Chapter 2 One Hundred Visits

"Jess Clarke."

It's Jasper's surname.

I murmured the name, and something inside me seemed to shatter completely.

The restaurant was still bustling with conversation, but I could not hear a thing.

When I looked up again, Jasper was holding a piece of meat to Jessamine's lips, feeding her.

A wave of nausea surged up my throat. I got to my feet and rushed to the restroom, where I threw up violently.

The mirror reflected my pale face and bloodshot eyes. The makeup I had gotten up early to apply just for Jasper had long since run.

I looked like a clown who could no longer keep pretending.

My hands trembling, I pulled out my phone and opened a chat with my best friend, who was a lawyer.

I hovered over the screen, typing and deleting for a long time before finally sending a single message.

[Jasper's cheating on me. I want a divorce.]

…

When I came out of the restroom, the servers had already cleared away half the dishes.

Jasper and Jessamine were gone, taking the notebook with them.

The envelope containing the abortion consent form was still lying there, unnoticed by anyone.

As I was about to leave, a server hurried after me, carrying a pair of matching coffee mugs.

"Excuse me! Mr. Clarke and Ms. Wells have ordered our couples' special 100 times. We'd like to give them these mugs as a gift, but they left in such a hurry. Could you please pass them along?"

"One hundred times?" I stopped in my tracks.

"Yes. The date of their first visit is engraved on the mugs."

I took them from him, but the moment I glanced at the engraving, I froze.

It was our first wedding anniversary.

I had saved up the half-days Jasper set aside for me over two months, so I could spend a full day revisiting the amusement park where we had gone on our first date.

He had promised to come, but I waited outside the park until dark, and he never showed up.

…

It was not until 3 a.m. that he finally came home, carrying a pot with a young jasmine plant. He said it was a gift for me.

The moment I received the gift, the hurt I had felt seemed to fade away.

Two years had passed. The tiny jasmine plant had grown into a thick, fragrant bush. Every midsummer, the scent of jasmine filled our home.

But only now did I learn the truth.

That day, Jasper had been spending time with another woman. Her name was Jessamine.

I smiled, but the tears would not stop falling.

…

On my way home, I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the matching mugs.

My chat with Jasper was still pinned at the top of my messages, and our last exchange had been three days ago.

I sent him the photo and was about to type a message confronting him when he called me. "Put those mugs away somewhere safe for me. Make sure they don't get damaged!"

I suddenly found the whole thing laughable. "Jasper, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, a woman called out in a sweet voice in the background. "Jasper, our prenatal class is about to start. Hurry up!"

"Okay, I'm coming!"

Even my already numb heart felt another sharp stab of pain. I took a deep breath. "Jasper, let's get a divorce."