infinite Rebate System: 10x Rewards for Conquering And Taming Heroines

By the time the chili was done, the kitchen smelled rich and smoky. Jason ladled the thick, meaty stew into a large thermos while Emma wiped down the counters. She moved with the easy familiarity of someone who had spent half her childhood in this house.

"Ready?" she asked, twisting the lid shut.

Jason nodded, slinging the thermos into a small insulated bag. "Let’s go."

They stepped out into the cool night. The motorcycle waited under the streetlight. Jason swung a leg over and steadied it as Emma climbed on behind him. Her arms settled lightly around his waist~not clinging, just secure enough to keep her balanced. The contact was simple. Ordinary. And somehow it still sent a quiet current through him.

He started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

The ride to the hospital was quiet, but not empty. There was something peaceful about the night~city lights stretching along the road like scattered stars, the cool wind brushing against Jason’s face and tugging at the ends of Emma’s hair. Her body stayed close behind him, the warmth of her chest against his back steady through the thin fabric of his shirt.

Jason tried not to think about it.

His thirty-eight-year-old soul made that nearly impossible.

In his previous life he had been around plenty of women. Casual, intense, complicated. None of those moments had felt quite like this. Maybe because Emma had always been part of the background of his life. Maybe because he knew how much she and Victoria had quietly done for his mother after everything fell apart. Or maybe because, after being reborn, he finally understood who had actually cared when it counted.

He let out a quiet breath.

Emma tilted her head closer to his shoulder. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

Jason huffed a short laugh. "Since when did you become a mind reader?"

"I’ve known you since you were this tall." She lifted one hand from his waist just long enough to hold it around knee height. "You always sigh when you’re thinking too hard."

He didn’t have a good answer for that. She was right.

A few minutes later the hospital came into view. Jason parked, killed the engine, and they walked inside together. The hallway smelled faintly of antiseptic and coffee. When they pushed open the door to Sarah’s room, she was already sitting up in bed. The pale, drawn look that had worried him earlier had eased. Color had returned to her cheeks.

The moment she saw her son carrying food, her face lit up.

"You’re back."

"Of course." Jason lifted the thermos. "I made dinner."

Sarah’s eyebrows rose. "You?"

Emma burst out laughing. "I had the exact same reaction."

"Mom." Jason looked genuinely offended. "Can your son not cook?"

"No," Sarah answered without missing a beat.

The whole room cracked up. Even Victoria, who had been scrolling on her phone in the corner chair, nearly choked on her drink. Jason rubbed his forehead.

"Why does nobody in this family trust me?"

They opened the thermos. The rich, savory aroma of homemade chili filled the small ward. Victoria blinked in mild surprise.

"It actually smells good."

"See?" Jason looked smug. "I told you."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Half the credit belongs to me."

"Forty percent."

"Fifty."

"Forty-five."

"Fifty."

"Fine." Jason surrendered with a dramatic sigh.

Emma smiled like a kid who had just won a major victory.

Sarah watched the two of them bicker and couldn’t stop smiling. For a little while the hospital room felt less like a hospital. The illness, the debt, the quiet fear that usually sat in the corners of her mind~all of it faded. She just looked at the people she loved arguing over something as small as who deserved more credit for chili, and it felt normal. Warm. Like a family.

Emma filled a bowl and sat on the edge of the bed. "Careful. It’s hot."

Sarah accepted the bowl with a helpless little smile. "You don’t have to treat me like a child."

"You say that every time." Emma gently blew on a spoonful before holding it out. "So complain less and eat."

Victoria laughed from her chair. "Look at her. She’s ordering Sarah around now."

Emma’s cheeks flushed. "I’m worried about Aunt Sarah."

Sarah’s expression softened. She reached out and gave Emma’s hand a gentle squeeze. "I know."

Jason sat a little apart, quietly peeling an apple with a small knife. He watched the scene without speaking. In his previous life this room had never existed. This laughter had never happened. His mother had died. Everything had collapsed. The warmth in front of him was something he had lost completely~yet here it was again, close enough to touch.

For a brief moment his eyes stung.

He thought no one noticed.

Victoria did. She always did.

"Jason."

"Hm?"

"What are you staring at?"

He quickly looked down at the apple in his hands. "Nothing."

Victoria narrowed her eyes. "Liar."

Jason almost laughed. Why did every woman in this family have the exact same habit?

The meal continued, easy and unhurried. Bowls were passed.

The atmosphere in the room grew steadily more relaxed. Even Sarah seemed stronger. After finishing half a bowl of the chili, she leaned back against the pillows with a satisfied little sigh, color finally returning to her face.

Victoria looked openly relieved. "Good. You’re actually eating."

Sarah gave a small smile. "I suppose almost dying puts things into perspective."

The room went quiet at once.

Victoria’s smile vanished. Emma froze with her spoon halfway to her mouth. Jason’s grip tightened around the apple he had been peeling, the knife going still in his hand.

Sarah instantly regretted the words. "I’m sorry."

Victoria let out a long breath. "No. We’re not doing this again."

Sarah lowered her eyes.

Victoria’s voice softened, but it carried a weight that filled the small ward. "Do you know how scared we were today? We’ve known each other for over twenty years, Sarah. You think I’d just sit here and watch you disappear?"

Sarah’s eyes grew moist. "Victoria..."

"And what about Jason?" Victoria pointed at him. "Look at him. He’s been terrified all day."

Sarah slowly turned toward her son.

Jason forced a smile, but it didn’t quite land. Sarah saw straight through it. Something in her chest twisted.

"I’m sorry," she said again, quieter this time. And this time she meant it.

Jason stood up. The chair scraped softly against the floor.

"Mom."

She looked at him.

He took a slow breath, steadying himself. "I don’t care how expensive the treatment is. I don’t care how hard things get. We’ll figure it out. So don’t ever think about leaving me again."

His voice wasn’t loud, but every word landed clearly in the quiet room.

Sarah stared at her son~the boy she had raised alone, the child she had protected for nineteen years. Somewhere along the way he had become a man. Tears gathered in her eyes.

"I won’t," she said. Her voice was thick. "I promise."

Jason’s shoulders finally eased.

Emma looked away, blinking hard. For some reason, watching him like this made her chest feel tight. The Jason she remembered had always been quiet, a little shy, the type to step back from conflict. Tonight he felt different~more solid, more sure of himself. The thought startled her. She quickly dropped her gaze to her hands.

*That’s just Jason,* she told herself. *My little brother.*

Time slipped by easily after that. The four of them talked while they finished the rest of the chili. Most of it was ordinary conversation~neighborhood gossip, Emma’s university workload, Victoria complaining about how expensive groceries had gotten, Sarah laughing over old family stories. Nothing dramatic. Nothing special.

Jason treasured every second of it.

These were the exact moments he had lost in his previous life.

By the time the bowls were empty and the thermos packed away, the hospital corridor outside had grown quiet. Sarah glanced toward the dark window.

"You should all head home."

Victoria frowned. "We can stay longer."

"No." Sarah shook her head gently. "You’ve done enough today."

Emma looked reluctant. "Aunt Sarah..."

Sarah smiled. "I’m really okay. Especially now."

Jason understood what she meant. As long as she knew he still needed her~as long as she remembered she wasn’t alone~she wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Victoria finally nodded. "Fine. But I’ll be back tomorrow. With breakfast."

Sarah laughed under her breath. "You sound like you’re threatening me."

"I am," Victoria said. "If you skip breakfast, I’ll force-feed you."

Everyone laughed again.

As they gathered their things to leave, Sarah suddenly called out.

"Emma."

Emma turned. "Hm?"

Sarah’s smile turned sly. "You’re such a good girl."

Emma blinked. "Thank you?"

"And very beautiful, too."

Emma immediately looked suspicious. "Where is this going?"

Sarah glanced at Jason, then back at Emma, and her smile widened.

Jason felt the danger coming a second too late.

"Mom. No. Don’t~"

It was already too late.

Sarah sighed theatrically. "I wonder who’ll be lucky enough to marry Emma someday."

Emma froze. Jason froze.

Victoria burst out laughing.

The ward dissolved into chaos.

"Mom!" Emma’s face went bright red.

Sarah looked completely innocent. "What? I didn’t say anything wrong."

Jason snatched up the empty thermos. "We’re leaving. Right now."

"Yes," Emma agreed quickly, already moving toward the door. "Let’s go."

Watching the two of them practically flee the room only made Sarah and Victoria laugh harder. For the first time in a very long while, the hospital room was filled with real, unguarded happiness.

As Jason walked out into the quiet hallway beside Emma, the sound of that laughter still following them, one clear thought settled in his mind.

This was exactly why he had been given a second chance.

To protect these people.

And this time, he would not lose them again.

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