Chapter 3: Fatal Betrayal
1452 Words
Natalie walked into the cold night with an umbrella shielding her from the pouring rain. Her gaze was fixed on Jasmine, who was lying in the pool of her blood, her gaze sharp and dark.
She took slow, steady steps towards Jasmine, her heels tapping gently into the puddle. She stopped two feet away from Jasmine and gazed at her for a few seconds before bending over, her umbrella still held in her hand.
Natalie’s lips curved into a cold, satisfied smile as she crouched beside Jasmine’s pale body. The rain dripped off her umbrella, droplets splashing onto Jasmine’s pale face.
“Such a pity, my dear Jasmine.” Natalie whispered as she patted Jasmine's cheek, trying to get a reaction from her, but Jasmine had already passed out, however, she could hear some faint voices around her.
“You wouldn’t have been in this condition had you not love the wrong person. You should have stayed away from Ethan. Why did he love you and not me?” Natalie’s hand tightened around the umbrella handle, her eyes blazing.
“No matter how many times I confessed my love to him, he never looked at me, all because of you. I should have been the one by his side and not you. It’s all your fault.”
Natalie spat, her voice dripping with something cold, her lips curling as if the words themselves taste bitter. She had also loved Ethan for the past few years she had known him. Being friends with Jasmine was part of her scheme in getting Ethan. Who knew that Ethan’s heart is already filled with only Jasmine, and for that, she hated Jasmine more.
She was the one behind Jasmine’s accident. She had hired a hit-man a few days ago. Her plan was to take Jasmine out of the way in order to be with Ethan. After hearing all that Ethan’s said earlier, she was quite happy.
She had rushed to the rooftop, trying to contact the hit-man not to do the job anymore. However, it was too late. He wasn’t picking up. It was after he had run Jasmine over she received a call from him.
Instead of feeling pity for Jasmine, she felt that Jasmine deserved all that was happening to her. All the pain Ethan’s rejection had caused her, Jasmine must also taste it.
After Natalie says her fill, she stands up and turns around, not minding if Jasmine survived or not. A faint sound of phone ringing stops her. She turned around and saw Jasmine’s clutch not far away.
She walks towards it and picks it up. She fished out Jasmine’s phone and saw that it was Ethan calling. Her eyes lit up as if Ethan had called her directly. She immediately picked up the call, but she didn’t say anything. She waited patiently for Ethan to speak.
“Mimi, where are you? Can we talk? All that you heard earlier was all a lie. I love you so much. I was just trying to…” Natalie angrily hung up the call, her anger brewing more.
How dare Ethan? Didn’t he say he doesn’t love Jasmine a few minutes ago? Why is he changing his words again? With hatred, Natalie maliciously kicked Jasmine leg and spat, “you deserve being run-down by a car, you vixen. I hope you will never survive this.”
After saying that, Natalie took Jasmine’s phone and left the crime scene, not minding if Jasmine survives the accident.
****
Ethan made way to his car inside the heavy rain in a rush, his hand shaking as he opened his Rolls-Royce door. He kept on trying Jasmine’s number, but no one was picking up. He had called earlier to explain himself, and also try to know how she was feeling, but he was hung up on.
After getting behind the wheel, Ethan drove out of the clubhouse and sped off into the rain. His mind was occupied with how fast he could reach Jasmine.
He drove straight to Jasmine’s apartment. Halfway there, he received a message from Jasmine. He happily picks up his phone, but what he saw next shattered his heart.
He didn’t know when he parked his car, his hand clutching tightly on the steering wheel as he stared at the pictures, his hands shaking, his eyes widened.
In a room, Jasmine was lying under the sheet with another man, cuddling happily. The pictures look real. And the fact that the pictures were taken in Jasmine’s room shattered Ethan’s heart more.
The woman under the sheet was none other than Jasmine. Her head was lying peacefully on the man’s chest, her eyes closed. He zoomed in on the picture, trying to find a clue that it was all fake, but all he saw makes the pictures painfully convincing.
The curtains, the bedspread, even the painting hanging on the wall was a gift he gave her on her last birthday. Ethan’s chest heaved rapidly, his breath ragged as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
Under the pictures was a message. “You aren’t the only one who can play, Ethan? Two can play the game. I was also fooling around with you. This is my real boyfriend.”
“Damn it, Jasmine.” Ethan shouted, his car feeling the weight of his anger. “After all the years we spent together, you finally showed me that you are just like the other girls who played with my feelings.”
Ethan laughed bitterly, his voice cracked. Deep down, he doesn’t want to believe the pictures, but all the details and evidence was real. There was no sign of the pictures being photoshopped, or any trick of AI.
He immediately dialed Jasmine number again, but it was switched off. ‘I better not get my hands on you, Jasmine.’ Ethan thought as he stared outside the car window, watching the rain as it kept pouring.
His phone buzzed after a few seconds. His eyes lit up as hope flickered in his chest, thinking it was Jasmine calling, but the name he saw made his face cold, the light in his eyes dim instantly. It was his father.
Without thinking twice, he switched off his phone angrily. With an anger-filled chest, he started his car and drove off to his apartment. The rain kept falling, the darkness outside matching the one slowly swallowing his heart.
****
It had been more than twenty minutes since Jasmine’s accident. She was left lying on the road under the rain without any help. No car was passing by due to the heavy rain. A few miles away, a car sped towards the road Jasmine was laying in the pool of her blood.
The headlights cut through the darkness, water splashing everywhere due to the speed of the black SUV. It suddenly slowed down a few meters before reaching where Jasmine was lying.
“What happened, John? Why did you slow down?” A middle aged man's voice echoed from the back seat.
“Sir, there seems to be an accident. Someone is lying down there. I don’t know if he or she is alive.”
“Stop the car.” Dr. Andrew immediately opened the backseat door and stepped out, not minding if the accident was a trap.
“Sir, please be careful.” John unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car. Before John could say anything, his boss was already crouching over, checking if Jasmine was still breathing.
“She is still breathing. Come help me carry her into the car.” John rushed forward. With his help, Jasmine was carried into the car.
“Drive to the nearest hospital immediately.” Dr. Andrew instructed John, who immediately got into the car.
“Sir, did you know her? She kinda looks familiar.” John whispered as he started the car.
“Don’t question me. Do what you are asked to do.” Dr. Andrew said, his voice devoid of any emotion as he started giving Jasmine some first aid treatment.
“Yes sir.” With that, John drove as fast as he could to the nearest hospital, his head filled with many unanswered questions.
That night marked the end of a painful heartbreak, and the beginning of a new life for Jasmine. When Jasmine regains consciousness, the world she once knew was gone, and so was the fragile girl she used to be.
But amidst that pain and loss, a man’s kindness pulled her back from the edge. Dr. Andrew didn’t just save her life, he gave her a new purpose to live. From that night, the girl who loves too deeply died, and Dr. Jasmine Woods was born.
- Writer
