Chapter 4 Goodbye, Past

Jasmine wore a pure white dress that day, paired with black sneakers. Her long, golden hair was tied into a neat ponytail and threaded through the loop at the back of her hat. The look was refreshingly clean.

She hadn't liked wearing white in the past, but Rose from the club had once told her she looked especially good in it.

Rose used to say: Men are all pigs. They want their woman to be a slut in bed and a lady outside of it. In bed, they want to conquer her like some kind of savior-especially if she's wild.

But then she'd say, Poppy, you're different. You've got a face that looks untouched by the filth of the world. You don't just awaken a man's desire to possess-you make them want to defile you.

What did she mean by that?

She explained it like this: It doesn't matter how many times he sleeps with you-it'll never be enough. As long as you have that face, you'll always look like a pure, virtuous maiden. It drives them crazy. They want to ruin you inside and out. Do you get that kind of sick mindset?

Jasmine didn't really understand it. But she knew how to use it.

From that point on, she started wearing white. The dirtier she felt on the inside, the more she wrapped herself in that blinding, pristine color. Just like the calm, blank look she always wore.

"Poppy" was her stage name at the nightclub, and every customer she entertained under layers of heavy makeup knew her by that name.

She made her way to the beach in the suburbs outside the capital. Once there, she called Darlene to apologize and say goodbye. On the other end, Darlene cried in fear and panic. Hearing that, Jasmine began to cry too.

After hanging up, her face went cold and blank again. She walked slowly toward the jagged rocks. She could swim, and the tide was low here anyway. She pulled off her hat and tossed it casually into the water, letting her long hair fall loose around her shoulders.

A white dress. Black sneakers. Long golden hair. A face that looked untouched by the world.

Like a fallen angel.

Men-well, they could never resist that kind of look, could they?

She took out her phone, snapped a selfie, and posted it on Twitter.

Caption: Goodbye, past.

Twitter, which had been quiet for days, suddenly exploded.

The woman who had been rumored to be involved with Bruce just a few days ago had actually posted something-and her comment section was instantly overrun. In fact, her account shot straight to the top of the trending list.

Jasmine smiled faintly.

Perfect. Now there's no way Bruce can miss it.

If he even thought about looking into it, he would definitely be able to find her location-and he would look into it. He wouldn't let anything stain his relationship with Darlene. If she ended her life because of all this, Darlene would never forgive him for the rest of her life.

So Bruce was bound to come looking for her.

That photo she posted made it obvious she was standing in water. And in all of the capital, there was only one beach. Easy to find. Very easy.

Jasmine strolled calmly along the rocky shore, waiting for Bruce to arrive.

Whether Darlene showed up first or he did, it didn't matter. She would be the final winner either way-she would place herself right at the center of this whole situation and get exactly what she wanted.

There weren't many people at the beach at that hour. The sun had just started rising, and golden light spilled across the sea like a blinding curtain.

She sat on a high rock, waiting patiently.

What's taking them so long? she thought. If I were really serious about drowning myself, by the time they got here, I'd already be a bloated corpse floating in the water.

She looked down at her feet, swinging them slightly over the jagged waterline. The waves crashed against the rocks below-it looked like it was a good three or four meters down. She picked up a few large stones and tossed them into the sea, testing for hidden reefs. The rocks sank smoothly. Looked like the water was deep and clean down there.

No reefs. Perfect.

A few early morning joggers passed behind her from time to time.

Suddenly, she remembered her first year in the capital-before she ever worked at the Rainbow Nightclub. Money had been tight back then. She was living off part-time jobs, working hard and saving every penny to send home to her mom.

One time, after getting paid from a hotel gig, she bit the bullet and bought her mom a down jacket that cost over a thousand dollars. That whole month, she survived mostly on bread.

It was Darlene who helped her through those days-slipping her money here and there, and often dragging her along to fancy banquets just so she could eat a real meal.

Jasmine had been stubborn and prideful. At first, she refused to accept Darlene's generosity. But Darlene would always say, "It's awkward going to these elite dinners alone. Come with me, ‌Jasmine-just think of it as doing me a favor."

Over time, they grew closer. Eventually, they were practically inseparable.

Jasmine even became the peacekeeper between Darlene and Bruce. Whenever those two lovebirds got into a fight-jealousy, miscommunication, you name it-Jasmine was the one relaying messages, checking in on how the other was doing.

Darlene came from a well-off family and had a naturally seductive beauty. She was like a radiant sunflower-glowing, full of life, fiercely loving, fiercely hating. She could warm you up, or she could burn you to ashes. Maybe it was because she'd been raised in a 'greenhouse'-protected from storms-that she had a bit of a princess complex. But her heart was kind. She was joyful, generous, and loyal.

To Jasmine, Darlene was the embodiment of fire-bright, burning fire.

Later on, once Felix moved to the capital for work, he started helping Jasmine out from time to time. Thanks to him, her life gradually improved. She and Darlene finally became equals-real friends, not someone constantly in need of help.

Jasmine lifted her wrist to check the time.

It took just over an hour to get from the city to the beach-two hours max if there was traffic.

They should be here soon.

The golden sunlight blazed down on the earth, searing her skin with a burning sting. Feeling irritated, she raised her hand to shield her face, blocking the scorching glare.

A harsh screech of brakes echoed from the highway above.

Jasmine tilted her head slightly and, from the corner of her eye, glanced across the beach to her left-just in time to see a figure striding down from the road.

Bruce had arrived.

She patted the dust off her skirt and slowly stood up from the rock. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back, standing at the edge of the cliff-like reef and staring out at the endless sea, looking as if she might fall at any moment.

From a distance, she could hear his assistant shouting, "Boss, the board meeting in Germany is about to start. It really can't be postponed any longer!"

Bruce didn't respond. He pulled off his suit jacket and stormed across the beach, stepping onto the reef where she stood. His voice thundered, "Get down from there!"

Jasmine acted as if she hadn't heard him. Tears fell one by one as she stared blankly at the boundless ocean, like she had completely given up on life.

Suddenly, Bruce strode toward her.

Startled, Jasmine took a step back, clearly agitated and emotionally unstable. She let out a sharp scream, "Don't come any closer!"

His brows furrowed deeply. Alarmed, he said firmly, "Don't move!"

He fixed his cold gaze on her and extended his hand. "Jasmine, if you really wanted to die, you wouldn't have waited for me to show up. Well, I'm here-just like you wanted. Now come down."

Jasmine glared at him, furious. And just to prove she wasn't as pathetic as he made her out to be, she suddenly turned around and jumped.

A shrill scream from the assistant sliced through the air.