Chapter 13
Zachary forced himself to hold back his inner pain, tidied himself up, and took out his phone to send a message to his assistant. He needed to know what was going on.
It was as if his mind suddenly returned to clarity. If Jasmine truly cared only for wealth, why did she spend four years in prison after their separation, ending up in such a state?
What exactly happened on the eve of graduation four years ago? Why did Jasmine go to prison? When did her family pass away? When did the cancer occur? How did the car accident happen?
Zachary had too many questions. Previously, he had been too cowardly to investigate, afraid that things were really as Jasmine had said.
With Jasmine’s death, Zachary was forced to start looking into everything.
After leaving the hospital, he spent money to urgently build a cold storage room at home!
Money could solve many.problems. The cold storage was finished in one night. While waiting for the temperature to drop, he went to the police station to retrieve Jasmine’s phone.
Finally, he went to the home where Jasmine had lived after being released from prison.
He got the key from the landlord and opened Jasmine’s home.
It was a small one–bedroom apartment. There weren’t many things belonging to Jasmine: a modest bed with a small teddy bear, pink and white sheets, and only a few decent clothes in the wardrobe. It was clear
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Jasmine lived in poverty.
There was no living room, only a bedroom and a bathroom. Even the cooking area was just a tiny counter. The window was sealed with thick iron bars, and little sunlight entered the room.
Zachary looked around, unable to stop his tears from falling.
He saw how Jasmine lived such a difficult and impoverished life in this environment, thought of the pressure and pain she endured alone, and realized how much suffering he had brought her.
He hated himself for not appearing sooner to protect Jasmine, and his heart ached for all the injustice and hardship she had faced.
After packing up Jasmine’s belongings, the room was pitifully empty. Looking at the few things he could carry in one trip, Zachary felt a pain in his heart that was beyond words.
He returned home, placed Jasmine’s things inside, and then went to the hospital to collect Jasmine’s body.
Seeing Jasmine lying quietly in the freezer again, her body covered in a thin layer of frost, her face pale as paper, Zachary still found it hard to accept.
He brought Jasmine home and prepared her, and after finishing, received a file from his assistant.
He hesitated to open it, afraid it would be something he couldn’t bear. But thinking that Jasmine was already gone, what was there left to fear?
The first thing he saw was her college admission photo, her smile sweet. Zachary remembered that day; since the photo would be used for four years, both of them had dressed up, and the photographer joked that it looked like they were getting married. Jasmine’s shy, blushing face
Chapter 13
seemed just like yesterday.
“Jasmine grew up in an ordinary family. After her mother, Tricia Olson, remarried, Anthony Maddox entered their lives.
the
Anthony was an alcoholic and a womanizer, and he coveted the beautiful Jasmine. When Jasmine returned home after graduating from college, Anthony raped her, causing her to miscarry.”
By this point, Zachary was crying so hard that his vision was blurred by tears. He felt as if he was dying from the pain, lying on the floor and gasping for breath.
Jasmine met him in high school, and until her college graduation, he had always protected her well. The day before graduation, just before he planned to propose, Jasmine learned of his intentions and went home to get her state ID so they could get a marriage license. It was on that day that Anthony raped her.
“Tricia was a woman like a parasitic dodder flower, seeing Jasmine as a
rival. After Jasmine told her about the month–long abuse Ony,
Tricia insulted Jasmine.”
How could someone living under the same roof not know Jasmine’s situation? She knew, but chose to turn a blind eye and pretend not to hear. She hated Jasmine for exposing the truth.
It was out of despair that Jasmine refused his proposal that day and cruelly humiliated him.
Zachary took a long time to compose himself before continuing to read.
“Anthony threatened Jasmine with Zachary, forcing her to submit to his abuse. Jasmine endured everything and sacrificed herself to protect Zachary,
Chapter 13.
After learning that Zachary was going abroad to study, Jasmine decided to escape and told her mother everything. Tricia insulted Jasmine, and when Anthony returned and found out she was trying to leave, he tried to imprison Jasmine at home for his own pleasure.
In the chaos, Anthony killed Tricia, and Jasmine killed Anthony.
Jasmine was imprisoned for this and was only released two months ago.”
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
