Chapter 15
Jasmine had always been good at eavesdropping. It was a talent that came in handy when secrets were currency, and manipulation was her sharpest tool. So when she noticed her father Gregory sneaking out of the estate with uncharacteristic urgency, she followed.
She didn’t expect much-maybe another private meeting with investors to repair the family’s shattered name. But when she tailed him quietly through winding roads and country lanes, her curiosity sharpened into something darker.
The car finally stopped outside a modest villa surrounded by trees and silence. Jasmine parked her own vehicle a short distance away, slipping out and creeping behind the hedges, careful not to make a sound. From her vantage point, she saw two men-her father and another, rougher around the edges. It took her a few seconds to recognize him: Lucas. Isabella’s stepfather.
Her brows furrowed. So this is where she’s hiding…
She expected an argument, maybe a cold conversation-but it escalated into a full-blown brawl. Fists were thrown. Shouting filled the air. And then-
“Stop it!”
Jasmine ducked lower. Her heart stopped.
That voice. Isabella.
She stepped out of the house, her face flushed with worry, her eyes wide with disbelief. She ran toward the two men, pulling them apart with urgency, her voice sharp, commanding.
Jasmine’s nails dug into her palm. So she’s really here. Safe. Happy. Untouched by everything she ruined.
The sight of Isabella standing in the golden haze of countryside sun, hair tied loosely behind her back, dressed simply but glowing with peace-it gnawed at Jasmine. She had imagined Isabella broken, drowning in regret, desperate to crawl back into the world she left behind.
But instead, Isabella looked free.
Alive.
No. This isn’t right, Jasmine seethed internally. She doesn’t get to be happy. She doesn’t get a new life-not while I’m the one left behind.
It had been weeks since Kevin stopped answering her calls. Since he left her crying on the kitchen floor with a pregnancy test in her hand and never looked back. She had lost everything- her father’s respect, the public’s sympathy, and Kevin’s attention.
She was alone.
And Isabella, the woman she thought she had finally destroyed, had simply slipped away and
won.
Jasmine’s hands trembled as she raised her phone, ready to document. But just then, someone stepped out from the house behind Isabella.
A man. Tall, broad-shouldered. He walked over with steady steps, gently placing a hand on Isabella’s arm as if asking if she was alright. She turned to him, smiled-genuinely-and leaned into him slightly, as though the gesture was instinct.
Jasmine’s stomach twisted.
Troy. She knew that face. He wasn’t just anyone-he was one of Kevin’s fiercest rivals in the business world. They had gone head-to-head over land acquisitions, tech mergers, and stock battles for years. Kevin hated him.
And now, here Troy was-with Isabella.
Laughing with her.
Touching her.
Loving her.
Jasmine snapped a photo. The timing was perfect-Troy’s hand brushing a strand of hair from sabella’s face as she looked up at him like he was the only man in the world.
The rage inside her burned hot. She didn’t care if it looked desperate. She didn’t care if Kevir
adn’t replied in days. She hit send.
To: Kevin
Vell-
‘ou’ll never have her back now.
Because she’s with someone else. And it’s not just anyone. It’s Troy.
Guess she moved on faster than you did.
She added the photo. Watched the “delivered” symbol appear. Then stood still for a moment taring at the peaceful scene before her.
Kevin was sprawled across the couch, a half-empty glass of whiskey in his hand and his laptop pen in front of him. Numbers blurred together on the screen, contracts he no longer carec bout, business meetings he hadn’t attended in days. His inbox was overflowing, and his phone uzzed endlessly with messages from board members, lawyers, and family.
But he ignored them all.
le hadn’t slept properly in over a week. The alcohol helped dull the gnawing ache in his chest- he one Isabella left behind. Her silence haunted him more than her words ever did.
He kept waiting for her to call. To yell. To come back and argue like she used to. But she didn’t The silence had become its own punishment.
And still, no one told him where she went. He asked around. Pressed people. Even threatened his >wn father. But it was like she vanished.
He poured himself another drink, slamming it back with shaking fingers.
His phone buzzed again. He ignored it. Another buzz. Then another. Finally, with a frustrated groan, he reached for it-ready to silence it for good-when he saw Jasmine’s name on the
screen.
One image. One message. Kevin’s breath hitched.
Isabella. Smiling. With Troy. His old business rival. Troy’s hand tucked gently behind her back, his gaze fixed on her like she was the only thing that mattered.
Kevin’s blood ran cold. He sat up fast, the whiskey sloshing out of his glass onto the couch. His fingers trembled as he dialed Jasmine’s number, heart pounding so loud he barely heard the
ringing.
She answered on the third ring, her voice drenched in satisfaction.
“Well? Took you long enough.”
“Where is she?!” Kevin roared, standing now, fists clenched. “Where did you take that photo?
Where is she?!”
Jasmine let out a low, mocking laugh. “Now you care?”
“Don’t play with me, Jasmine. Tell me where she is now.”
“You neglected me,” she spat, her voice turning venomous. “You left me bleeding, alone, ignored my calls, forgot our baby. You don’t get to ask me anything.”
“Damn it, Jasmine!” Kevin shouted, his voice raw. “Tell me where Isabella is!”
But she only laughed again. “You’ll never know.”
Then the line went dead.
Kevin threw the phone across the room. It shattered against the wall, but the fury inside him didn’t dull. His vision was blurry from alcohol and rage, but one thing was clear-he had lost her. And someone else had taken his place.
Jasmine didn’t look back.
