Chapter 203: I’m Sorry Mr. Rivers
The silence in the kitchen remained heavy long after the echoes of the front door faded. The rank, sour smell of stale alcohol still hung in the air, a stark reminder of the violence that had just passed.
Jake held Catharine tightly against his chest, feeling the fine, erratic tremors running through her body. As he looked over her head toward the empty doorway, a subtle golden light still flickered in his peripheral vision.
Above the threshold where Catharine’s father had just been, a glowing gold trendline shimmered in the air. It was a sharp, downward slope—a harsh bearish trajectory representing a life hitting absolute rock bottom. But right at the lowest trough, where the line looked ready to plunge into total collapse, Jake caught something else. The gold line was thickening, forming a clean, distinct double-bottom pattern. Small, bright indicators flared along the line, signaling a powerful technical setup for a bullish reversal.
’He’s at the absolute bottom,’ Jake thought, his mind automatically reading the system’s data. It’s an aggressive downtrend, ’but the indicators are there. With the right push, he can still turn it around.’
Beside them, Catharine’s mother wiped her eyes with the corner of her apron, her hands still trembling as she tried to compose herself. She looked up at Jake, her face pale and lined with a deep, painful shame.
"Jake... I am so, so sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking as she took a shaky step toward them. "You shouldn’t have had to see that... to go through that in our home. Please... please don’t let this... don’t let this ruin things between you and Cathy. She’s a good girl. She has nothing to do with his drinking."
Jake loosened his grip on Catharine slightly, turning his warm, calm gaze to her mother. "Ma’am, please don’t apologize. You have nothing to feel ashamed of." He gave her a reassuring, grounded smile. "And you don’t have to worry about Cathy and me. I already knew about her father. I’ve actually run into him in the capital before, so none of this comes as a surprise."
Catharine’s mother blinked, stunned. "You... you knew?"
"I did," Jake said softly. "It changes nothing about how I feel about Catharine, or how I view your family."
A visible wave of relief washed over her face, though the faint blush of embarrassment remained. She smoothed down her apron, letting out a long, shuddering breath. "Thank you, Jake. You are... far more understanding than we deserve."
Jake guided Catharine over to the dining table, helping her right her fallen chair before pulling out another for her mother. He walked over to the corner where Melissa was still curled up, placing a gentle, protective hand on the young girl’s shoulder.
"It’s over, Mel," Jake said softly. "He’s gone."
Melissa slowly uncurled, wiping her wet face with her sleeve. She looked up at Jake, her usual bubbly energy completely drained, looking small and exhausted. He helped her sit back at the table, taking a seat beside Catharine.
"We need to talk about what happens next," Jake said, his tone turning grounded and practical. "I can’t leave here today knowing that you three are vulnerable to this whenever he decides to walk through that door."
The three women looked at him silently.
"I’m offering you two options," Jake continued, looking between Catharine and her mother. "Option one: I will arrange a high-security apartment for you and Melissa in Aurelia. You can pack your things, leave Darmin behind, and cut ties completely. Option two: We put your father into a private, high-end rehabilitation center in the province. Full medical detoxification, intense therapy, and total isolation until he gets his life back on track. Whichever path you choose, I will cover every single expense."
The kitchen fell dead silent.
Melissa was the first to speak up, her voice surprisingly sharp despite her tear-stained face. "I want to move to the capital," she blurted out. "I hate it here when he’s like this! I want to leave!" But then her shoulders slumped as reality hit her. "But... my final exams start in three weeks. I can’t just transfer schools now."
Catharine stared at the wooden table, her hands tightly laced together. Part of her—the part that had suffered through years of hiding behind gates and changing apartments—wanted to choose option one without hesitation. But as she closed her eyes, memories of her childhood crept back. She remembered a time before the debts and the bottle, when her father would carry her on his shoulders through the local market and buy her sweet pastries with his hard-earned wages.
"I don’t know..." Catharine admitted softly, looking up at Jake with conflicted eyes. "Deep down... I just want the father I used to have back. But I’m so tired of being hurt, Jake."
Catharine’s mother looked down at the scattered bills on the floor. Her eyes were heavy with a tired, enduring affection. "He wasn’t always a monster," she whispered, her fingers tracing the seam of her apron. "The layoff broke him. He lost his dignity, and he reached for the bottle to fill the hole. I... despite everything, I still love the man he used to be. If there is even a small chance he can be cured... I want to try."
Seeing the conflict in their eyes, Jake nodded understandingly. "You don’t have to decide right this second. Think it through together. Discuss it properly after I leave, and let me know what you want to do. Just know that whatever you decide, I’m behind you 100%. I won’t stand by and let Catharine—or any of you—go through this fear again."
Catharine’s mother looked at Jake, her eyes shining with fresh tears—not of shame this time, but of profound gratitude. Watching the steady, unyielding way he stood by her daughter, she realized just how deeply this man truly loved Catharine.
---
An hour later, the dark clouds hanging over the house had begun to thin. The bags were loaded into the back of the Brabus, and Elias had already brought the S-Class around, ready for the long five-hour drive back to Aurelia.
Standing on the sunlit veranda, Catharine’s mother gave Jake a tight, emotional hug. "Drive safely. And Jake, thank you... for everything."
"It was my pleasure, ma’am," Jake smiled warmly.
As Catharine was hugging her mother goodbye, Melissa walked up to Jake, tugging lightly on his jacket sleeve. She looked around conspicuously before leaning in, her eyes sparkling with a sudden return of her mischievous energy.
"Hey, Jake?" Melissa whispered loudly. "Is it cool if I brag to everyone at school on Monday that my big sister is dating Jake Rivers?"
Catharine instantly whirled around, her face turning bright red. "Melissa! Shut up!" she scolded, slapping her forehead. "Don’t be ridiculous!"
Jake let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head with an amused smile. "Go right ahead, Mel. You have full permission."
"Yes!" Melissa pumped her fist in victory.
Behind them, Catharine’s mother froze mid-embrace. She blinked, looking at Melissa, then at Jake, her brow furrowing. "Melissa... what did you just call him?"
"Jake Rivers, Mom!" Melissa said, looking at her mother as if she had just missed the most obvious clue in the world. "You know... the Jake Rivers?"
"Jake... Rivers?" her mother repeated slowly.
The name echoed in her head, triggering an instant cascade of recognition. She didn’t follow high-society gossip, but Veyra was flooded with news about the Rivers family after their drug scandal. He was the youngest self-made billionaire in the nation, the famous financial prodigy whose gold trading signals were practically treated like gospel by working-class families across the country trying to make a living.
Catharine’s mother stared at Jake, her mouth opening slightly in absolute shock. The quiet, polite young man who had spent the morning eating her homemade scones, sweeping her porch, and calmly handling a violent family crisis... was nation-wide economic royalty.
Suddenly stiffening, her posture changed completely. She smoothed her apron frantically, stepping back and bowing her head slightly, her voice turning overly formal and flustered. "Oh goodness... Mr. Rivers! I... I had no idea! Please forgive me, I’ve been calling you ’Jake’ this whole time and treating you like a regular guest! If I had known who you were—"
Jake chuckled softly, stepping forward and gently interrupting her frantic rambling before she could bow again. "Ma’am, please. Don’t do that." He smiled warmly, his tone completely humble. "In Aurelia, people might call me Mr. Rivers, but in this house, I’m just Catharine’s boyfriend. You treated me like family, and that means more to me than any title. Please keep calling me Jake."
Catharine’s mother looked up, seeing the genuine warmth in his dark eyes. The lingering anxiety in her chest completely melted away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief and respect. He wasn’t just wealthy; he was grounded, respectful, and genuinely humble.
She turned her gaze to her eldest daughter, looking at Catharine with wide, admiring eyes. "Cathy..." she murmured, a proud, playful smile breaking across her tired face. "How on earth did you manage to bag a man like this?"
Catharine’s cheeks flared a deep, burning crimson. She looked over at Jake, who was watching her with a confident, smirking glint in his eye, enjoying her embarrassment thoroughly.
"It... it wasn’t easy, Mom," Catharine muttered softly, looking away as she bit her bottom lip, though a soft, beautiful smile betrayed her composure.
---
The drive back to Aurelia was smooth and serene.
With the main provincial highway stretching out before them, the Brabus ate up the miles effortlessly. The setting sun painted the sky in brilliant hues of violet, gold, and deep orange, casting a warm glow through the dark-tinted windows.
In the passenger seat, Catharine had her shoes off, her legs curled up on the leather seat as she watched the passing landscape. The tension that had locked her shoulders in the kitchen had finally dissolved, replaced by a quiet, profound sense of peace.
She reached across the center console, resting her hand over Jake’s on the gear shift.
Jake glanced sideways at her, squeezing her fingers gently. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Catharine said softly, her thumb tracing the back of his hand. "Much better. Seeing him... it hurt. But having you there... it felt like the ghost that’s been chasing me for years finally ran out of power."
"He won’t hurt you again, Cath. I promise," Jake said, his voice quiet, steady, and absolute.
She looked at his sharp profile, illuminated by the golden dusk light, and felt an overwhelming wave of love tighten in her chest. She leaned over, pressing her lips softly against his cheek, letting them linger there for a long moment before settling back into her seat.
"I know," she whispered, looking out at the distant skyline of Aurelia appearing on the horizon. "I know you won’t let him."
As the massive city lights of the capital welcomed them back into the night, the weight of the past felt lighter than it ever had before, left far behind on the dusty roads of Darmin.
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