CHAPTER 2
1638 Words
Jasmine's Pov
It was a contract but yet, we truly fell in love. Or so I thought.
“So. You've been waiting for her all along and now that she's back, what are you going to do to me? Throw me away?”
“Jasmine, you…” Alexander started but Gianna cut him off.
“What are you saying?” Gianna asked softly, her brows knitting together as if she was genuinely confused. Gianna took a small step forward, glancing between Alexander and me.
“I don’t want to break you two apart,” she continued, turning back to me. “I really don’t want to. If you love each other, I would never intentionally come between you. I just… I have nowhere else to go right now. Right now, Alexander is the only person who can help me.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “As soon as I remember everything,” she added quickly, “I’ll leave. I promise you.”
For two seconds, there was silence.
Then I laughed. Gianna flinched slightly, as if startled by the sharpness of it. “Do you think I'm stupid?” I asked, wiping at the corner of my eye as if I had just heard the best joke of my life.
Her lips parted. “What?”
I looked at Alexander instead. “Are you senseless?”
His expression hardened. “Jasmine, watch your tone.”
“No, you watch yours,” I shot back immediately. “A woman who supposedly does not know who she is or where she came from somehow manages to find her way to our engagement party. Out of the entire city, she walks into that exact hotel at that exact time. She hears your name and suddenly remembers that you are the only person she can rely on. Doesn’t it sound very convenient to you?”
Alexander frowned. “She explained that she saw the event banner outside the hotel and felt drawn to the name. Memory loss does not mean she is incapable of instinct.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Instinct led her to the precise venue of your engagement party?”
Gianna shook her head quickly. “N… no. It's not that. I can explain…”
“There is nothing to explain,” I replied coldly. “You’re pretending.”
Her eyes widened as if I had just accused her of murder. “Why would I pretend to lose my memory? What would I gain from that?”
“You’ll gain sympathy and protection,” I answered. “You gain a place in his house without being questioned. You gain the right to stand beside him without anyone daring to push you away because you are the poor, helpless first love who doesn’t remember her own name.”
Alexander stepped in front of her slightly, his protective instinct so obvious that it made my stomach churn.
“Enough, Jasmine,” he said sternly. “You are crossing a line.”
“I am crossing a line?” I repeated incredulously. “I am the one crossing a line?”
Gianna’s voice trembled again, “I understand that you are upset,” she said gently. “Anyone would feel threatened in your position.”
“What?” I said through clenched teeth.
Gianna continued softly, “If I were in your shoes, I might also feel jealous. I might also think the worst of another woman.”
“Your story doesn't add up and you know it.” I shot back.
She lowered her gaze, her lashes casting faint shadows on her cheeks. “It hurts that you think I am capable of something so manipulative. I already lost my memories. Now I'm a liar?” a sob escaped her lips.
Alexander’s voice turned cold. “Apologize.”
I looked at him slowly. “For what?”
“For attacking her when she has done nothing wrong.”
I let out a disbelieving breath. “She has done nothing wrong? She walked into our engagement party, and you did not think to investigate anything. You didn't question the hospital records properly. You didn't verify her identity. You simply saw her face and decided that she’s telling the truth.”
His eyes flashed. “Because I know her.”
“People change, Alexander.”
Gianna lifted her head again, and this time her expression held a trace of pride. “Maybe you just cannot accept that he loved me first.”
“What?”
“I’m not the villain here,” she continued, her tone still soft but her words cutting. “You can't blame me because he never stopped loving me. If anything, you should question whether your relationship was strong enough to survive this in the first place.”
Before I could stop myself, my hand moved. The sound echoed sharply in the room. My palm connected with her cheek, snapping her head to the side. A loud sharp sound rang throughout the room as Gianna stared at me in shock.
I had slapped her.
A faint red mark began to bloom against her pale skin. Alexander grabbed my wrist immediately, his grip tight, his face filled with anger.
“Are you crazy?!” he roared.
“I…”
Alexander’s grip tightened painfully around my wrist. “Apologize right now.”
“No,” I replied, looking him straight in the eye.
Gianna let out a soft sob behind him. “Please don't fight because of me. It's my fault. It's all my fault. I just wanted to explain myself to Jasmine so she wouldn't misunderstand.”
Her words sounded submissive, but they only poured oil onto the fire.
Alexander snapped. “She is still defending you after you hit her.”
Gianna shook her head quickly, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I don’t understand why you hate me so much. I didn't plan for this to happen.” She clutched Alexander’s sleeve again, her fingers trembling. “Maybe I should just leave. If she can't tolerate my presence, I can try to survive somewhere else.”
Alexander immediately turned to her, his voice softening in a way that made my chest ache. “You aren't going anywhere.” He then looked back at me, and whatever warmth once existed in his eyes was gone. “Apologise to her and I'll forget this happened.”
“I said no.”
Alexander’s expression darkened further. “Then you leave me no choice.” Alexander grabbed my arm tightly, almost painfully and began dragging me towards the stairs.
I gasped at the pain. “Alexander, let go of me. Let go.”
“Since you can't control your temper, I'll help you with it.” he said through clenched teeth.
Gianna gasped softly. “Don’t be too harsh on her. She’s just emotional.” Her voice followed us down the hallway. He dragged me up the stairs toward the attic. My heart began to pound violently as realization dawned on me.
“Alexander, no.” I said, panic creeping into my voice.
He ignored me and yanked the attic door open. The space above was pitch black.
“No,” I said, digging my heels into the floor. “You know I hate the dark.”
“You’ll stay there until you come to your senses,” he replied coldly. He pushed me forward, and I stumbled into the attic. Before I could turn around properly, he stepped back and began pulling the door shut.
“Alexander, please,” I begged, my voice cracking. “You know what happens when I'm alone in darkness. Please don't do this.”
He knew about my childhood trauma, about the night I was kidnapped and locked in a storage room, about the panic attacks that came with darkness. He had held me through those episodes before. He had promised me that he would never let me face that fear alone again. For a brief second, our eyes met. There was hesitation and guilt in his gaze, but it vanished quickly.
“I’ll open the door in a few hours.”
“Please,” I whispered desperately, stepping toward him. “Alex. Please.” He maintained eye contact as he shut the door completely. The click of the lock sliding into place echoed louder than any scream I could have let out.
“Alexander!” I shouted, rushing toward the door and banging on it with both fists. “Open the door! I’m sorry! I'm sorry for hitting her, just open the door!”
There was no answer. I continued pounding against the wood, my palms stinging with each impact. “Please! Don't do this to me!”
Footsteps moved away from the door.
Then I heard Gianna’s soft voice downstairs. “She’ll calm down after some time. Don't be too angry with her.”
Alexander’s voice responded, lower and gentler than it had been with me. “You shouldn't be standing. Let me carry you to the room.”
My breathing faltered. I heard the faint sound of movement, the creak of the stairs, and then silence. They were gone. I slid down against the attic door, my hands trembling violently. Every shadow in the room felt like it was closing in on me.
My breaths became uneven. My heart pounded so hard that it hurt.
“Please, let me out.” I whispered to no one.
Tears streamed down my face as I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to contain the shaking. The attic was completely silent except for my sobs echoing in the empty space. The man who once promised to protect me had locked me away for another woman. And I was left alone in the dark, exactly where he knew I feared being the most.
- Writer
