Chapter 1

1

URINE PREGNANCY TEST 

RESULT: Positive (+) 

Jasmine's hands trembled as she gawked at the pregnancy test report in her hands. 

"I... I am... Pregnant!" She whispered and tears of delight cascaded down her cheeks. 

She immediately touched a hand on her stomach and felt her heartbeat go wild. Although she had done a test at home a few days ago, she wanted to be double sure about the baby. Hence, she went to a nearby maternal clinic and submitted her urine samples. 

Now the test result was in front of her— in the form of a big bold POSITIVE sign staring back at her. 

"Oh my god! I'm shivering. We're pregnant. Vince and I are... Going to be parents." Jasmine's words came out as a whisper in the end. 

Her eyes shone with sadness she had been feeling over the last few months. Vince and she hadn't had a good time recently. He hadn't been happy and it showed in his body language.... All because they've been married for four years and they were still 'alone' with no hint of having a family in sight. 

"I must tell him!" She chimed and dialed his number. 

Nevertheless, her eyebrows furrowed when the call didn't connect. Jasmine's happiness didn't waver. 

"I'll go to his office to surprise him... And I'll also write a letter to him from our baby's point of view. He'll be shocked." She giggled and sought after drafting a beautiful and short-lengthed letter that exuded deep meaning.

Jasmine put it in her side purse and took a taxi to Vince's office. She couldn't help but imagine his reaction on her way up in the elevator. 

The ones who joined her in the elevator, though, eyed her weirdly. But Jasmine didn't blame them. She never visited Vince in his office before, so technically she was a stranger in their eyes. Except for Vince's secretary and the old woman working on the reception, Mr. Shilton, no one knew that she was the boss' wife. 

This was the first time she was coming to her husband's office so all the curious and weird glances didn't matter to her. 

Jasmine stepped out of the elevator and headed towards his cabin. She had hardly walked a few steps ahead when she walked into his sectary, Mr. Grill. The moment he saw her there, his face turned white and his body froze. 

"Mrs. Garrison... You are here!" He asked in a voice full of uncertainty as he looked behind his back at Vince's cabin located in the far end of the corridor. 

"Good morning, Mr. Grill. I came here to meet Vince. Mrs. Shilton told me he's in his cabin." Jasmine smiled at him. 

However, Mr. Grill turned even whiter at the mention of meeting Vince. He wiped a hand on his face and forced a smile. 

"Ma'am, sir is... Busy! He's in an important business conference meeting. You can't, uh, see him." His secretary tried to block the view of the cabin from Jasmine. 

"But Mrs. Shilton said he's free." 

"No, he is... Uh," Mr. Grill forced out a fake chuckle that Jasmine quickly grasped. "He is busy. Why don't you come with me ma'am? Let's have a cup of coffee. I'll bring you up when sir is... Er, when sir is free." 

"I want to see him now." Jasmine said as she felt her body become tense. 

Mr. Grill was usually a silent man with very few words. He never spoke so much. The fact that he was stuttering, and sweating, and behaving weirdly like he knew Jasmine closely made her senses stand on guard. 

Jasmine longingly gazed behind his back at Vince's cabin— Her husband and she hadn't been on good terms lately. So she could understand if Vince was avoiding to see her. 

"I'll hardly take five minutes." Jasmine proclaimed and tried to go past his secretary.

"Ma'am, please try to understand..." He clutched her hand, making Jasmine's eyes widened. 

Now this was even more weird and suspicious. Mr. Grill, in his usual mood, wouldn't dare to touch his boss' wife. 

Now Jasmine was sure something was off. She shoved him away and charged towards Vince's cabin. 

"Ma'am, please don't... Ma'am!" 

However, the damage was done— Jasmine had opened the door of the cabin. And what she saw... Made her heart stop beating. 

Her body froze as she felt her senses getting plunged in the abyss of sorrow. She wished she hadn't open the door but the deed was done.

Jasmine regretted forcing her way past Mr. Grill even as he tried to hold her back, but the impulse had been uncontrollable. 

Her breathing fractured and her knees buckled because... Right in front her hazel eyes— her husband was sitting with Lucy, his young stepmother, in his lap. Her top was pulled down from her body, revealing her full breasts. 

Vince was suckling on them hungrily like he was a baby. He kneaded her breasts at leisure even after he spotted Jasmine standing on the doorstep and witnessing everything. 

Jasmine flinched back whilst holding onto the door. It wasn't a dream. It couldn't be.  Jasmine pinched herself to pull herself back to the real world in case she was dreaming. She wasn't. 

It was broad daylight and Vince didn't even flinch back when she walked in on them. Their eyes met, but he didn't stop. He didn't look away as he continued to eat Lucy's tittíes and grope them.

Even as his lips stayed on Lucy's nípple, they twisted into a dark smirk, taunting Jasmine with the unspoken words— You didn't think I could be with my sexy, young stepmother like this, did you?

Gathering her senses back, Jasmine closed in on them. She yanked Lucy back by her hair, causing her nipple to come out of Vince's mouth with a pop. 

"Aah!" Lucy wailed as she flattened on the desk on her back. 

"JASMINE!" Vince thundered angrily as he pushed her away. 

Jasmine staggered, barely holding herself together. With tears burning in her eyes and the image of her husband cheating on her with his stepmom burning into her memory— she took a step forward and connected a slap with his face. 

"HOW DARE YOU!" Jasmine shrieked. 

Her shoulders sagged under the weight of pain she was feeling. She gritted her teeth and tried not to give in under the weight as she eyed her husband, who was still smirking bitterly at her. 

"How dare you cheat on me, Vince? I agree we had problems. We had tension between us. But how could you do this to me. Do this to our marriage!" Jasmine heaved noisily. 

To her shock, Vince went back to Lucy and embraced her. He whispered to her to be calm and that he would handle his wife. 

"Do it properly or else I'll forget she's your wife! How dare she pull on my hair." Lucy yelled against his chest. 

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her." 

Hearing this, a storm of indignation unfurled in her chest. Jasmine grabbed her husband's arm to pull him off his stepmom. She was about to slap him again when Vince held her wrist and shoved her back. 

"Why are you angry? What right do you have to be angry? You can't keep me happy. You can't give me a child. You can't dress up the way I want. You're just... An ugly excuse for a wife." He said with disgust. 

Jasmine took a step back, "An ugly excuse for a wife? You didn't feel that way when we married."

"And I regret it!" 

"..." 

"Look, Jasmine, I'm sorry but I can't hide it anymore. Lucy and I are dating. The earlier you accept the better it'll be for all of us."

Jasmine couldn't believe her ears. Her husband was dating his stepmom— His thirty-three year old stepmom who was married to his fifty-four year old father! 

"You, rascal! How could you do this to me. I gave you four years of my life!" Jasmine tried to hit him on the chest. 

"So what? I gave you a luxurious life in return. It wasn't so bad, was it? You enjoyed my wealth and everything I had to offer."

"You, aashóle! What I gave you is far more sacred and incomparable— I gave you my loyalty." 

Jasmine prepared to hit him harder but Vince grabbed her wrists. This time he said something that scarred her very soul. 

"Who wants loyalty in today's world." He chuckled. "What about a baby? Could you give one to me? NO. Certainly because your womb is unfit to carry a child! It's as barren as an infertile land." 

Lucy chuckled in the back. 

It hit Jasmine like a truck. She struggled to breath. 

"I love Lucy. Get that straight in your head!" He said and walked over to her. 

Lucy was still half-naked, her breasts exposed. Vince went over to her and sat back on the chair. He pulled her back in his lap and started suckling on her nípples. 

Jasmine sunk her nails in her palm to check again whether this was a dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't. 

This doesn't happen in a dream, does it? Even if a husband is cheating on his wife, the ounce of conscience he has in his heart would compel him to move away from his mistress after setting his gaze on his wife. 

But Vince, that puckered asshóle arrogantly held Jasmine's gaze as he pulled Lucy closer, and that contemptuous brunette arched her back to offer her large bréasts to him... Again. 

"H-how could you? How could you bring another woman between us?" Jasmine forced the words out as she fisted her hands tightly. 

It still felt like a dream. Vince wasn't like this. Jasmine gulped the knot forming in her throat. Or perhaps... He was always like this and she was blind to see that! 

"Who are you calling another woman, huh? It's you... Actually. You're the other woman between us. Vince, baby, why don't you tell her about our secret!" Lucy finally spoke.  

Jasmine's body went cold. Pain rippled through her chest as she took a few steps back. 

"What secret? Tell me, Vince. What is this secret she's talking about?" 

"She's trying to piss you off. There's no secret." He merely rolled his eyes. 

But Jasmine wasn't convinced, "No, I can it there's something else too. She wouldn't have said it so confidently otherwise. Tell me now, Vince. Tell me before I lose my mind."

"Do you want me to throw you out of here?" He asked lazily as his fingers caressed Lucy's arms. 

"Stop bothering us, Jazz. Forget this meeting happened. Get out before I start fucking her right in front of you!" He said before latching onto her nípple. 

Jasmine remained motionless for about five minutes. Her body was too numb to move. Vince and Lucy were really making out in front of her like she didn't exist there in the room. 

After taking a deep breath, Jasmine looked at them— at the betrayal she got. 

She wiped the tear about to fall from the corner of her left eye as she straightened her back. She clutched the letter in her hand and whirled around to leave. 

She came out on the street, face drenched with tears. Although her heart ached, she looked ahead. 

That's what she was going to do after the experience she had today— look ahead of her. She fisted her hands to her sides, watching as impatient vehicles zoomed past her on the busy road. 

The black and white strips of the zebra crossing made her temples ache. The same black and white dots started blinking and throbbing on the border of her vision. She felt the smooth texture of the parchment she was holding burn in her closed palm— it was supposed be a gift. 

Pain tore through her as the smoothness of the paper turned into unbearable heat. Her hand shook, but she didn't let her grip loosen or more tears fall. 

'It's useless to cry on a man who compared my womb to a barren land!' She reminded herself. 

However, his words triggered emotions she was battling to keep buried in. Tears blurred her vision as her emotions rose up through her like a tide. 

Jasmine couldn't help but sob as her head lowered. There were people around her, waiting for the signal to turn green so they could cross the road. She didn't want them to heed her tears or the fact that she was the most unfortunate being among them. 

Jasmine sucked in a breath greedily as the loud chiming of the phone of a woman standing next to rang out. She looked at her, at her head full of dyed brunette hair, reminding her of Lucy. Tears returned, quivering on the edge of her hazel gaze. It was a relief that the woman didn't smile at her victoriously like Lucy did. This woman's brows furrowed as she raised a hand to rest on Jasmine's shoulder. 

"Hey, everything okay?" The woman's soft voice hit her like a hailstorm. 

Jasmine's trembling lips parted. Her throat ached as she tried to form a word which would have sounded like, "Nothing's okay! A brunette woman... I mean a brunette bitch I was reminded by your hair stole my husband from me. No, that's not the right way to put it. Actually, my spineless husband cheated on me with a brunette bitch, who's also supposed to be his young step mother. He also called me barren before throwing me out of his office."

The woman stared at her for a while before withdrawing her hand. She cast a faultfinding look towards Jasmine's lack of response. Only when the woman started walking away did she realise that those were the words she wanted to say to her. Alas, she lost the warmth the woman's eyes held exactly how she lost her worth a while ago.

Jasmine shivered as the cool air brushed against her. She wore a white cardigan, stained with a dry tea patch just below her chin— a mark from when she accidentally spilled a cup of tea on herself. Though she didn't incur burns, it was no less. Her chest was on fire. It had grown heavy from the discovery she made today.

She couldn't breathe. The world seemed to be tilting sideways. She couldn't stop shaking. Couldn't stop grieving. Couldn't stop crying. Couldn't stop her mind from replaying that scene from her husband's office. Jasmine forced herself to take a breath as she saw the woman who had offered her a moment's warmth disappear behind the curb.

Jasmine broke free from her reverie with a jolt. It sank in that everyone around her had almost reached the other side of the road while she remained right there. She blinked her tears and took a step forward as she refused to be left behind. She had promised to look ahead. Similarly, she was going to always walk ahead without letting her cowardly husband's betrayal affect her.

What happened, happened. There's no need to cry over it. 

Nevertheless, Jasmine stepped onto the road at the exact moment the traffic lights switched to red and the engines revved up. The vehicles roared to life, causing her legs to lock up in reflex. Her heart stopped beating in panic as she watched a speeding car closing in on her. Before she could move backwards it slammed into her, sending her crashing to the pavement.

Jasmine winced upon a breath. Her ribs hurt. Her hand holding the paper unfastened as thousands of scorching needles pricked her wrist. She couldn't comprehend where exactly the pain began or ended. It made her vision misty and the sky overhead began to spin.

The impact was sickening. Her world had already drowned into darkness, and now she felt her senses going down the same road. She wished to never emerge from the darkness. 

But then, it hit her— she wasn’t alone.

There was a life growing inside her— In her womb that had been mocked by her cheater husband. Her hands instinctively moved to protect her stomach, aching to cradle the life within.

Unfortunately, her co nsciousness faded into oblivion before she could raise a hand.

Tbc... 

Hello Fam,

Here's a new story!

It's gonna be completely different, and yes, it's gonna be daily updated after signing:)