At night, Alyssa decided to pay Jared's room a visit.
But she didn't expect to find Jared sleeping in his bed.
The room was pitch-black, with the curtains tightly drawn over the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Alyssa had no idea when Jared picked up this habit.
Now, whenever he was having an emotional meltdown, he'd either bury himself in work or sleep all day.
He had quit smoking and drinking.
That's because he once had a bleeding stomach from drinking and a bout of pneumonia from smoking.
Alyssa felt heartbroken. She wished she could take on all the pain herself.
But she couldn't help him. She had caused all this.
Her mistakes when she was young had finally caught up with her, but Jared was the one paying the price.
Alyssa switched on the light.
The sudden brightness made Jared blink.
He wasn't actually asleep, just lying there with his eyes closed, staring at the ceiling.
When Alyssa turned on the light, he used the blanket to cover his eyes.
But Alyssa still saw it.
Even though Jared didn't show any emotion, tears were trickling down his face, wetting his cheeks.
Alyssa was shocked.
Jared had never shed tears in front of her.
Even when he was a baby, he rarely cried.
Tim always said that their kid was born with a steady temperament, destined for greatness.
And Jared did turn out like Tim predicted.
He was sharp, with an extremely high IQ.
But he was always emotionless, showing an unusual calmness and indifference for his age.
Alyssa wasn't entirely pleased about it.
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