The dinner

★★★★

"I’m not going anywhere," Jasmine whispered, a deep heartache gripping her as she held the kids close. At that moment, she felt at home, with no reason to believe this was all a lie.

She gently rubbed the backs of both children before standing up and looking down at their faces. It dawned on her that, indeed, both of them resembled Damon more than herself.

"Jasmine!" Nadia called out as she rushed toward her, embracing her tightly, tears slipping from her eyes. She had spent days praying, and it wasn't until this morning that Damon told her he would be bringing Jasmine home tonight.

Jasmine returned the hug, though she couldn't quite place Nadia in her memory.

"Don’t worry, you’ll remember us soon! I always told you Paul wasn’t a good guy, and this time he’s gone beyond imagination," Nadia said angrily.

"You know him too?" Jasmine asked.

"Yes, we were all in college together. Then one day, you kicked him out of your life. You hated him," Nadia answered.

"We’re so happy... so happ