Chapter 22
My heart cracked, but this time, I didn’t scream. I didn’t break anything. I didn’t even cry–not right away. I just… moved. I packed my things with trembling hands. I left the bracelet Rozen had given me on the nightstand, knowing full well it had a tracker. I couldn’t let him find me, not yet. Not until I could breathe again. Not until I knew what was real and what was just another mask he wore.
I called Alice.
“Jasmine?” Her voice was sleepy, but it was enough to break the walls I tried to hold up.
“Can I stay with you?” My voice cracked.
She didn’t ask questions. “Of course. Come now. I’ll wait for you.””
The drive to Alice’s apartment was a blur of red taillights and sobs I couldn’t hold back anymore. By the time I arrived, my chest was aching, my eyes swollen. She hugged me tightly the second I stepped through the door.
“I thought he was different,” I whispered, my voice a shattered thing. “I thought this time it was real.”
Alice helped me to the couch, wrapped me in a warm blanket, and sat beside me. “Tell me everything.”
I did. I told her about the message, about Mina’s visit, about the photo, and how Rozen never mentioned anything. How he told me he loved me. How he promised to change. How we were finally okay. And how all of it felt like a lie now.
“I can’t do this again, Alice,” I sobbed into her lap. “I can’t go through this again.”
She stroked my hair gently. “Maybe there’s an explanation–maybe that photo was old, or maybe he was forced-”
“No,” I cut her off, curling tighter into myself. “I don’t want to know. I don’t want to hear another apology or explanation or another promise. I’m tired, Alice. I’m tired of believing only to be shattered again.”
“It’s not good for the baby to be this stressed,” she whispered.
I touched my stomach instinctively. The one good thing out of this nightmare. The only innocent piece of me and Rozen left. I couldn’t let this destroy me. I had to protect my child–even if it meant walking away from everything.
Alice tucked me into her guest bed and stayed with me until I fell asleep. But even in sleep, the pain didn’t leave. It crept into my dreams. Haunting, lingering.
When I woke up, the sun was streaming through the windows. For a second, I forgot everything- until I reached for my phone and saw it flooded with messages from Rozen.
Where are you?
Jasmine, please come home.
Talk to me.
I’m sorry if I did something wrong.
My Husband is a Fake One
3:18 am DDD
Please, I’m losing my mind.
Over a dozen missed calls. Dozens of messages. But none of them mentioned Mina. None of them explained the photo. Not even a whisper of truth.
And I realized–he wasn’t going to tell me. He wasn’t going to come clean. He was going to pretend like nothing happened again. Like I was just overthinking, too emotional.
I sat there staring at the screen, my chest a dull throb, my hand resting on my stomach.
Then, without hesitating, I typed my reply.
I don’t want this anymore. Let’s end this.
I hit send. Blocked his number. Deleted the thread.
No confrontation. No long goodbye. Just silence.
It was better this way.
I couldn’t survive another betrayal. And I wouldn’t let my child grow up watching me break apart over someone who didn’t deserve me. I was done.
Alice brought me breakfast, but I had no appetite. I lay on the couch, numb, watching the ceiling, thinking about how love had always betrayed me. Thomas. Scott. And now Rozen. All of them with their lies and masks and temporary affections.
But it was over now.
Until…
Alice came rushing into the room, phone in hand. “Jasmine–you need to see this.”
I took the phone from her, confused. The screen displayed a news article. The headline made my heart stop.
Billionaire Rozen Blackwood offers reward for wife’s whereabouts: “Bring her home to me.”
There was even a video clip embedded.
Rozen stood at a press conference, disheveled but determined. Cameras flashed in his face, but his expression didn’t waver. He looked straight into the lens.
“If anyone sees Jasmine Blackwood, please contact me directly. I’m offering a reward for any information that will lead me back to my wife. She’s not missing–she left–but I can’t lose her She’s the love of my life, and I will do anything, absolutely anything, to make things right.” Reporters were yelling questions. Some asked if this was a publicity stunt. Others demanded to <now what happened between them.
Rozen just looked heartbroken. “I made a mistake. I let fear win. But I won’t lose her again. Please, Jasmine–if you’re watching this, come home. I’ll wait. As long as it takes.”
dropped the phone onto the couch, my hands shaking.
Alice was staring at me, wide–eyed. “Jas…”
But I didn’t know what to say. Because despite everything, despite all the pain, a part of me still wanted to believe him.
But was that part strong enough to survive this again?
I didn’t know.
Chapter 22
3:18 am D
Not yet.
And so I didn’t say anything.
I just wrapped my arms around my stomach, felt the soft pulse of life within me, and whispered, “We’ll be okay.”
Even if that meant never going back.
