My Billionaire My Savior

Jasmine Mendoza had always imagined heartbreak would feel like a sharp, sudden thing - a clean break. Like a car crash. Like a loud scream. But when it actually happened, it was quiet. So quiet it felt like she wasn't even real. She stood frozen in the doorway of her living room, keys still dangling from her fingers, watching her husband, ex-husband now, she reminded herself numbly- tangled on the couch with her best friend of twenty years. Nina. Nina's laugh- soft,breathy,unmistakable-bubbled from her lips just before she saw Jasmine. Then the laughter died. Silence. Three pairs of eyes, all wide and stunned, locked together. "s**t!" he jumped up and scurried around for his clothes. Katherine stood up and pulled down her gown gracefully, almost as though she hadn't just been caught with her best friend's husband. Jasmine's eyes darted back and forth as she stood, too stunned to speak. She turned to Nina, her words barely a whisper now "Why?" she choked on tears. A huge lump stayed stuck in her throat. She wasn't about to cry, she told herself. There was no flicker of guilt in Nina's eyes. They both stood, fully dressed now, staring at Jasmine with no shame. "I did everything for you," Jasmine whispered. "I supported you through all your failed businesses. I worked two jobs to help you get back on your feet. I built that company with you. I sacrificed so much for this marriage." "Nina is carrying my child." Nina had curled her hands around her belly and Jasmine could finally see the little bump. How did she never notice that? When did the affair begin? How far along was Nina? So many questions paraded her mind as she stood glued to the ground. It felt like a kick down her spine. She bit her lips to prevent a hot stream of tears from flowing. Even though Peter Drucker, the man standing before her with no shame, had been making up several excuses for being distant the past few months; she had stayed true to him and had been planning a dinner to bring their marriage alive. "Jasmine.” Nina's voice was calm. "You should be happy for me, aren't we best friends after all?" she said with a half smile on her face. Jasmine gagged and rushed to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror as she wiped her face, she had never felt betrayal before but even now she still couldn't describe it. The woman in the mirror was different. Not,the Jasmine Mendoza who once negotiated multimillion-dollar deals and ran a growing empire. When she stepped out, the apartment was silent. Peter and Nina were gone. Jasmine quietly gathered her things. Her bag. Her keys. A half-packed suitcase she'd never finished filling. She didn't cry as she left. She felt beyond crying. She quietly dropped the house keys and left. The Courthouse was quiet, cold and smelled woody. She let out a huge sigh of relief as she scribbled on the final page of the divorce papers. Her name, once so familiar, now looked like someone else's when she wrote it. She slid the documents back across the desk and stood. Peter and Nina stood happily, happy to have her out of the picture. Peter had his hands around her waist, it was dreadful to see that they couldn't even wait before telling the world the marriage was done. "Do you have someone picking you up?" the clerk asked kindly. "No." Her voice was hoarse. "I'm fine." She really wanted to believe that she was fine, and that the 5 years of her marriage wasn't just over. That she hadn't gotten betrayed by her best friend and husband, now ex-husband she was quick to remind herself. Outside the courtroom, she stood waiting for the pouring rain to stop and almost as if the heavens heard her plea, it reduced to a light drizzle. The air was now chilly, Jasmine stood unsure of Where to go next. And then she saw him. Leaning against a parked car like a ghost from a memory. Leo Ramirez looked up from his phone and froze when he saw her. He looked older. Broader in the shoulders. A little more worn in the eyes. But she'd know him anywhere. His dark wavy hair still sat beautifully on his head, the blue eyes she had once fallen in love with still sparkled. Jasmine's breath caught in her throat. Leo straightened, hesitated ......and then walked toward her. Slowly. Like approaching a wounded animal that might bolt. "Jasmine,: he said, almost reverently. "Wow. It's really you." She stared at him, unsure of what to say. "Leo." He stared at her for a while and looked past her to the courthouse behind. "Never expected to see you..." he paused "Especially not here." She let out a bitter laugh. "No one ever expects to finalize their divorce on a Thursday afternoon." He winced. "I'm sorry" She crossed her arms. "Are you?" paused. "Yes. For more than just this." And there it was. The ache in her chest cracked wider. The man who once left her without explanation. The man who kissed her under the bleachers when they were twenty, promised her the world and disappeared without a goodbye. Now he was back. Now, when she was at her lowest. Now, when she didn't know whether to scream at him or collapse into his arms. "What do you want, Leo?" She asked, voice low. She was drained and just needed a safe space, an escape from the bitter reality of her life. He stepped closer. "Another Chance?" Jasmine stared at him, the pieces of her heart too broken to fit together just yet. But part of her wondered, even in her shattered state, if maybe, just maybe, she hadn't lost everything. But part of her wondered, even in her shattered state, if maybe, just maybe, she hadn't lost everything. Not yet.