Chapter 5 She Had Disappeared

The reef wasn't very high-about three or four meters. Jasmine had tossed rocks into the water earlier and confirmed that it was deep and free of reefs. Even if he didn't save her, she could swim elsewhere.

But just like she expected, Bruce wasn't the kind of man who'd let a woman die because of him. And he definitely wouldn't let that woman's death ruin his relationship with Darlene.

Without hesitation, Bruce dove in right after her. He dragged her back to shore and immediately started CPR.

Just as he was about to give her mouth-to-mouth, Jasmine screamed like she'd suffered a severe breakdown. She slapped him hard across the face, shoved him away, and stumbled back, clutching the front of her shirt in panic. Her eyes were filled with tears, wide and unsettled like a frightened deer's, staring at him as if life had lost all meaning.

Bruce froze at the slap. Then he looked at her with a flicker of anger. That slap had hit right on the edge of his pride. His towering self-respect couldn't handle being looked at with such disgust, and he refused to be seen as a disgrace in anyone's eyes-especially not hers.

"Stay away from me! You monster! You bastard! Don't come near me, don't touch me!"

Jasmine was a mess, struggling in the sand, kicking her legs and crawling backward. Wet sand clung to her all over, her long hair plastered against her pale, trembling face.

Bruce stared at her for a long time, fuming. As much as he didn't want to admit it, something had happened that night-something deeply humiliating.

He stood there in silence, as if trying to calm himself.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice. "...I'm sorry. I was drunk that night. Please don't be afraid."

He started walking toward her, his tone cautious, his eyes solemn. "If there's anything you want after this, I'll do everything I can to make it up to you."

Jasmine had been staring at him in terror, backing away again and again. But then, as if she sensed something, she slowly turned her head to the right-her body trembling. That's when she saw Darlene and Nicola standing there at some unknown point, both staring at the scene in front of them, their faces pale.

To Jasmine, the way she and Bruce looked right then was far too intimate. To someone seeing it for the first time, it would seem like Bruce had been trying to do something to her again.

The moment Jasmine saw Darlene, it was like she'd seen a lifeline. She cried out, crawling toward her on hands and knees, scrambling to hide behind her. Her instinctive reaction-covered in sand and trembling-only made the scene look worse, painting Bruce as the aggressor.

Bruce frowned. "Darlene-"

Before he could finish, Darlene stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned and walked away without a word.

Bruce's jaw clenched tightly, his pride visibly stung. Fury burned behind his eyes. He stormed forward, grabbed Darlene by the arm, and without giving her any chance to resist, threw her into his car. Then he got in and drove off, disappearing down the road.

Nicola kept comforting Jasmine the whole way back to university, shielding her like a protective sister.

After that day, Jasmine didn't see Darlene for a whole month.

Darlene had disappeared.

Jasmine found out a month later, one evening as she sat cross-legged on her dorm bed wrapped in a blanket, scrolling through her phone.

The AC in the room was set to a chilly temperature.

Nicola, worried that she might do something drastic, had been keeping close watch. Even Bruce had been concerned. His assistant had been visiting her every few days to check in and try to talk her through things. He'd even installed a security camera in her dorm so the assistant could monitor her 24/7.

"‌Jasmine, where do you think Darlene could've gone?" Nicola asked softly while eating ice cream, worry heavy in her voice. "Bruce just came back and settled down here for Darlene, and then something like this happens... Sigh. That day, I think Darlene said some really hurtful things to him. She told him she didn't love him, said her heart belonged to someone else. She claimed their relationship was all just an act, said everything he did made her feel disgusted and that he should give up already. But come on, they used to love each other so much-why torment each other like this? I called her so many times afterward, and when she finally picked up, she sounded calm. She told me it was over between her and Bruce, asked me to take care of you, and said she was sorry... to you."

Jasmine stared silently at her phone screen.

When she didn't respond for a long while, Nicola peeked up from the desk under the bunk bed and looked at her. "Darlene really seems done this time. That day in the car, she and Bruce had a huge argument, and after that, she just vanished. He's been searching everywhere-like crazy."

Still, Jasmine didn't react. She sat frozen, phone in hand, her expression blank.

Nicola studied her closely. "‌Jasmine, you haven't been eating or drinking or talking lately. If this keeps up, your body's going to give out. Things have already gotten this far-what more can you do? I really believe Bruce didn't mean to hurt you. He was drunk and not in his right mind..."

She hesitated, then added, "Bruce's assistant has been calling me constantly these past few days, asking how you're doing, terrified you'll do something stupid. He begged me not to leave your side. I don't even know how to comfort you anymore. I mean, someone like Bruce... there's no way he'll take responsibility, let alone marry you. That kind of thing just isn't how people like him operate-not these days. In the end, you've got to pull yourself out of this. Think about your mom back home. If you were gone, what would she do? Right?"

Jasmine still didn't say a word.

Nicola asked, "‌Jasmine, does your boyfriend know about all this?"

Jasmine paused for a second-boyfriend?

What boyfriend?

She didn't have one.

After a brief moment of confusion, it hit her. Felix had come to pick her up from university a few times, and people must have mistaken him for her boyfriend. That explained why Darlene and Nicola had kept asking about him. She never confirmed it, but they must've assumed anyway.

Thinking it through, Jasmine replied, "I don't have a boyfriend. He's just my childhood friend."

Nicola looked a bit surprised.

Meanwhile, Jasmine's mind was racing with her next move. She needed to time it just right-pretend to be pregnant with Bruce's child at the one-month mark. It would be a long game, but if she could use the baby as leverage to squeeze money out of him, it might work.

Bruce wasn't going to give up a large sum of money easily. She'd have to keep pressuring him, take whatever she could, and drag it out.

Just as she was deep in thought, a message from Felix popped up on her phone.

Felix: [Done.]