Chapter 4
The day Jasmine was discharged, she finished the paperwork and walked out the door, only to see Zachary waiting.
He gave her a brief glance and said flatly, “Come with me tonight. I’ll pay you 15,000 dollars.”
She nodded quietly and got into the car without hesitation.
The ride was silent, heavy with tension. Leaning against the window, she fell asleep due to exhaustion.
Two hours later, she stirred awake. Night had already fallen. The car was parked in a garage, and Zachary sat beside her, his face shadowed beyond recognition.
Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and murmured, “You didn’t have to wait. You could have just woken me when we got here.”
His hand stilled for a second before he picked up the laptop beside him. His tone was cutting. “Wait for you? Don’t flatter yourself. I was working ”
On the screen was a document titled “Wedding Schedule.”
“The morning will be busy, so the wedding is set for 7:00 p.m. The roses for the wedding have to be flown in from Europe that same day; Nic only likes pink, white, and blue. The 989th draft of the diamond ring still has some details to adjust, all of which need to be finalized within three days”
A single wedding carried thousands of attention points, with hundreds of thousands of words spent refining every detail–enough to show just how
288 Vouchers
Chapter 4
much Zachary valued it and the care he put in.
Jasmine’s chest tightened, and she lowered her gaze.
The car door opened. Zachary was about to lead her upstairs when his phone rang. He frowned at the number, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Go keep Nic company at Room 208. If she asks, tell her I’m in a video conference.”
She assumed it was another night of drinking on his behalf. Without a word, she went upstairs.
The moment she entered, she saw a circle of people laughing and playing drinking games.
She repeated Zachary’s excuse to Nicole, then slipped into a corner and stared blankly at the floor.
Her daze was cut short when Nicole suddenly called out to her. “I lost. You take my punishment.”
The group exchanged knowing smirks.
Nicole drew a card, glanced at it, and arched a brow.
“Truth or dare. Describe your last time with a man in full detail. Where did it happen, how old were you, what he looked like, what kind of positions, how long was it, how many times, and how it felt.”
Color drained from Jasmine’s face.
Her shoulders trembled. She clenched the hem of her clothes so hard her nails cut into her palms.
Seeing her reaction, everyone in the room burst into raucous laughter, voices urging her on
Chapter 4
She asked to drink instead, but no one agreed.
Nicole leaned close, pressing a folded paper into her hands. It was a forensic rape report.
Jasmine stared at those shocking words, her eyes widening instantly, as if struck by lightning.
“How… how did she get this?” she wondered.
Ignoring her meltdown, Nicole gave a faint, almost teasing smile and whispered in a voice meant only for the two of them, “I pulled this from the police archives myself. So you didn’t dump Zachary because he was poor. You were raped, weren’t you? You felt you weren’t worthy of him.
“How noble of you. Since that’s the case, just share every juicy detail of it, and I’ll return this. Otherwise, I’ll let the whole world know.”
The naked threat yanked Jasmine back from the edge of collapse.
Someone dragged her into the seat. Her voice shook violently as she forced the words out. “The last time… it was at home. That man…..
he was 58, had a bushy beard, a face full of rough flesh. He pinned me… in the bathroom, tore my dress… from behind…”
Each word summoned a flash of horror in her mind.
Her scalp burned as she tugged at her own hair, her voice cracking with
terror.
Those wounds that had never healed were ripped open again, exposing the twisted, decayed flesh beneath.
But to everyone else, it was entertainment. They howled and jeered.
“So you’re into old men, huh? Did he keep you going all night until you couldn’t talk?”
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Chapter 4
“With how slutty you are, one time couldn’t have been enough. Bet you went back for more.”
As their taunts echoed around her, her mind filled with powerless screams, blood–soaked sheets, the child she lost, and the knife plunged into the man’s chest.
The coppery stench filled her nose again, her stomach twisting violently. She needed to get out.
However, Nicole was quick. She shoved another card into Jasmine’s hand.
“Not so fast. I lost again. Dare this time. Go downstairs and confess your love to 18 men. After that, you can go home.”
“Home.” The word clung to her like salvation.
She bolted into the bar’s main hall, clutching at strangers. “I like you,” she blurted.
She repeated it 15 times to 15 different men.
The 16th time, a group of thugs cornered her.
Six or seven blond–haired guys leered at her with filthy eyes, yanking her clothes open as they sneered. “If you like us, why not have some fun with us?”
She struggled violently, screaming for help until her throat bled, but no one came to her aid–only the flashing lights of cameras captured it all.
Her dress hung in strips, her body sticky with sweat and greasy hands, and the nauseating faces were inches from hers.
The same nightmare that had tormented her for four years came crashing back, suffocating her.
Chapter 4
Consumed by despair, she wanted to end it all. With her hands clawed and bloodied, she reached for the fruit knife lying on the floor. The moment her fingers closed around the handle, Zachary burst in like a
maniac.
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.
