Chapter 3 THE DIVORCE

CHAPTER THREE

JASMINE'S POV

A few weeks later

I stood in front of the vanity mirror, staring at my reflection. My eyes, which were bloodshot and swollen, seemed twice their usual size. I examined them over and over, hoping somehow they would return to normal but they didn't.

They were haunted and hollow. Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. A cry ripped from my throat.

"Oh God, what have I done to myself" I sobbed, gripping the edge of the table for support. "I should have listened to Vincenzo when he told me to take Lorenzo and leave. Oh, Lorenzo... my baby, my world.

I failed you I failed you completely. I didn't protect you, didn't keep you safe. How will I ever face you when we meet again... never to part" I asked searching the room as if I could find answers in it.

Sobs wracked my body, loud and unrelenting. "S-sob... sob... sob..." I cried without shame.

"You can't keep crying like this, Jasmine," Mira said softly, her voice trembling with concern.

"Mira, I know you feel concerned for me. I appreciate all that you have done for me since the tragedy.

"It was you who single handedly searched for me and brought me home. You have made it a point of duty to accompany me in my sadness as if it was your fault or rather, a point of duty. Though Vincenzo had distanced himself from me, blaming me for the outcome of it all.

"You're not doing yourself any good, love. This grief... it's going to destroy you if you don't let someone in." she begged.

"You don't understand, Mira," I snapped, eyes wild and rimmed with fresh tears. "It's been weeks now, and Vincenzo hasn't even tried to reach out. Not once.

He knows how broken I am, how much I need him... his comfort, his strength. And yet, nothing. He abandoned me when I needed him the most. You think I've cried enough" I questioned with more tears streaming down my eyes.

Mira hesitated before answering. "Okay... he hasn't reached out, but have you tried reaching out to him, Jasmine, he's grieving too. He lost his son. And Rafael... Rafael is still missing. You're not the only one in pain." she responded.

"I've tried," I whispered, voice cracking. "So many times. But it's like he's built a wall and locked me out. He won't let me in, Mira." I confirmed

"Wait! Rafael is missing" I asked, the weight of her words hitting me. "I thought he only got shot in the leg... that's all I saw before everything went black. Oh God... did they kill him after they took us away" I asked uncertain.

My breath caught in my throat as fragments of memory began to surface. "Now I remember..." I whispered.

"What is it. What do you remember." Mira leaned in.

"They took us both," I said, eyes wide with dawning horror. "But after a while, they realized I was unconscious... or maybe they thought I was dead. They shoved me out of the moving vehicle. That's where you found me, you remember?" I stated.

Mira nodded, lips pressed in a tight line.

"So Rafael was never found, after all this time" I muttered, sinking into the edge of the bed. "And Vincenzo... with all his power, all his influence... he still can't find him" I asked with confusion.

What hurt the most wasn't just Vincenzo's silence, it was the way he moved around me in the house, like I was a ghost. We lived under the same roof, breathing the same air, but it was as though I didn't exist. He hadn't looked me in the eye since the day I returned.

Mira's eyes flashed with disbelief as she stepped closer, gripping my hands tightly. "No, Jasmine. He doesn't get to do that, does he"

I looked up at her, my lips trembling. "Do what" I questioned.

"He doesn't get to walk around this house, blaming you for something that shattered both of you," she said firmly. "You didn't kill your son. You didn't choose any of this. You were trying to save him any mother would have done the same." she explained

"I wish Vincenzo had the same understanding, but he won't even look at me," I whispered, tears welling in my eyes again. "He walks past me like I'm the reason his world ended." I mumbled

"He's grieving, yes. But so are you," Mira said, her voice gentler now. "And the man who once swore to love and protect you should not be the one tearing you apart.

If he wants to fall apart, fine but he doesn't get to do it by making you carry all the blame." she stated, looking directly in my eyes.

******

VINCENZO STRATOS HOLDINGS

VINCENZO'S POV

I stood in the hallway, staring down at the small brown envelope in my hands. There was no return address, only my name scrawled in block letters.

I tore it open with a mixture of curiosity and dread. As I unfolded the contents, my breath caught. A DNA test result bearing Lorenzo's name and mine. The words glared up at me like a slap to the face, NEGATIVE.

Beneath it was a small note, typed and unsigned: "Now you know why she begged you to run. She was hiding more than fear, she was hiding the truth. Check her phone if you doubt this."

"What the hell is this" I muttered, my fingers trembling as I reread the paper. "This can't be right." I stormed toward the elevator as I prepared to rush down to the estate immediately, the letter crumpling in my fist.

"Jasmine!" I called out, as soon as I got of the car and stormed into the living room with my voice sounding like thunder. "Did you really think you could keep this from me, that I would never find out. Whose child was he" I asked.

Jasmine rushed into the room, startled by the sharpness in my voice. She found me standing rigid, with my jaw clenched and my eyes blazing with fury. In my hand, the crumpled letter shook as if even the paper shared my rage.

"What are you talking about" she asked, breathless.

I tossed the envelope at her feet. "Don't play innocent! A DNA test, Jasmine. A damn DNA test!" I roared. "Lorenzo wasn't mine, was he, I questioned. All this time, you let me believe he was my son, my blood. Was that your little secret, Is that what you were crying over your lover's son"

The words struck her like physical blows. Jasmine stumbled back, her lips parting, but no words came. Her face went pale, her heart pounding as she stared at the paper she hadn't seen before. "W-what! No... Vincenzo, that's not true.

I swear to you, I never...there was no one else. Lorenzo was your son. I would never lie to you about something like that." Her voice cracked, her hands shaking as she picked up the test result, her eyes darting across the page in horror. "This... this has to be fake."she replied.

But I stepped back, my eyes filled with something more painful than rage, disbelief. "Don't lie to me, Jasmine," I said, my voice lower now, almost broken.

"Don't look me in the eyes and swear on a child who might never have been mine. I loved that boy like my own, because I thought he was. And now... I don't even know what's real anymore."

After a while, I dashed into the study and came out with heavy steps, my face carved from stone. A folder dangled from my hand.

"Vincenzo, what's that" Jasmine asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I stopped a few feet from her and threw the folder at her feet. It landed with a sharp thud. "There. Your freedom," I said coldly. "Signed and sealed, the divorce papers."

My breath caught. "What!"

"I want you gone, Jasmine," I continued, my voice like steel. "Out of this house before I return. Don't make me repeat myself."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she bent to pick up the folder, her hands shaking. "Vincenzo, please," she choked out. "Don't do this. I didn't cheat on you, I swear it. I don't know where that DNA test came from, but it's not real. Someone's trying to break us. Please... don't let them win." she pleaded.

I shook my head slowly, backing away from her touch. "Don't touch me, Jasmine." I barked

"Please," she cried. "You know me. You know I would never do something like this. Don't throw everything away. Don't throw us away."

I turned to leave, my voice sharp and final. "I don't believe you." I snapped

And with that, he walked out, leaving her clutching the folder and her shattered heart.