Chapter 1

Jasmine’s POV

My fingers trembled so badly against my dress that I only made it more wrinkled.

“Stop fidgeting.” I heard Caleb snap as I nervously smoothed out my dress. At his words, I tried to relax but he wasn’t done. "Even though we both know you don’t belong here, try to pretend.”

He did not look at me as he adjusted his tie. His eyes were fixed on the mansion ahead, glowing with a hunger for the networking opportunities inside. "I have investors to impress. Don't embarrass me again like the last time.”

‘Last time’

The only thing I did last time was to stand up for myself when his mistress openly humiliated me.

"I am sorry, Caleb. I will do my best," I whispered. My heart hammered against my ribs in a familiar pattern of anxiety that had defined my last four years.

As we stepped onto the red carpet of the gala, I nervously reached for Caleb’s arm for comfort, but he stepped away before my fingers could touch him. He did not want to be seen stuck with me.

 Just like I feared, the ballroom was filled to the brim with countless business owners and within minutes, Caleb abandoned me near the drink fountain to join a circle of CEOs.

I stood there motionless as I watched him. He was professional, powerful, and cruel. He looked like a man who had everything, yet he spent every day making sure I felt like shit. With a sigh, I pushed away my thoughts and went to join him, hoping the night would go smoothly.

“Caleb, you made it.” I knew the voice before I could even turn. The voice belonged to Emily Johnson and she appeared beside Caleb as if it were her rightful place. She wore a dress that barely covered her, and I could see how men stared hungrily at her, including Caleb. 

He did not push her away. Instead, he slid a hand firmly around her waist, drawing her into the circle of businessmen while I stood behind him like an outcast.

I felt a familiar pang in my chest, but I didn’t dare to say a word. He always did this, and when I tried to speak up, things would escalate quickly.

As I watched Emily take her place right by my husband, I decided to make a difference today. I decided to pull him to me instead of watching silently. So, I spoke up.

“Caleb, how about we go get a drink?” I suggested in a small voice.

Caleb turned, with his brown eyes narrowing with immediate irritation but he did not let go of Emily. "I am busy, Jasmine. Can you not see that?"

Emily giggled and leaned her head on Caleb’s shoulder as her eyes assessed me coldly.

 "Oh, Caleb, don't be so mean, she probably just doesn't know what to do with herself when she isn't scrubbing your floors."

A few of the men in the circle chuckled, and Caleb’s lips curled into a smirk. 

"Scrubbing floors is the only thing she is actually qualified for. I married a housewife, Emily, not a socialite. There’s nothing exciting about her."

The humiliation made my eyes water as I looked at the man I had sacrificed my dreams for, the man I had remained submissive to through every cold silence and every late night. He was mocking me for the very woman he was cheating with.

"Caleb, please," I managed to say, with my voice trembling. "That is enough."

"Is it?" Caleb stepped closer and leaned down, with his voice a low hiss that only I and Emily could hear. "What are you going to do about it, Jasmine? Cry? Go home and wait for me in the dark like a good little dog? You are boring and a drag on my reputation. Look at Emily, then look at yourself. It is no wonder I have to look elsewhere for a spark."

Emily leaned in, her lips twisting. "You really should get a hobby, honey. Being a pathetic wife isn't a good look for a woman your age."

My vision blurred with pain and unshed tears, but I didn’t dare to say a word as all I could only fist my hands into my dress to stop my tears from falling.

Caleb’s eyes glowed with glee when he saw my pained expression. The only moments he was happy were when he was cheating or hurting me verbally, but still, I never let him go because I loved him. I thought that maybe I had just made him angry.

They laughed quietly and turned their backs on me while the conversation with the group continued. Humiliation made me step away from them and head to the corner of the hall to hide my face, as always. This was a regular pattern for Caleb, but it still hurt like hell each time.

I spent the next two hours sitting in a corner and watching them. Caleb openly flirted with Emily, feeding her grapes and whispering in her ear while people whispered about the ‘poor wife.’

By midnight, the air in the room felt suffocating. I found Caleb near the exit with Emily still draped over him.

"Caleb, I would like to go home now," I said, with my voice cool and controlled.

At the sound of my voice, I watched as his once cheerful face grew cold, but I quietly told myself it was perhaps the alcohol.

"You want to go home?" he barked, loud enough to draw stares from nearby guests. He reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys, and then threw them at my feet. "Fine, go. Get out of my sight."

I stared at the keys and then back at him with wide eyes. "Are you not coming? You know I can’t drive."

"I am staying here with someone who actually knows how to have a good time," he snapped, gesturing to Emily, who was smiling from ear to ear. "Take a cab or walk for all I care. Just get your depressing face out of this party before you ruin the rest of my night. You are a killjoy, Jasmine, and that’s why you piss me the hell off.”

My vision blurred with hot tears at the brutal humiliation.

"Go on, sweetie," Emily added, waving her hand my way. "The grownups are busy."