Chapter 19
Martin and Jasmine agreed to meet each other in a coffee shop. The wind chime tolled as he opened the door and walked through it. The first thing he saw when he entered the place was her, sitting in a corner.
It had been a month since they last saw each other, but it felt like a long, tormenting year instead. As he laid eyes on her, he felt almost dazed, as if it were all a dream.
Jasmine had changed a lot. She was his assistant when they were still together, so she wore professional attire most of the time. Yes, they might’ve occasionally had some kinky, intimate moments after work, but she had always come across as proper in his eyes.
Now, she was wearing casual attire with her hair tied up, revealing her fair and slender neck. Surprisingly, it took him back to the days when everything had just begun, and she was still the youthful lady who was secretly in love with him.
Martin was stunned for several seconds before he could begin walking again, greeting her with a smile.
“Jasmine, it’s been a long time.” Suppressing his urge to pull her into his arms, he stared at her, greedy and mesmerized.
“Yeah. Let’s get to the point. I agreed to meet you because I want to make things clear between us.” Jasmine wasn’t in the mood to reminisce.
After she took a sip of her coffee, she intended to keep going, but Martin interrupted her. “I know what’s on your mind. I was in the wrong, and I should’ve come to terms with my actual feelings. It’s my fault that Alessa hurt you. Jasmine, I finally realized that I love you. It has always been you.”
He unloaded everything on his mind in one breath. His eyes sparkled as he eagerly waited for her response.
To him, Jasmine was madly in love with him, and that was why she would definitely forgive him and return to Corvalis with him. The thing was, she had been expressionless the whole
time.
Jasmine curled her lips emotionlessly and said, “Martin, it’s too little, too late. Your apology or your love can’t make things right anymore. If that’s all you have to say, I’ll be going now. This is pointless.”
Martin’s expression immediately changed. He instinctively grabbed her hand, panic flashing across his face.
“It’s not too late, Jasmine. We have a future together. I’ve punished Alessa. Just return to my
Chapter 19
side, and everything that’s mine is yours.
“We’ve been together for four years. Are you going to tell me that you fell out of love because of what happened in the past month? I know you’re just mad. Slap me or lecture me all you want. Jasmine, please. Will you get back together with me?”
Jasmine shook his hand off and replied nonchalantly, “That’s right. Everything that happened in the past month let me see your true colors.
“I don’t love you anymore, Martin, and I’m not going back. Have a nice life with Alessa,” she said as she rose to her feet, intending to leave the coffee shop.
Her reaction took Martin utterly by surprise. In his heart, Jasmine had always loved him to death. How could she just stop loving him out of nowhere?
He had never been this panicked. When he learned that Jasmine had left, he comforted himself, telling himself that she still loved him. Now that he finally saw her in person, she told him the complete opposite.
At that moment, it felt like someone stabbed him in the heart. His pride was shaken, and his body trembled uncontrollably as he gripped her hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Letting go of his pride, he spoke, his voice tinged with a helpless, almost pitiful sob. “Jasmine, don’t do this to me. I know I was in the wrong, and I mean it. If you would forgive me, we’ll get married right away. I won’t let you be my mistress anymore.
“You can continue to work as an assistant in Quinlan Group if that’s what you want. If you’d rather stay at home, I’ll make sure your needs are met and make the money.
“From here on out, what’s mine is yours. No matter who shows up in our lives, I’ll never hurt
you again.
“Jasmine, please. Forgive me this once. We’ve been together for a very long time. You can’t just abandon me because of one mistake I made.”
In the past, Jasmine would’ve been thrilled to hear Martin say something like that. After all, she spent eight years in love with him, and the moment had finally come–they were finally going to be together in an honest way.
However, she had given up on him because of Alessa, letting eight years of feelings scatter like dust in the wind. Whenever she looked back on the past, she hated herself for failing to see him for who he really was and wasting this much time on him.
Taking a deep breath, she flung his hand off decisively. “Martin, I’ve made it perfectly clear. We were never meant to share a future. Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?
“Back then, I said that I would leave the moment the woman you loved returned. When Alessa returned to Brindlea, I harbored a sliver of anticipation as well.
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“I hoped that you had developed real feelings for me and would move on from her for me. But the truth had proven otherwise.”
As Martin saw the expression on Jasmine’s face, he had a strong feeling that he was about to lose her. He kept shaking his head. For the first time in his life, he cried in front of someone else, almost begging as he reached out to grab her.
“I messed up. I know I did. Give me a chance to make it up to you, Jasmine. Jasmine!”
But she didn’t turn to look at him. Without a trace of hesitation, she walked away and disappeared from his sight.
