When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 193

Jessie’s heart was still in turmoil, but at least she had her emotions under control. She nodded and led Teddy to the ER. Alone with him, she felt her breath coming faster. She kept her eyes down, trying her best not to seem nervous.

Teddy’s injury was just a tiny cut, barely more than a scratch. A dab of antiseptic would have done the trick. Still, Jessie fussed over it, wrapping his hand carefully, layering bandages until it looked almost comical. Teddy let out a quiet laugh. “Really, a band-aid would’ve been enough.”

“You saved my life. I can’t just be careless about it.” Jessie’s voice was soft. She didn’t look up, her hand lingering on his just a moment too long.

Teddy paused, sensing something he couldn’t quite put into words. Suddenly, he asked, “Dr. Morton, does the person you mentioned really look that much like me?”

“You two look exactly the same.” Jessie blurted it out before she could stop herself, her eyes flicking up to meet his.

Her eyes were big and bright, so clear you could almost see right through them. But now, they were tinged with sadness, as if she might cry at any second.

Teddy was quiet for a moment, then managed a polite smile. He didn’t ask any more questions.

As he was about to leave, Jessie couldn’t help herself. “Mr. Phillips, thank you for saving me today. Can I treat you to dinner sometime?”

“That’s really not necessary, Dr. Morton. Anyone would have done the same.” Teddy tried to refuse, but Jessie was persistent. In the end, he handed her his business card.

She watched him walk away, feeling a confusing mix of emotions swirling inside her. While she was tending to his hand, Jessie had intentionally slowed down, hoping for some kind of reaction, some sign that he remembered her. But no matter how she tried, he really seemed like a stranger.

He looked just like the man from her memories, but everything else was different. This Teddy was poised, confident, with an air of quiet wealth that needed no announcement. He was nothing like the carefree, earnest boy she once knew.

But right before she graduated, that promise shattered. Casey told her he’d be gone for a month, said it was work. After that, she got a call from someone claiming to be his friend, telling her Casey had died in a car accident.

Jessie rushed to his city overnight. In a small hospital near Westhaven, she saw his body, unrecognizable.

For a long time, Jessie didn’t think she would ever make it through. She remembered the last thing she promised him. He’d told her to wait for him, no matter what, and never to give up hope, no matter what came her way.

Thinking back now, she didn’t know if it was fate or if Casey had seen it all coming. She could never figure it out. Seeing someone who looked just like him, but wasn’t him, felt like some cruel joke the universe was playing.

Now that she thought about it, Casey had never talked about his family. They’d been together for more than two years, but all she really knew about him came from the time they spent together. Everything else was just a mystery.