Jasmine's POV:I got to my house and began arranging my stuff. All my stuff was packed inside my luggage. It was time to head back to the place I came from. It was nice to experience a new life, but right now, I need to avoid meeting Kai ever again.I boarded the first flight, feeling excited to be home but somehow sad about seeing Earnest again. I don't think I'll feel the same way about him as I once did. My flight arrived in Ontario after 9 hours. I couldn’t wait to see my mother, who had found a new home.I boarded a taxi to her house, and as I arrived, I was too excited to see her. I stood at the door and exhaled a breath before knocking slightly, waiting for her to open the door for me. As I stood there, the door clicked open. My mom, as always, never faded. She was still beautiful, her beauty lighting up the whole space. She looked genuinely surprised to see me.'Jas, my dear, hope this isn't a dream,' she called out in a low, strained voice. She must have been very surprised
Jasmine's Pov I knock quietly at Earnest's door, making sure no one sees me. Earnest’s quarters are a little far from his father's. The surroundings are very big. I stand there knocking at the door. He opens it, looking very pale, his eyes swollen. It’s clear he’s been worried about me for a long time. He rubs his eyes with his hand. “Jas?” he calls out in shock. I nod my head, shut the door, and give him a hug. “I miss you,” I say to him. He pats my back, seeming to think he’s dreaming. “Are you for real? It seems to me that I’m dreaming,” he asks weakly. I guess he still doubts that I’m the one. I nod and kiss him. He recoils from my kiss. “Why did you leave? Do you know I almost killed myself because you left me?” he says. “I’m sorry about that. I thought it would be good for both of us, so I left. But I’m back now to stay,” I say. I didn’t think I was coming back to stay as his girlfriend but as his stepsister. “Are you sure?” he asks, tears dripping from his eyes.
Jasmine's POVToday is my mother’s wedding. I helped her get dressed, and she looked incredibly beautiful, beaming with excitement. Her happiness filled the entire day. I couldn’t believe it—today, I’m going to officially become Earnest’s stepsister.As she finished getting ready, glowing with joy, I couldn’t help but tear up. She’s finally marrying the love of her life, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her. But as we headed to the car, a wave of anxiety hit me. How would my life change in just a few moments? We hopped inside, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how I would accept the fact that Earnest would become my brother. My mother noticed my worried expression and smiled at me.“Sweetie, what’s the matter?” she asked gently.I didn’t know what to tell her. I couldn’t confess that I was afraid of losing Earnest because we’ve been lovers for so long. “I just... I’m just going to miss having you all to myself, I guess,” I lied, not wanting to dampen her excitement. I had never s
Jasmine's Pov The sun shone so barely; it’s midsummer, and I was still on my bed, turning and tossing myself. "Jasmine is a mistake," my father retorted angrily. His face was so hardened that he felt like killing me. I hated my father. He is heinous. He takes pleasure in punching my mother. "Jasmine is not my child." He keeps reminding her. In fact, I agreed with him. I can’t be his daughter with such a ruthless and dishonest man. Sometimes I can’t still believe that a lovely, beautiful woman like my mother ended up with him. I can remember her telling me that her parents betrothed her to him. My father’s word keeps coming up in my memory; it's torn my heart into pieces in my mind—a father who has so much hatred for his daughter. It's always been my dream to attend Kisco High School, but when I told my father about it, he blurted out, "You are useless, and I won't squander all of my money on you." I dreaded him so much that I sat staring up at the ceiling, wondering what I
It’s late at night, everyone has gone to bed, but dad isn’t back yet. My mom was still awake, waiting for him to come so she could prepare him dinner. I fling on my bed. I was trying to meditate. I don’t know when I doze off. Now I’m waken by dad’s uproarious noise I could hear someone hitting something. "What’s happening? I hope this man is not hitting Mom." I muster to myself as the sound continues to disrupt me. I stood up to know what it was I was hearing as I got to my door. I quietly opened it because I was afraid to see that my dad was hitting my mom. I couldn’t bear to see him beating my mom. "Stupid woman, what do you know how to do, you and that your daughter is good for nothing," he yelled at her and hit her wooden chair on her head. She fell down unconsciously. I opened the door with so many tears in my eyes. I cast him a furious gaze. He is totally drunk. I approached my unconscious mother, watching her as she lay helplessly on the floor, blood streaming from her
I lay in my bed, attempting to mediate. I was daydreaming about the present, specifically how I received scholarships to Kisco High School. I took a few deep breaths, reopened my eyes, and returned to the awareness of my breath. After a few minutes, I felt compelled to jot down my thoughts. I opened my drawer and took out all of my painting supplies. I began drafting my feelings on a piece of paper, and the black paint of my mother and daughter's fear coiled in their eyes. It's my fear of insanity, I guess, as I draft it. "Jasmine, my dear," my mother called, and I unlatched my room door. I was pleasantly happy to see her face glowing with a resplendent smile for the first time. "I want you to prepare. You are going for Kisco scholarship exams. I strive to get this money to see that you entered that school. She handed me over $200. That’s a lot of money. I was so shocked and excited at the same time. Where did she get all this from? She must have suffered so hard to get this mon
"Jasmine," my father called with a calm voice. I was so surprised at the way he called; it wasn’t like that before. He must be having a very good day. I answered him, but somehow I felt like switching him around, like my money. "I have done everything for you." "The least you can do for me is pay me by getting married to whomever I choose for you as suitors." I glared at him. I’m just twenty, and he wants to marry me to someone who is just like him. "I have a very rich friend who is willing to take care of you." It’s quite certain I will be getting money from him every day for my upkeep . Don’t disappoint me, do you hear me?" I couldn’t focus on what he was saying with just his annoying voice and his adenoidal voice. He grasped my left ear, making it hurt. "Ouch." I winced in pain. His grip is really hurting. He must have been a wrestler when he was my age. Now I can remember him saying that his friend, who is just his age, will come and marry me off because he has a lot of pr
It was like a nightmarish for me haven’t know that today my father’s friend is coming to pay my bride price. I felt as though I was being swallowed up in the darkness. I breathe a heavy sigh. "Make sure you look so presentable." "I don’t want to see you putting on those shabby clothes." My father's voice rang out, dragging me out of the darkness that was threatening to swallow me. When last did he buy clothes for me? I began to make whirring sounds. I can’t believe my dream is shattering into pieces because of my father's selfish desire. "Where is my mother?" I held my breath as I went to the kitchen to look for her. She was in the kitchen, preparing food for our guest. It hooked me in the heart to see her cooking. I guess she is on my father’s side. I stared at her as tears could not stop dripping from my eyes. She has a lot to cook. She waved at me immediately after she saw me. "Are you going to cook all that?" I inquired with a frail voice. She looked at my pale face and k