Chapter 30
After hanging Jasmine’s coat, Sebastian turned to her, his faint smile on his face unchanged. “I married you for who you are, Jasmine. That includes your past, your guilt, and every emotion that you have.”
Caressing her cheek gently, he added, “If it were me lying in that hospital bed, what would you do?”
Tears welled up in her eyes again. “I’d do everything in my power to make you better.”
“Exactly. Love isn’t about possession. Rather, it’s about respect. They love you, so they’re willing to sacrifice,” he commented, his thumb brushing her tears away. “I love you, so I respect your emotions.”
Lynette’s public acid attack had caused such an uproar that the police quickly detained her while awaiting
a court summons.
In the detention center, Lynette was in handcuffs, laughing maniacally. “This is not over yet! May your guilt never let you sleep! And that your happiness is nothing but an illusion!”
She screamed at the empty air as if Jasmine were standing right in front of her.
As the guards forcibly dragged her away, her screams still echoed through the corridor. “You won’t die in peace, Jasmine Lane!”
However, Lynette was only greeted by silence.
Matthew walked through security alone at Jenvil International Airport a month later, wheeling his suitcase without telling anyone his flight information.
The TV at the departure lounge was broadcasting the financial news. “Sources report that the Smith Group has declared bankruptcy due to the complete breakdown of their financial chain. The founder, Timothy Smith, has refused all interviews…”
On the other side of the city, Jasmine stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor of the
Campbell Group building.
The early summer sunlight had bathed Jenvil in a golden glow. Somewhere in the distance, the plane
carrying Matthew slowly ascended into the sky from the airport.
Sebastian wrapped his arms around Jasmine from behind. Resting his chin gently on top of her head, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Gazing at the towering skyline, Jasmine answered softly, “I’m thinking about how strange fate can be. The people who hurt me ultimately destroyed themselves…
“And those who once loved me… have let me go in their own ways.”
As she turned, she fell into his embrace. “The happiness that truly belongs to me has been right here all
along.”
Sebastian tightened his arms around her and kissed her hair.
Outside the window, the early summer breeze swept through the city, carrying the scent of new
beginnings.
It was all over now, but every ending marked a new beginning.
