Chapter 14
289 Vouchers
Zachary recalled the recording he had heard when he took Jasmine to the wedding venue to take Nicole’s punishment for her.
“The last time, it was at home. The man was 58 years old, with a full beard and a brutish face. He pinned me down, pinned me in the bathroom, tore my dress apart, and from… from behind…”
How much pain she must have been in at that time, forcing herself to tear open her own wounds in front of everyone.
It was to the point that, later, when she was almost assaulted by some thugs, she nearly stabbed someone in a daze.
This punishment was definitely not voluntary; Nicole had forced her. He knew Nicole would things hard for Jasmine, but what could have made Jasmine at that time willing to tear open her wounds just to comply?
He picked up his phone and called someone he was close to in high school, asking what exactly happened that day
“Actually, I’ve been struggling with whether I should tell you about this. That day, Nicole made Jasmine describe her most recent sexual encounter in public. At first, she refused, but after Nicole showed Jasmine a document, she started talking.”
“After Jasmine finished, Nicole casually threw the document into the trash. Then she made Jasmine confess to 18 men, and everyone in the room went to watch the spectacle. I was curious, so I went to check the trash can.”
“I saw that it was about the reason Jasmine went to prison, and a medical report showing she was in the late stages of cancer. I didn’t know what to
Chapter 14
1288 (voucherg
do, so I left. I’ve been struggling all this time about whether to tell you. Jasmine is just so pitiful…”
The classmate on the other end of the line kept talking, but Zachary could no longer hear anything.
So it was like this, and yet he had treated her that way back then.
At some point, the classmate on the other end quietly hung up the phone.
Zachary felt as if everything around him had come to a standstill. His mind went completely blank, as if he had been struck hard by a heavy hammer. His lips began to tremble violently; he wanted to say something, but could only let out a painful and desperate howl.
He was in a dimly lit room, clutching his phone tightly in his hand.
The files on his phone told the story of the pain and torment Jasmine had endured alone over the years. The experiences she had buried deep in her heart were like sharp blades, stabbing straight into Zachary’s heart.
His breathing became rapid and heavy, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
His eyes stared blankly, unfocused, as tears welled up and then streamed down his cheeks, flowing freely as he lost all sense of the outside world, trapped in his emotions and unable to escape.
He tried to steady himself, but felt his whole body go weak, as if he had lost the support of his bones.
It felt as if countless needles were stabbing into his heart, the pain unbearable.
He felt like an orphan abandoned by the world, helpless and in despair. Everything around him became blurry, and all he could hear was the sound of his own heart breaking.
Chapter 14
288 Wouchers
Images of Jasmine’s smile from their college days and the happy times
mind like a slideshow,
they had spent together kept flashing through his and the happy times
each memory like a sharp knife cutting into his heart..
Everything was so quiet that only the buzzing in his ears remained. Gradually, he could no longer bear the pain, his consciousness began to blur, and everything went black as he fainted in endless agony.
Outside, the rain was falling steadily, tapping crisply against the window.
When Zachary woke up, he sat dazed in the corner of the room. His mood was as gloomy and heavy as the gray weather outside.
His heart was filled with guilt and regret. He felt that it was his failure to protect Jasmine that had led to her misfortune.
A stifling atmosphere filled the room, the light dim and dull.
He thought again of how, in recent days, he had personally handed Jasmine over to Nicole to be tormented.
He made her donate a kidney to Nicole’s housekeeper; made her, despite her seafood allergy, try a banquet full of seafood,
Made her peel all kinds of spiky fruits with her bare hands; made her, though she couldn’t swim, spend a whole day by the lake collecting pearls;
Made her, in the late stages of cancer, dance all day in a heavy mascot costume under the scorching sun…
Each and every one of these was so cruel, and he had allowed it all. He deserved to die, and so did Nicole for coming up with so many ways to torture Jasmine.
For some reason, Zachary suddenly burst out laughing like a madman.
Chapter 14
Laughing, he squatted down and buried his head in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
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.
