A Daddy for Christmas

She's a Liability

THE city Christmas lights and decorations blurred as Jasmine drove through the evening haze, the weight of the cryptic message still pressing on her chest. Collins… her mind raced. Her husband, the man she had trusted with every part of her life, as a wife should trust her husband, was in some kind of danger, but not from the shadow network she had thought. The threat wasn’t external; it was right under her nose.

The message from her contact had said "Possible threat: shadow network targeting Collins. Details unclear. Stay alert." But that wasn't the whole story. She had trusted Collins, never imagining he could be caught up in something like this.

As the streets grew darker, Jasmine’s hands gripped the steering wheel, her thoughts clouded. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find when she reached Collins’ office, but she had to know the truth.

The sleek black exterior of the building loomed before her as she pulled into the parking garage. The elevator ride to the top floor felt like an eternity, her thoughts racing faster than the numbers above the door. Collins had always been a mystery to her, yet she had never doubted him. Not until now.

The door to his office was slightly ajar, the faint sound of murmured voices coming from inside. She paused, heart pounding in her chest. Was he on a call? She wasn’t sure, but something about the scene felt off. She paused at the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Through the c***k, she could hear muffled voices, Collins and Danielle, her supposed close friend. Her breath caught in her throat. Although she hadn't trusted Danielle, she hadn't trusted anyone, because she knew things like this— betrayals, would surely surface, but she believed her to be someone who was always on her side, but what she overheard now made her question everything over again.

“I don’t get why you are still dealing with her, Collins,” Danielle’s voice was sharp, filled with contempt. “She is such a liability. All she does is hide behind her little jewelry store story, store that isn't even hers, she is an employee. You are the one carrying her, you know? She doesn’t even earn half of what you do. What is the point?”

Collins’ low chuckle sent a chill down Jasmine’s spine, then the sounds of kissing lips and sucking of teeth followed, disgusting her.

“I know my darling…”

“Huh!” Jasmine gasped, cupping her left hand over her mouth.

“I have been thinking the same thing. I mean, it is not like she knows what she is doing in business. It is all smoke and mirrors. I have been the one holding everything together. If she wasn't so tied up in her own little world, I would be able to move on without this burden.”

Danielle’s voice softened but held a mocking tone.

“Honestly, you deserve better, Collins. You need someone who understands how to actually make things happen, someone who would assist in taking your company to the top, not someone who pretends to be successful while dragging you down.”

Jasmine felt her heart sink. This wasn’t the man she thought she knew. This wasn’t the life she had worked so hard to build with him. Her fingers gripped the handle of the door, her knuckles white as her anger surged.

Her mind raced with questions. How long had they been talking like this behind her back? How much of her life had Collins truly despised? Jasmine had always kept her private world hidden from him, but this betrayal cut deeper than she could have imagined.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open slowly, not bothering to announce her presence. The room fell into a heavy silence as both Collins and Danielle froze, their faces draining of color when they saw her standing in the doorway.

Collins pulled away from Danielle, his face paling, his eyes widened, and his usual confident demeanor faltered.

“Jasmine…” Collins stammered, standing quickly, his chair scraping against the floor. “I— I wasn’t expecting you. What… what are you doing here?” He asked.

Jasmine didn’t say anything immediately. She just stood there, her eyes fixed on the scene in front of her, the hurt too fresh to be able to articulate. Slowly, her gaze moved from Collins to Danielle, who had now awkwardly pushed herself back into the chair, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“I should be asking you that question, Collins. Or should I say, what you were doing here… with her?” She finally spoke, her voice was steady, cold.

“You are cheating on me… with her?” She added, turning the Danielle, who scrambled to adjust her blouse, trying to mask the nervousness that suddenly flooded her face.

“Jasmine, I—”

“No need to explain,” Jasmine interrupted, her voice sharp. She took a step forward, feeling the anger bubble up in her chest. “I overheard everything. You really think I don’t know how you talk about me when I’m not around? About how I’m a ‘liability,’ how I’m ‘dragging you down’? That is rich coming from you, Collins.” As she mentioned ‘liability’ and ‘dragging you down’ she gestured with her fingers.

Collins stood frozen, unable to respond, his face a mixture of guilt and disbelief.

Jasmine shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

“You have been lying to me for years, hiding your real feelings. You are right, I’m not the woman you want me to be, but I have built my life, my empire, without you, and I don’t need your approval anymore.”

With that, Jasmine turned and walked out, the door slamming behind her with a force that echoed through the empty hallway. The cold realization set in: she had been blind, but now, the truth was impossible to ignore.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she reached the elevator. It was a text from Karissa’s school, reminding her of an upcoming parent-teacher conference. But at that moment, none of it mattered. The life she had built with Collins, the life she thought was secure, was nothing more than a lie. And now, she would have to face the truth, whatever it meant for the future.

Jasmine didn’t wait for the elevator to reach the ground floor. She pressed the button to call it, but instead, she made a sharp decision. She wasn’t going to let Collins control her anymore.

She would confront him later, but for now, or was there even any need for confrontation? No, she didn't think so, there was one thing she needed to do. She needed to leave him and take back the life she had worked so hard for.

As she climbed into her car, she relaxed into the seat and breathed out a long sigh, resting her head on the headrest, trying to clear her head. Then she took out her phone, opened the text message she had received in effect to this heartbreaking encounter, and quickly replied the text.

A few minutes later, she got a reply. Whoever it was had stated that, he was working on the server of her husband's company, and accidentally came across what triggered him to send the text.

“Hmm,” she mouthed.

Quickly, she placed a call to one of her contacts.