Pain
1320 Words
Jasmine’s POV
The room spun the moment Charles finished his sentence. His voice kept echoing in my head, sharp and cold.
Do you think I can marry someone like you?
“Wh… what do you mean, Charles? We have been dating for three years,” I said in a broken voice. This is not how I expected this night to turn out. I had it all planned out.
“OH, please! Those were three years of hell! I have to ensure being with you. Don't you stare at yourself in the mirror? You are too big! Too controlling. You want everything to happen according to your wish. You are selfish and don't care about anyone else!” Charles burst out in a rant.
I gasped as I heard him speak. I have never imagined these words would come out of the mouth of Charles—my Charles, whom I knew and loved for the past three years.
The murmurs in the room turned into whispers that felt like knives sliding into my skin. Some people looked away, embarrassed for me. Others stared openly, their eyes wide with pity or judgment. Someone even raised a phone, and I knew they were recording. My humiliation would not stay in this room. It would spread.
My chest tightened so hard that I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
I stood up quickly, almost stumbling because my knees were weak. I didn’t look at Charles. I couldn’t. If I looked at him again, I would break completely here in front of everyone and humiliate myself again. I grabbed my purse with shaking hands and rushed toward the exit.
Behind me, chairs scraped the floor. People called my name softly.
“Jasmine… wait.”
“Are you okay?”
“Sweetheart, come here…”
I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
Tears blurred my vision as I pushed through the ballroom doors and stepped into the cold hallway. My heels clicked loudly, each step sounding like a heartbeat collapsing inside my chest.
When I finally reached outside, the cold air slapped my face, but it didn’t stop the tears that streamed freely.
I wrapped my arms around myself and gasped for breath.
He humiliated me.
In front of my colleagues.
In front of the entire company.
And for what?
Because he thought I was too big?
Because he thought I was selfish? Too controlling?
I felt like a hole had opened inside me, swallowing all the confidence I had ever built. I can feel the insecurities I felt as a teenager crawling to the surface.
I walked toward my car, but my legs were shaking so much that I could barely stand. I leaned against the door for a moment, letting my sobs come out in painful, broken gasps.
After a while, I forced myself to get into the car. My vision was so blurry that I had to sit for several minutes before I could even start the engine. My hands trembled on the steering wheel.
The worst part was that he didn’t chase after me.
He didn’t even try. Meaning he meant everything he said.
I drove home slowly, wiping tears over and over, but the pain stayed, heavy and unmovable. By the time I reached my street, my phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. Notifications popped nonstop.
At first, I ignored them. I didn’t want to see anything. But curiosity fought against fear, and fear eventually lost.
I opened my phone.
And my heart dropped.
A video.
Several videos.
Different angles.
Uploaded and circulating everywhere.
‘CMO publicly rejected by boyfriend’.
‘He said she is too big to marry. ’
‘Thanksgiving Proposal Disaster.’
‘Comments were already flowing in.’
“Why did she propose in public?”
“Poor girl.”
“He embarrassed her like that?”
“She deserves better.”
“Not gonna lie, she’s beautiful. He’s crazy.”
But some comments were cruel.
“That’s why men don’t like desperate women.”
“She should lose weight instead of kneeling for a man.”
“No wonder he said no.”
I locked my phone quickly, feeling like I couldn’t breathe again.
My chest hurt so much that I held it with my hand, hoping to steady myself. But nothing worked. The tears came again.
By the time I stepped into my house, my makeup was ruined. My hair was messy. My pride was gone.
I closed the door behind me and let out a shaky breath, thinking I could finally break down in private.
But I wasn’t alone.
My mother stood in the living room, arms crossed. My father sat on the chair, stern and disappointed. My two younger siblings, Daniel and Faith, hovered near the staircase, anger written all over their faces.
“Jasmine,” my mother said immediately. “What happened?”
I froze. They must have already seen the video.
“You didn’t even tell us you were planning something like that,” my father said, his voice low but firm. “Why would you embarrass yourself like that?”
The shame crawled up my throat. I felt exposed. Raw. Naked.
“I… I just wanted to do something special,” I whispered.
My mother walked closer. “And he rejected you like that? In public? What kind of man humiliates a woman like that?”
Daniel clenched his fists. “Where is he? I swear if I catch him—”
“Daniel,” my father warned.
Faith stepped forward, eyes burning with fury. “No, Dad. I’m serious. That guy is trash. The moment I saw the video, I wanted to go there myself and break his jaw.”
Tears filled my eyes again. “Please don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t do anything. I don’t want more drama.”
“You expect us to sit down and do nothing?” Daniel snapped. “He publicly humiliated you. He insulted you. And worst of all, he said—”
He stopped when my mother gave him a look, but I knew the words he refused to repeat.
He said I was too big.
He said it like I was disgusting.
He said it like my body made me unworthy of love.
The tears came again, thick and painful.
My mother wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into her chest. “Oh, sweetheart,” she whispered. “Don’t cry. We’re here.”
I buried my face in her shoulder, sobbing quietly. The warmth of her embrace made me cry even harder.
My father let out a long, heavy sigh. “Next time, you must talk to us before you make such big decisions. I’m not angry at you. I’m angry that a man who said he cared about you decided to destroy your dignity.”
Faith stepped closer and placed her hand on my back. “You’re beautiful, Jasmine. You’re so beautiful. Don’t you ever let his stupid mouth make you doubt that.”
Daniel’s jaw clenched. “Just say the word. I’ll go beat him up.”
“No,” I whispered again. “Please don’t. I just… I want to forget today ever happened.”
But deep inside, I knew forgetting would be impossible.
His words were carved into my heart.
Do you think I can marry someone like you?
I wiped my tears and looked at my family. Their anger, their protection, their love… it should have made me feel better.
But the pain was still there, sitting heavily in my chest.
I had loved Charles.
I had planned a future with him.
And in one moment, one sentence, he shattered everything.
As I stood there surrounded by the people who genuinely cared for me, I realized something painfully clear.
Tonight was the worst night of my life.
And tomorrow will be worse.
Because once the sun rises, I would have to face the world and the consequences of my actions.
- Writer
