The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 602

The moment Petty stepped into the foyer of the main house, she spotted Jackson huddled in the shadows near the corridor. He was clutching a handkerchief over his mouth, coughing violently. The lighting was dim, but his complexion looked alarmingly pale.

"Jackson!" Petty hurried over.

Startled by her sudden appearance, the older man desperately tried to swallow the hacking fit. But coughing was impossible to hide, and his efforts only made it worse. His face turned a deep, concerning shade of red.

"Why are you coughing so badly?"

She grabbed his arm, her free hand gently rubbing circles on his back. Looking up at him, her eyes swam with worry. "Manley is down for his nap. Let me take you to the hospital right now."

Jackson quickly crumpled the handkerchief into his fist, hiding it against his leg. He offered her a strained smile. "I'm perfectly fine. Just swallowed wrong."

"Jackson, I'm not a child. I know the difference between choking and a sick cough. You're terribly congested."

Without waiting for his protest, Petty spun around and flagged down a nearby maid. "Please go to Jackson's room and bring down his heaviest winter coat."

"Right away, ma'am—I mean, Miss."

The maid covered her mouth and scurried off.

Petty's lips tightened briefly. Many of the staff at Misty Vale still struggled to drop the old titles since her return, but she didn't have the energy to care about semantics.

"I really don't need a doctor. Please don't worry yourself," Jackson said, gently patting the hand she had wrapped around his arm. "I said I'm fine, and I am. It's Manley's birthday—there's no need to cause a scene on such a happy occasion."

A lump formed in Petty's throat. "We really should go get it checked out."

She had looked up to Jackson as a father figure since she was a little girl. It wasn't just his age or the boundless kindness he had always shown her; when she was small, she used to think his silhouette looked exactly like her late father's.

Whenever the heartbreak of missing her parents became too much to bear, she would shadow Jackson, following him around the estate like a lost puppy.

Even as she grew older and learned to bury her grief, he remained family in her heart.