"No!" The moment Jason said he would jump too, his mother completely panicked. The calm resignation she’d shown on the rooftop edge was gone.
She immediately stepped away from the ledge and rushed toward him, grabbing his arm tightly as if afraid he would disappear the moment she let go.
"Jason!" Her voice trembled.
Only then did the tension inside Jason finally loosen. He had done it. He had truly changed the future. His mother was alive.
Standing right in front of him. Not a memory. Not a regret that haunted him for nearly twenty years. She was alive."Mom..." His voice cracked.
The countless words he’d wanted to say suddenly vanished. He had imagined this moment thousands of times. He wanted to yell at her. Ask her why she abandoned him.
Tell her how difficult life had become after she died. Tell her how many nights he cried himself to sleep. Tell her how lonely he had been.
Yet when he finally stood before her again, none of those words came out. Instead, all he saw was his mother.
The woman who had given everything for him. She was only in her late thirties. But illness had stolen years from her appearance.
Her cheeks were thin and hollow. Her lips were dry and cracked. The chemotherapy had taken her beautiful black hair. Her eyes were exhausted.
The vibrant woman Jason remembered from childhood was gone. In her place stood a tired mother carrying far more pain than anyone should ever endure.
In his memories, his mother was always smiling. Always gentle. No matter how difficult life became. No matter how many hardships she faced. She always smiled for him.
Yet now... she looked so fragile. So small.
"Mom..." Jason raised his hand and gently touched her cheek. The skin felt rough beneath his fingertips. His vision blurred. tears nearly rolled down his face.
For years, he had believed himself incapable of feeling the urge to crying. When Olivia betrayed him, he was only angry and disappointed.
When Chloe destroyed his life, he was down. When he spent three years in prison, he didn’t cry. When the world abandoned him, he was just living thinking he would never feel the emotions.
But now? Standing before his mother again? His eyes blurred he knows this feeling.
"Mom..." His shoulders shook. "You’re getting old."The words sounded off. But they were all he could manage.
Sarah’s eyes immediately reddened. Her heart felt as though someone had squeezed it. She reached up and gently wiped away his tears.
"I’m sorry." Her own voice broke. "I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have thought about doing something so stupid. I shouldn’t have made you worry."
Jason shook his head violently. "No." The word came out almost like a sob.
Then he stepped forward and hugged her.
Tightly.
The rooftop became silent. Sarah froze. Even Victoria, standing nearby, was stunned. Jason had never behaved like this before. Not once. At least not since he became a teenager.
Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him. Tears streamed down her face.
For several seconds, neither of them moved. The years of regret. The pain. The loneliness. Everything seemed to melt away.
Watching the scene, Victoria quietly wiped her own eyes. Only after the emotional storm passed did Jason slowly release his mother.
His expression became determined. In his previous life, medical expenses had felt impossible. A mountain he could never climb.
But now? He had been reborn. He had a system. And more importantly, he knew the future. One million dollars in treatment costs? That wasn’t a problem. Not anymore.
At that moment, the familiar mechanical voice rang inside his head.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete.]
[Mission Objective: Save Your Mother.]
[Reward: $1,000.]
Jason felt his phone vibrate. He discreetly pulled it out. A text message appeared.
[Deposit Received: $1,000]
[Current Balance: $1,010.34]
A smile appeared on his face. The amount wasn’t much in the grand scheme of what he’d need, but considering he’d barely had thirty dollars left to his name that morning, this was practically lifesaving money.
’Good,’ he thought. ’The system rewards are real. That means everything else is real too. My future. My opportunities. My revenge. All of it.’
Behind him, Victoria finally stepped forward. Her eyes were still slightly red.
"Sarah, are you out of your mind?" She sounded angry. But beneath the anger was obvious concern.
"You really don’t treat me like family, do you? If you need money, then ask me! If necessary, I’ll sell my house!"
Sarah’s eyes widened. "Victoria..."
"My house is worth hundreds of thousands." Victoria crossed her arms. "So what? As long as there is life there is always hope."
Sarah’s tears returned. She knew Victoria wasn’t joking. The two had been best friends for years. Long before Jason was even born.
But that was exactly why she couldn’t bear accepting more help. The treatment costs would be enormous. Even if she survived, the debt would be crushing.
Eventually, everything would fall onto Jason’s shoulders. That thought alone was enough to break her.
Seeing her expression, Victoria sighed.
For the first time in weeks, genuine hope appeared in her eyes. "You’re right." She nodded slowly. "You’re right."
Jason silently watched the two women. His chest felt warm. The nightmare had changed. The future had changed.
But one problem remained. Money. A lot of money. Treatment. Living expenses. Future investments. He needed capital. Fast.
Then another face appeared in his mind. Olivia. The bitch who stole his savings. The woman who abandoned him when he needed her most.
A dangerous smile appeared on Jason’s face.’This time, you’re giving every cent back. With interest.’
This time he knew far more than he did back then. And Olivia wasn’t getting away so easily. Not again.
After calming down, the three returned to the hospital room. The atmosphere was noticeably lighter than before. The moment his mother settled onto the bed, Jason finally released a long breath.
The crisis was over. Or at least the first one.
He looked toward the hospital bed. His mother was talking quietly with Victoria. The exhaustion on her face had eased considerably. A warm feeling filled his chest.
"Mom."
Sarah looked up. "Yes?"
"I’m going to the market later." Jason grinned. "I’m cooking dinner tonight."
Both women stared at him.
"You?" Victoria raised an eyebrow. "The same Jason who nearly burned down the kitchen trying to boil eggs?"
Jason coughed awkwardly. "People can change." Victoria immediately burst into laughter. "Sure they can." Then she waved him away. "Go buy your groceries. I’ll stay here with your mother."
Jason nodded. Before leaving, he turned toward Victoria. His expression became sincere. " Victoria. Thank you."
She looked surprised.
"For everything you’ve done for my mom. For all these years."Victoria stared at him for a moment. Then rolled her eyes.
"Stop acting so mature. I’ve known your mother longer than you’ve been alive." She pointed at him. "When you were little, I used to chase you around the apartment with a bowl because you refused to eat."
Jason groaned. "Please stop."
"And when you were seven, you wet the bed and cried for three hours."
"Okay, that’s enough."
Victoria laughed. Looking at her now, Jason couldn’t help noticing something he had overlooked when he was younger.
Victoria Reed was beautiful. Not in the youthful way college girls were beautiful. Her beauty was mature and elegant.
And for some reason... the system interface suddenly flickered. As though it had noticed the same thing.