“That’s right, we don’t need you here!” Ste chimed in, quickly closing the hospital room door behind her to keep the cold air from getting to Jessica.

    The moment the door mmed shut, Brian nearly broke down in tears.

    “Please, I’m begging you. Just let me see Jessica. After that, you can beat me, curse me, whatever you want. I won’t say a word,” Brian pleaded desperately, his usually sharp eyes now filled with worry and panic.

    But Dereck wasn’t moved at all. He pointed an using finger at Brian and exploded. “What gives you the right to see Jessica? You’re the one who caused all this! If you hadn’t run your mouth during that livestream, Jessica wouldn’t be going through this nightmare.”

    “Brian, please, I’m begging you. Stop hurting Jessica. Look how many times you’ve already hurt her. You two are just not meant to be together,” Ste said, tears streaming down her face as she thought about all the pain Jessica had endured because of Brian.

    Brian had already learned the whole story on his way over, so he didn’t argue back against a single usation from Jessica’s parents.

    He knew he had no right to argue back. This whole mess was his fault. He was the one who had hurt Jessica.

    “Ste’s right. You two aren’t meant for each other, and Jessica doesn’t need your visits. Just get out of here,” Dereck said, trying to keep his temper in check at first, but his anger finally boiled over.

    Brian’s eyes were bloodshot as he opened his mouth, wanting to beg again but finding himself speechless. He couldn’t deny it. Jessica’s ident was because of him, and when it happened, he wasn’t even there for her.

    Now that Jessica was out of danger, showing up to ask for a visit seemed pretty pathetic. But staring at the closed hospital room door behind them, Brian couldn’t bring himself to give up.

    “I know. Mom, Dad, I know you hate me. I’m a piece of shit, and this is all my fault. But I never wanted to hurt Jessica,” Brian said, his voice hoarse.

    “What’s the point of saying that now?” Ste replied, her eyes red with tears. ‘He didn’t want to hurt her, but he did anyway,‘ she thought. ‘Does it matter if it wasn’t intentional? Harm is still harm.‘

    Brian nodded heavily. “You’re right. Nothing I say matters now. I don’t even know how to make you trust me again.”

    “We will never trust you again!” Dereck shot back without hesitation, He would never put Jessica in the hands of someone who had hurt her so many times.

    Brian’s eyes wentpletely dark, but his gaze never left the hospital room door.

    “Get the hell out of here. I’m sick of looking at you,” Dereck snapped impatiently, turning to walk away.

    But Brian suddenly dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. The sound of his kneecaps hitting the floor made everyone freeze for a moment.

    Wesley stared at the man kneeling before Dereck and Ste, sucking in a sharp breath. ‘He’s really willing to go this far?‘ he thought.

    Gavin watched Brian kneel in front of everyone, his heart breaking. This was his proudest child, the one who had never bowed to anyone.

    But when Gavin nced at the tightly shut hospital room door behind Dereck and Ste, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word to stop this. The Atkinson family was in the wrong here.

    “Please, I’m begging you both. Let me see Jessica just once!” Brian pleaded, about to press his forehead to the ground.

    Dereck saw what he was doing and immediately pped him hard across the face. He put all his strength behind it. The blow sent Brian’s head snapping to the side, and his cheek swelled up instantly.

    “You think you can threaten me by kneeling? Fine, then let me make something crystal clear,” Dereck growled. “Jessica is my only daughter in this world. bIf /banything happens to her, the Grant and Atkinson families will be enemies until the day I die!”