Chapter 7

Jasmine's eyes turned even redder when she saw Rowena. She said tearfully, "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I'm sorry, Roland. We can be family again in my next lifetime!" She slashed her wrists, deeper this time. Blood poured out. She smiled in despair and shut her eyes. "Jasmine!" everyone shouted in unison, looking panicked. They ran to her and held her. A note fell out of her clasped hand. On it was a simple sentence. "I like you, Jordan. Don't get married, please." Everyone fell silent at that. Roland was the first to speak. "Let's take Jasmine to the hospital!" The others snapped to their senses and fluttered around like headless chickens. Finally, Jordan hoisted Jasmine into his arms while Melinda tried to stop the bleeding. She wanted nothing more than to endure the pain on Jasmine's behalf when she saw the latter's furrowed brows. The group left in a hurry, and Rowena silently returned to her room. She'd expected this to happen. … Everyone was back home when Rowena woke up the following morning. They sat around her bed, looking at her in concern. "Do your wounds still hurt, Ro?" Melinda blew on the scratches on Rowena's palm, her touch light as she changed the bandage. Roland sat nearby, peeling an apple. Philip had someone bring him a teddy bear, which he placed by Rowena's bedside. He said, "You could never fall asleep without a teddy bear, Ro. Your old one has gone missing, so I've gotten you a new one." Jordan brought her a tray of nutritious food for her breakfast. He even wanted to feed her. "I made this for you, Ro. They're all your favorites, so have a taste." Rowena almost thought she'd traveled back in time when she saw how nice they were being to her. This was how they'd treated her when she'd been sick in the past. For a moment, she couldn't help drowning in this fake warmth. The four were relieved after she finished her breakfast and looked much more relaxed. Melinda asked in trepidation, "Are you feeling better now, Ro?" Rowena instantly extricated herself from the warmth when she saw the expectant looks on their faces. "What do you guys really want? Let's hear it." They exchanged looks and hesitated. After a while, Melinda finally spoke up. "Our hearts are breaking for Jasmine, Ro. The silly thing adored Jordan but didn't dare say anything because she didn't want to take him from you. "Still, she couldn't take it when she heard you two were getting married. That's why she tried to take her life. Her biggest wish is to have a wedding with Jordan, even if it's fake. Can you… can you grant her wish?" Jordan hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Ro. It's just a fake wedding to make her wish come true. You're the only one I love—that will never change." Roland added, "You and Jordan grew up together, Ro. Shouldn't you have faith in him? This is Jasmine's only wish—let it come true." "Exactly. Jasmine isn't the healthiest—she might do something extreme if her wish isn't granted," Philip said. They thought they would have to spend a long time persuading Rowena, but she calmly said, "Sure. Do whatever you want." She wanted to tell Jordan that she didn't even care if he actually married Jasmine. With that, she coldly chased them out of her room.