Condemned Without Truth

Jasmine stared in shock and disbelief, her eyes widening with profound astonishment. She saw Valentina still clinging tightly to Christopher, her face full of pretense and fear. The fragments of the flower vase slipped from her hand, and she felt as if she were waking up from a nightmare.

Her hands trembled as Jasmine tried to speak, but no sound came out. She felt as though she were being strangled by sorrow and disappointment. “W-What… what are you doing, Valentina?” she finally managed to say, her voice shaking.

“Why are you asking Valentina? We should be the ones asking you that, Jasmine!” Florentina shouted in a high voice, her gaze sharp and piercing.

Christopher looked at Jasmine with cold, furious eyes. “What were you going to do to Valentina, Jasmine?!” he asked, his voice filled with anger.

Valentina grew even more hysterical, clinging tightly to Christopher. “Chris, please help me! She wants to kill me! I’m really scared!” she screamed this time, her voice full of pretense.

Christopher stared at Jasmine sharply, as if he did not recognize the woman standing before him. “Don’t ever do this again, Jasmine. You’ve gone too far. This is beyond the limit,” he said in a voice full of anger.

Jasmine felt as if she had been slapped. She looked at Christopher with reddened eyes filled with hatred. It was truly hard to believe—Christopher now seemed like a different man from the one she knew.

“Y-You… you didn’t see what really happened, Chris,” Jasmine said while shaking her head slowly, her voice trembling.

Jasmine did not want Christopher to be swayed by Valentina’s instigation. Of course, she tried to defend herself. However, Christopher did not listen to anything. He only stared at Jasmine with cold, angry eyes.

“I saw it! You pointed that sharp object at my fiancée!” Christopher’s voice grew louder, booming like thunder striking.

Jasmine was instantly startled. Her eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. She could no longer speak. The look in Christopher’s eyes had truly shattered her heart.

“She’s lying, Chris. She was clearly trying to kill me. She couldn’t accept your decision to give this apartment to me,” Valentina complained with a pitiful expression.

“No, Chris! Believe me. I’m not like that,” Jasmine said in a convincing tone. She stepped closer to Christopher and reached for his hand. “I… I was just—” She was not given a chance to finish her sentence.

Christopher glared at Jasmine with blazing eyes, as if the fire of anger was burning inside his heart. He roughly brushed her hand away, causing Jasmine to stumble backward and fall. “Stop talking, Jasmine!” he shouted, his voice shaking the room. “I already know everything! I already know your true nature! It turns out you really are a murderer!”

Jasmine looked at Christopher with red, grief-filled eyes. Tears streamed down her face. She felt shattered, as if her entire world had collapsed around her.

“I didn’t… I didn’t kill anyone,” Jasmine said softly. She tried to speak, but her voice was cut off by sobs.

Christopher looked at her coldly, as if he no longer cared. “Stop lying, Jasmine! I already know the truth! You wanted to kill Valentina. I’m truly grateful that we didn’t end up getting married. Turns out you’re really not worthy of me!”

Jasmine felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her body felt weak and unable to move. She stared at Christopher with reddened eyes in disbelief, as though she could not believe what she was hearing. The Christopher she knew, the one she loved and trusted, had changed within hours. He had become someone else—someone cold, someone who did not care.

Jasmine felt humiliated, deeply belittled. She felt like she was nothing, as if she meant nothing to Christopher. She tried to speak, but no sound came out. She could only stare at Christopher with red eyes filled with hatred.

However, Jasmine did not want to show her weakness. She did not want to show that she was in pain, that she was hurt. She tried to stand tall, to look at Christopher with sharp, cold eyes. She tried to show that she did not care, that she was not affected by Christopher’s words.

Jasmine glared at Christopher, as if the fire of anger was burning inside her heart. “You will regret this decision, Chris,” she said, her voice trembling with overwhelming intensity. “She is not a good woman. One day, you will be destroyed by your own choice!” The curse slipped from her lips.

Christopher looked at Jasmine sharply, as if he was not intimidated by the threat. “I will not regret anything, Jasmine,” he said, his voice full of contempt. “Including leaving you, who are no longer beautiful.” The insult was like a knife stabbing into Jasmine’s heart, making her feel utterly destroyed.

Jasmine clenched her fists, trying to hold back the surging emotions. She felt as though she was useless, as if she meant nothing to Christopher anymore. In the past, Christopher had always praised her beauty, calling her “the most beautiful rose.” But now, she only received insults, being called “no longer beautiful.” The humiliation felt like a knife piercing her heart, shattering her. Once showered with praise, she now had to endure being insulted by her own lover, making the pain cut even deeper.

“Just go already,” Valentina said in a rude and sarcastic tone. “You’re useless staying here.”

Jasmine glared at Valentina with hatred, then turned her gaze back to Christopher. “Fine, I’ll go,” she said, her voice slightly trembling. “I will let this destruction go. But remember, you will pay dearly for all of this! Mark my words!” With a serious and threatening tone, Jasmine walked out of the apartment she had lived in for so long, leaving Christopher and Valentina standing there, staring at the door with restless eyes.

The sound of the door closing marked Jasmine’s departure, leaving behind a suffocating silence in the apartment. That silence was like a deep abyss, swallowing all the memories that had once existed. Love that had once bloomed and carried hope had now turned into bitter and painful memories.

Jasmine walked out of the apartment, leaving behind all the memories she had created with Christopher. She was determined to forget everything, to erase all the memories that caused her pain. However, deep in her heart, a burning flame remained—a fire fueled by vengeance and hatred.

Jasmine looked ahead, her eyes filled with determination. "I will forget you, Christopher, she said to herself. But I will never forget your betrayal. I will repay all of this. I will make you pay dearly for everything you’ve done."

To be continued…