Love Rents A Room
Chapter 97: A Chance

Chapter 97: A Chance

Philip’s jaw tensed. He was momentarily lost for words.

Jeffrey’s declaration had shaken something in him—something old, something fragile. He wanted to scrutinize every word, to challenge it. This was the same reckless, irresponsible grandson he had raised, the one he knew inside out. And hadn’t he said the same thing about another woman just four years ago?

How could he believe him now?

And yet... a part of him wanted to.

Jeffrey leaned in, his voice quieter, more urgent. "Grandpa... I’ve met her before, haven’t I? When I was fifteen, we came to Rockchapel. We stayed at her house, didn’t we?" His gaze searched Philip’s face. "And that man... he was there too. She saved my life, didn’t she?"

Philip’s breath caught.

His eyes widened as memory rushed back like a flood.

Jeffrey had been different as a boy—sharp, intuitive, and filled with an innate kindness no one had to teach him. Philip had taken him everywhere, proud of his curiosity, his adaptability, his soft rebellion that never crossed into disrespect. And unlike the rest of the Winchester family, Jeffrey never saw class. He only saw people.

But everything changed after that terrible day.

Philip still remembered the panicked cries, the desperate splashes of water, the sight of a little girl—Joanne—kneeling beside Jeffrey’s limp body, soaked to the bone, bruised and shivering.

She had saved him.

She had been the one who fought to pull him from the water. The one who had given him her breath, pressing her small hands against his chest, sobbing for help.

And when he finally stirred, coughing up water, looking around in a daze—he hadn’t recognized her.

He had forgotten her.

Philip still remembered the heartbreak on that young girl’s face when he told her. She had swallowed it down with the kind of quiet resilience that had always been beyond her years.

"He’s fine... and that’s good."

She hadn’t cried, at least not in front of them. Instead, she had tried—tried to talk to him, tried to bring back something that had been lost. But no matter what she said, Jeffrey had only blinked at her, confused.

After that, Jeffrey had changed.

The bright, thoughtful boy Philip had cherished became someone else—reckless, flamboyant, running from responsibility as if the water had taken a part of him that day and never given it back.

And now, looking at him, Philip couldn’t help but wonder—had that missing piece of him been left with her?

Had Joanne been carrying it all this time?

Philip had always believed she had the Midas touch when it came to people. Even in his own darkest moments, Joanne’s presence had pulled him back, simply by being there, by caring. That was why he had grown to love her, why he had been so certain that the marriage would heal them both.

If anyone could make Jeffrey whole again, it was her.

And now...

Had she?

Philip searched his grandson’s face—the determination, the quiet intensity that had never been there before.

"She did save your life," Philip said carefully. "But..." He hesitated, watching Jeffrey closely.

Philip’s gaze remained firm, his voice steady. "Do you truly love her? And more importantly... does she love you, Jeffrey?"

Because for all his newfound conviction, that was the question that mattered most.

Jeffrey’s lips parted, but before he could speak, Philip pressed on. "If this is just about the past... then you owe her nothing now. You saved her life in return."

Jeffrey shook his head. "No, Grandpa... It’s not about owing her one way or another." He exhaled sharply, rubbing his chest as if the ache inside him could be soothed. "It’s—" He struggled to find the right words.

Philip’s expression remained unreadable. "After what happened four years ago, will she ever fall in love with Jeffrey Winchester?"

The question hit like a sharp blade.

Jeffrey stilled.

Philip remembered that day all too well—how, when he told Joanne that Jeffrey had disappeared, the first thing she asked about was his well-being. Not herself. Not the pain he had caused her. Him.

And the look on her face...

She had been devastated. But she never once demanded anything, never lashed out. She simply endured, as she always did. It was then Philip knew—this girl was special. She was worth protecting at all costs.

Even if it meant protecting her from his own grandson.

Jeffrey’s breath grew shallow as he retraced every moment with Joanne in his mind.

Then it hit him.

The way she cried.

The weight she carried in her silence.

The pain in her eyes whenever she spoke of the past.

That other man...

It was always him.

The tears, the heartache she had locked away for years—it had all been because of him.

A sharp, crushing ache squeezed his chest.

"Grandpa..." Jeffrey reached out, gripping Philip’s hands tightly, his voice barely above a whisper. "She can’t know. She can’t know that I’m Jeffrey Winchester."

Philip’s brows furrowed. "Jeffrey—"

"I’m begging you." His grip tightened, desperation leaking into his voice. "Not yet. She’ll find out one way or another, I know that. But not now. Not before she—" He swallowed thickly. "Not before she falls for me."

Philip’s face hardened. "And then what? You tell her after she’s already given her heart to you? You think that will make it easier?"

Jeffrey nodded, his conviction unwavering. "Yes. Because by then, I’ll have proven that I’m not the same man who hurt her. I’ll beg for her forgiveness. I’ll ask her to stay with me, not for the past, but for the man I’ve become."

Philip let out a slow, heavy sigh.

He wanted to refuse. He wanted to say that Joanne deserved better than this deception, that she had already endured too much.

But before he could say another word, the doctor approached.

"She’s awake," the doctor informed them. "She’s asking for you, Mr. Daniels."

Jeffrey bolted up.

Without hesitation, he rushed to her room, leaving Philip behind with a sigh.

"Why is he complicating everything, Sebastian?" Philip turned to his trusted assistant.

Sebastian pressed his lips. He didn’t think this was a good idea either. Making someone falling in love with deception would never end well. "She broke up with Jonathan Meyer and it’s causing a scandal," Sebastian had to inform Philip.

Philip looked at Sebastian and he explained everything in detail.

"Fate," he murmured. "Fate has been rather cruel to that girl."

Sebastian stood beside him, silent but steady, waiting for Philip’s thoughts to unfold.

"She has endured more than her fair share," Philip continued, his voice quieter now. "And yet, she still finds a way to be kind, to be strong. I fear she gives too much of herself—to people who do not deserve it."

Sebastian hesitated before speaking. "Sir, if you don’t mind me saying... Jeffrey has changed, as you can see." He glanced toward the closed hospital room door. "Perhaps this time, he deserves the chance."

Philip’s eyes remained distant, thoughtful.