Three Can Play

Jasmine’s POVThe drive home was a blur of pain and tears that I wiped away with the back of my hand. I tried not to think of how Emily clung to Caleb all night long because even after everything he had said, a small, desperate part of me believed I could fix this. Maybe if I showed him I could still be the woman he once wanted, he would remember why he married me.But I never truly knew what he wanted because I had followed everything he told me, yet he was never satisfied. I stopped being ambitious and turned into the quiet housewife he demanded, but now he mocked me for it. I lost so many scholarships and business opportunities because he did not want me to explore. I remained by his side, but now he hated me for it.By the time I got to the estate, it was nearly twelve but I did not go to bed. Instead, I went straight to the kitchen. My body ached with exhaustion, but I forced myself to move. I began to prepare his favorite dish in hopes that he would finally smile at me when he

Jasmine’s POVI woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. I sat up in bed, clutching the duvet to my chest as I realized I wasn’t home.Memories of the night before came rushing back in painful flashes. The club, the tequila, the devastating breakdown, and the stranger I had tried to hire to help me make Caleb jealous.Panic seized my throat.I looked down and realized I was still fully clothed, with my dress wrinkled but intact. Beside the bed and sitting in an armchair was the stranger, who was fast asleep, with his long legs stretched out.Humiliation washed over me in waves as I remembered all that I had told him. I had broken down, sobbed like a child, and tried to pay a complete stranger to pretend to love me."What is wrong with me?" I whispered to myself.I scrambled off the bed, with my hands shaking uncontrollably. I grabbed my purse, pulled out the stack of cash I had brought with me, and set it on the bedside table, because I wanted to pay him for the room and hi