Dear God! Max looks dangerous! Will Jasmine be able to run away from him? Stay tuned!
9She blinked her eyes, tearing out of her trance. Max was sizing her up with a look of excitement while her skin smoldered with goosebumps. His lecherous gaze roamed over her, lingering on the hospital gown and her fragile state. The smirk tugging at his lips made it clear he couldn’t care less about her injuries or what she’d been through. He was simply pleased she was alone and within his reach.Max was a wolf dressed in the skin of a sheep. His eyes always seemed to devour women's bodies, and Jasmine couldn't help but wonder if he could see through their clothes. He had the unmistakable air of a pervert, and his presence made her feel vulnerable and unsafe.Jasmine gulped her anxiety below her throat and tried to look unfazed by their encounter. Max was shameless and depraved. She couldn't appear weak in front of him, else he would feed on it. "Excuse me," She firmly stated and tried to brush past him, trying to escape quickly. She was not prepared to face this pervert while she
10She moved lightly to avoid alerting them. They were bulky and given her condition if she got caught then she could forget seeing the next morning. The men seemed unafraid as though this wasn't the first time they had a girl alone in an alley. So Jasmine moved in a crouched position.The alley was dark and the noise of water leaking from drainage pipes helped her move without the fear of getting caught. The girl's whimpers pumped her courage, compelling her to use the end part of the rod. Jasmine shoved it into one of the men's left knees."Aargh!" He winced and fell sideways, holding his affected knee.While he was rolling on the floor, Jasmine used the opportunity to her advantage and hit him hard on the head. The other man probably thought too highly of his strength as he remained occupied by the bare breásts of the girl, suckling on them even after his accomplice was wincing in pain on the ground.When he parted from the girl, Jasmine impulsively jabbed the rod's end between his
11"Are you okay?" The girl was at Jasmine's side at once. She crouched down and helped her sit straight and placed some worn out and smelly cushions under her back."You were profusely bleeding and your.... Dress was completely dirty. So I removed it and wiped your body with a sponge." She said as she sat with her tattooed legs tucked under her and went on, "And then I dressed your wounds. You also had a raging fever so I called a doctor to take a look at you.""A doctor?" Jasmine's eyes widened.She was a patient who escaped from a hospital. Having a doctor come over to see her meant danger."Yeah, but don't worry. I've changed your clothes before that and destroyed your hospital dress. Besides, the doctor was from a local clinic. So you need not worry."Jasmine heaved in relief. She looked around the room and the girl noticed."I know it's not that good but this is all I could afford on my own." The warmth of her smile echoed in her voice.Speechless, as that's not what Jasmine was
12She took a nap and when she woke up, it was evening. Birdie was moving around in the kitchen. Jasmine realized she was able to get up without feeling excruciating pain. The meds were working. "Hey," She greeted Jasmine in the kitchen which was a corner in the apartment. "Good evening. How are you feeling now?" "Amazing, all thanks to you." "Happy to hear that. Why don't you go and wash your face and hands, Jas. I made some soup for you.""Thank you." Jasmine obeyed and joined Birdie for their snack cum dinner. The girl skipped three days of work because of her. Whatever they had in stock was supposed to be their meal unless she resumed working again. The following night was pretty silent as Birdie was tired. She fell asleep earlier. However, Jasmine was left staring at the ceiling. Because Birdie couldn't sleep in the light, they switched all the lights off to meet her requirements. Although Jasmine preferred to keep a night bulb on as complete darkness left her feeling unset
13"Oh my god! What a surprise, baby!" Birdie squealed and squeezed the man on the door in her arms while Jasmine stared at the two enveloping each other, smiling and swirling around."I missed you so much, Birdie. I had a dream that you were in danger. So... You see, I had to ask for a quick leave and come here.""Not that I was far away! My boss was kind enough to give me some days with you." The man said happily, lifting Birdie and kissing her hair.His stubbled face was weighed down with weariness. In his eyes, Jasmine saw exhaustion. They were red as if he had not had sleep for a week. But that's how he always looked. Jasmine knew that because he was HENRY, the person who delivered vegetables and fresh fruits at her marital house she shared with Vince.He was in his mid twenties, a man who did his job seriously. Not to forget to mention that he had always been kind to Jasmine. After all, Jasmine was the one who always showed him the way to the kitchen to bring the vegetable and fr
14He came inside, patted Birdie on the back and she stepped into the kitchen to make some coffee. Meanwhile Henry came towards Jasmine and sat down on the floor."But you see, we are a broke couple. Our house is hardly any bigger than the size of your shower room.... And my girlfriend is naive. She's an emotional fool and easily gets fooled by people. My worry is justified, isn't it?""Please, forget what I said earlier and feel like you're home. I assure you that you are safe here. Be comfortable and don't mind my presence. Assume that I never came."Jasmine warily moved back onto the couch, suddenly feeling sweaty. Henry's changed demeanor caused her body to throb. Her ears began to blare with a beep sound while her heart began to jump up and down. His complete change in attitude seemed like those peaceful minutes before the arrival of chaos."No thanks, Henry. I don't want to cause any more trouble than there already is. I will leave in the evening—""Oh, no, you are not. Mrs. Gar
15Both Birdie and Jasmine froze in terror as they saw a man in a dark suit, hands casually in his pockets, leaning against the corridor wall behind Henry."Vince," Moisture gathered in the corner of Jasmine's eyes as her lips trembled. All the energy in her evaporated. Jasmine just stood there, speechless. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. The sound of his approaching footsteps echoed like a clap of thunder, resonating through the air like a sonic boom. "Hi, wifey!" Vince waved a hand at her with a smirk. He used to be an extremely handsome man when Jasmine fell in love with him. His curly blonde hair added to his charm. His gray eyes were captivating and seemed to sparkle with warmth. His features appeared strong and well-defined, giving him a hot yet refined look. And when he used to smile earlier, his whole face used to light up, making him even more attractive. But now... The same blonde curly hair seemed overly styled. His gray eyes looked dull and lifeless. His feat
16"We're sorry, sir. We looked everywhere we could to find your patient. But the woman has seemed to vanish to nowhere. There are no clips of her other than the one captured in the hospital's CCTV footage." Kyle swallowed the angry remarks building in his throat as his piercing dark eyes roved over Titus' face. His secretary looked terrified. He pulled on the collar of his shirt to allow cool air to graze his hot neck. Sweat beads trickled under his throat as he tried not to look fazed in front of his boss. "But do not worry, sir, the investigation squad is looking for her ceaselessly. I'll let you know if I find any clue." Kyle's dropping gaze indicated that Titus was permitted to leave. But as he stepped out, Kyle eased out of his cold demeanor. The mask of stoicism he wore cracked, letting confusion and frustration shine through. He leaned back in his chair and rocked sideways as a sigh escaped from deep in his chest. "Christ!" He ran his hands on his face before his eyes cam
45This woman here, nevertheless, was a battered and diminished version of that woman. Kyle sighed as he ambled to the washroom to find something to fetch water. He was looking inside when Mari knocked on the door and came in. He peeked out of the door over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows at her in question as if asking what it is! "Doctor George said that it's common to develop fever after such wounds. This is the body's natural way to fight any virus, fungi or other infection causing germs to keep the wound safe, and it results in rising temperatures." Mari said, word-to-word as the doctor told her. Kyle was relieved, but another issue was at hand— what to do now? Mari had an answer to that as well. She smiled as she read through her boss' expression and informed, "Doctor George said that we should put a cold water cloth on her forehead and wipe her body to bring the temperature down." She averted her eyes to her pocket from which she presented a piece of paper, "... And h
44Jasmine felt an unbearable burning pain inside her. It felt like she was thrown into a brazen bull. She felt trapped, suffering, and burning with a heartbreak which couldn't be reversed. Her body was heating up, her back drenching in sweat, and her organs squeezing under the weight of the discovery she just made.Her heart pounded in rage and pain from Vince's deceit."It's not even worth ten dollars? And here I thought I was really lucky to have it! I flaunted this ring so many times and it's not even real." She laughed as anger at Vince's conspiracy burned with vengeance in her chest."How many more times am I going to find out you lied and trapped me in a fake marriage? What other lies are still hiding in the shadows?"She was talking to herself. Kyle felt his heart thud at the look of extreme hurt on her face. She looked like a woman who loved her husband deeply. A wife who worshipped her husband without wanting anything in return.Seeing her features grow pale and her eyes dr
43Jasmine's lungs ached as all the oxygen was punched out of them by the doctor's words.'Don't give a reaction. Don't give a reaction. He won't know.' She kept telling herself that but she forgot that she was alone in a room with a doctor.His fingers moved with ease and gently on her stomach. They were light weight as if the man had long years of knowledge with wounds. He applied some cool liquid and her pain lessened a little bit. The sting was there... But eventually with each wipe by his gentle fingers, it occurred to become even lesser."You know, I've encountered many girls like you before— anxious and scared. So it's not like I don't know when they're not pretending and when they are really unconscious. But if you want to make me believe that... I'll stay quiet." He spoke gently, his voice carrying the warmth of a knowing father who knew his daughter was hiding stuff from him to not anger him."Kyle is a nice boy. I have known him since he was teenager. He can get rough and i
43Jasmine's POV"What's wrong, sir?" The new man asked."She's trying to run away. Help me hold her down and ask someone to call George back." I felt two more arms on my shoulders and knees.They were holding me down on the bed."We must get her under control before she causes trouble." I screamed after hearing those words.It couldn't get any worse. I was being held down by two men! I wasn't even dressed appropriately and the fear of getting forced by them further assaulted me.I used all my strength to scream, causing my ribs to rattle. My abdomen burned from the impact of the scream, and the blur before my vision darkened until I could see nothing but blackness. I hadn't fainted though... Just momentarily blank.But I could hear their conversation."Di
42Jasmine's POVThis can't be true... This...My hands shook as I blinked my eyes frantically, hoping that whatever I was seeing was just a dream. I just woke up and found myself in a new room— a thousand times more lavish than Vince and my bedroom, more warm and splendid with decor that made my jaw drop.But that wasn't why I was shivering like a puppy. It was the man sleeping on the recliner in the corner of the room. It was him! That arrogant jerk who offered me money after causing my miscarriage. He was shirtless and judging by the looks of it, it seemed like I was in his bedroom. A fire to burn him in his sleep licked at my insides. I tried to sit up straight but the pain in my abdomen was so intense, I was forced to lay down and take deep breaths.Tears welled up in my eyes as I breathed heavily. What was happening with me? Why has my life turned into a haunted house where I was witnessing new shocking and horrifying events on every second step? My hands shook as the pain in
41I was forced to wonder about her condition and what probably transpired in her life after she escaped me. Did her husband catch her again? Was he imposingly oppressive? Did he starve her? A tornado of questions unfolded in my mind. I shook my head to shake it off and entered the room. My limbs ached and my body was surprisingly hot. It hadn't been a very good day. I hardly got to rest today and the need to take a super cold shower to ease my nerves throbbed within me. In an instant, I was standing naked under the shower. The water sliding down my body acted as a soothing balm. I raised my head, face up, to let the cool droplets fall on my face. I could feel heat leaving my body. Staying under the shower was enticing, but I needed more than that. Thus, I filled the bathtub with cold water and sat in it. As soon as I slumped against it and rested my head back, sleep overpowered my senses and I conked out. I woke up with a jolt as I felt like I was drowning. Looking around unsur
40Kyle's POVI was pacing outside my bedroom restlessly. The doctor was here and he was inside the room with the woman. My eyes stilled on the closed door as my movements came to a halt. It's hard to believe that I have finally found her. She's in my room. On my bed. Well, I don't mean it in that way when I talk about bed, but until a few days ago, I was almost convinced that it was a ghost.I was close to giving up on finding her but she's here in my life again, in my house. My mind drifted back to that day I insulted her. I was rude. I shouldn't have offered monetary compensation for the loss of her child.A loss of life can't be compensated with money. I knew that well but my arrogance has gotten the better of me. But life is giving me another chance to make my wrongs right by sending the very woman in my path again.I straightened my back as the door clicked open."Well..." I raised my brow at the doctor who just stepped out.I saw him rubbing some sanitizer on his hands. Closin
39"Am I dreaming? She can't be here. That's her, isn't that?" He was sitting in his black Bentley across from the hospital. Kyle had come here to discuss the possibility of adopting the hospital. It was in the heart of the city and vastly visited by the underprivileged community. However, its condition was dismal. The infrastructure was falling apart. It was staggering that the facility was still standing upright despite having weak and decaying walls. Kyle knew all that because he had taken a tour within. The dreadful condition of the wards and the fact that people still visited for treatment was why he decided to take this hospital under his wing. He was a mercenary at heart, but he still cared for the development of the society. After all, Kyle knew what it meant to have no money. He may be the heir to a billionaire father, he never really got to enjoy his wealth as a child. He had to work his way up to the top both as a child and an adult. He carved his own path, sweated blo
38Her chest rumbled when she felt something on her left leg. SHE FELT. Jasmine's heart banged in her chest because she ‘felt’. Her leg wasn't numb. It was very much healthy and responsive as before. "Aah! Use some spit, Vince! I'm sore from yesterday." It was Lucy's grip on Jasmine's ankle that tightened as she said those words. She was holding onto her leg while Jasmine's husband drilled into her. Although Jasmine's body fired up in indignation in realization that they were making out against the bed, she felt her heart swirl in gratitude and excitement. Her mobility was restored.It was probably because of the surgery she had. The doctor may have injected her with reversal agents after the surgery to weaken the hold of anesthesia so she could regain her mobility post surgery. And it also helped dissolve whatever was keeping her lower body from moving. It still felt unreal. Jasmine wanted to confirm it herself. Though she didn't open her eyes as that would have put her in risk si