Chapter 2 Jasmine

Jasmine

Without uttering a word, I turn and walk out the door. My vision blurs as tears well up in my eyes, and my chest tightens with a pain so deep it feels unbearable.

Each step I take away from that house feels both liberating and crushing as if I am simultaneously shedding the weight of my past and losing a part of myself.

I bite my lip, willing myself not to break down. They could come outside at any moment, laughing, mocking me, reveling in my pain as they had done inside.

I refuse to give them that satisfaction. But the moment I step outside, the dam bursts.

A sob rips through me, raw and unrestrained, pouring from my body like an unstoppable downpour.

My hands shake, my knees threaten to give out, and my breath comes in sharp, gasping stutters. My body trembles with motions I have tried so hard to suppress.

"Why am I even crying?" I scold myself harshly, wiping my face with trembling fingers. "It's over. I divorced him. I should be relieved."

But the pain doesn't listen to logic. It claws at me relentlessly.

I am not just mourning the end of a marriage-I am grieving the years I wasted, the nights I stayed awake hoping he'd change, and the love I gave so freely to a man who never truly valued it.

The signs were always there, long before we exchanged vows, but I had been too blinded by love, too hopeful, too foolish to think he would change.

But no woman can change a cheating scum like Maxwell.

I clutch my handbag like a lifeline and storm toward the elevator, jabbing the button with more force than necessary.

The doors slide open, and I step inside, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The moment the doors close, I press my back against the cold metal wall, trying to ground myself.

My heart feels like it's being wrung out, squeezed so tightly against my chest that I wonder if I might collapse.

The truth is glaring, undeniable-Maxwell has been unfaithful long before I caught him.

He used my kindness against me, manipulated my love to his advantage, and twisted my devotion into something weak and disposable.

"You should quit your job," he had said once, his voice smooth, soothing, the kind of voice that had always made me go weak just listening to him. "You're trying to conceive, and stress isn't good for you."

And I, so desperate to build a family with him, had listened. I had walked away from a career I loved, convinced I was doing the right thing for our future.

But there was no future.

Only his desires, his convenience, his selfishness. I was nothing more than a pawn on his chessboard, easily sacrificed, easily replaced.

The elevator dings, breaking through my storm of thoughts. I step out into the chilly night air, as I wrap my arms around myself.

A shiver racks through me. I should have brought a jacket. But I guess I was too focused on the scene I had walked in on to think about anything else.

My hands shake as I fumble for my phone, my fingers numb from the cold. I scroll through my contacts, my vision blurred with fresh tears, before pressing the one name I know I can rely on.

Ava.

She answers on the first ring. "Jasmine?"

I try to speak, but my throat closes up. A strangled sob escapes instead.

"Jasmine, talk to me! What's wrong?"

I gulp in a breath, forcing the words out. "It's over. I just-" My voice breaks, my chest heaving. "I just walked in on him. With another woman. In our bed."

Silence. A heavy, tense silence. Then a sharp intake of breath. "That bastard."

I hiccup, and wipe my face, though the tears won't stop.

"Listen to me," she says, her voice firm, urgent. "Take a deep breath. Get a cab. Come to Rockford. Now."

I nod, even though she can't see me. "Okay," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

I flag down a cab and slide into the back seat, my body drained, my spirit hollow.

I give the driver her address, and we pull away from the curb. The hour-and-a-half drive feels endless, every mile stretching time as my mind spins, replaying every red flag I had ignored.

How many times had I convinced myself I was overreacting? How many times had I let him gaslight me into silence?

"You're imagining things, Jasmine."

"Don't be so insecure."

"You're being paranoid, baby."

The driver's voice pulls me from my downward spiral. "Miss, we're here."

I blink, disoriented. "Oh. Thank you."

I pay him and step out, my legs weak beneath me. The moment I turn, a figure rushes toward me.

Ava.

"Oh, my Jasmine," she murmurs, pulling me into a fierce embrace.

And just like that, I break again. I sob against her shoulder, my entire body trembling.

But she doesn't let go. She holds me, rubs my back, and whispers reassurances as she guides me into her apartment.

-

Starting over in Rockford isn't easy, but Ava makes it bearable. She asks no unnecessary questions and never makes me feel like a burden.

Instead, she becomes my anchor, my reminder that I am not alone.

Maxwell hasn't called. Not even once. And that, more than anything, confirms what I have known deep down-he never truly loved me. Not the way I deserved.

But I refuse to let my life stop because of him.

I land a job at an upscale restaurant, a place buzzing with Chicago's elite. The pay is decent, the tips generous.

For the first time in a long while, I feel like I am rebuilding something of my own. Taking control of my life, one step at a time.

Tonight, Ava and I decided to celebrate. It has been too long since I have let loose, and I want to remind myself of what it feels like to simply be.

We get ready together, picking out outfits with the kind of giddy excitement I haven't felt in years.

When we arrive, the club is packed, but thanks to Ava's connections, we get in without a hitch.

She orders the strongest beer, and I follow suit. One drink turns into two. Then three. The music pulses around me, drowning out the remnants of my heartbreak.

Somewhere along the way, I lose Ava in the crowd. As I scan the room, my gaze locks on a man across the busy floor.

Tall. Confidence. An air of mystery clinging to him like a second skin.

My heart stutters.

For a moment, it's as if the world slows. A strange, electrifying pull coil in my chest.

Our eyes meet. Just for a second.

But it is enough to send a shiver down my spine.

Then the crowd shifts, and he is gone.

I exhale shakily, trying to shake off the feeling.

But something tells me...

He's still watching.