days ago, a friend of mine mentioned a man around your age who's quite nice. Why not meet him when you have time? You two might hit it off."

Jessie looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

Lettie just gazed back at her.

Then, after a brief silence, Jessie took the glass and sipped half of it. “Okay. Please arrange it for me to meet him."

Lettie couldn't hide her excitement as she shared more about the man.

Jessie found herself intrigued. He seemed like a decent match. She knew her mother hoped she would eventually find someone nice. Lettie, on her part, wasn't concerned about Jessie ending up married with the first man she introduced her; she just wanted Jessie to go out and meet more people, to live a life that didn't include Albert.

And so, Jessie decided she would meet this man.

The issue had been shelved for several days. Once Jessie secure a location for her studio and got a team in to spruce it up, she bumped this up on her to-do list. They decided to catch up over coffee.

Axell Calderon was the man's name, a genuinely nice guy. At 32, he wasn't just any medical practitioner. He held a PhD.

Coming from a humble background, Axell had recently put money down on a house in Duefron. Both his parents had spent their careers teaching in high school and were now enjoying retirement. In the past, Lettie might not have been drawn to someone like Axell, but times had changed.

The Green family had seen better days. Their wealth was modest and shrinking.