Chapter 6

The next time Jasmine woke up, it was to the sharp voice of a nurse. "Why is no one watching her? The IV line has backflow! This could've been serious!" the nurse scolded. Jasmine slowly lifted her arm and saw that her hand had swollen terribly. She picked up her phone and saw that seven hours had passed. Caesar had never come back the entire time. "Miss, where's your very handsome boyfriend?" the nurse asked while changing her bandage. "You can't be left alone during an IV drip. That was really dangerous just now." Jasmine tugged at her lips and said, "He's not my boyfriend." She slowly walked back to her room alone while steadying herself against the wall. The entire time she did so, the chatter in the hallway pierced her ears like needles. "That Ms. Harding is so lucky. Her stepfather treats her so well, and her boyfriend is super handsome!" "I heard the boyfriend booked an entire VIP ward and brought in foreign specialists. He's stayed with her nonstop for a whole day. With a stepfather and boyfriend like that, she must've saved the galaxy in her past life…" Unconsciously, Jasmine walked to the door of the ward in question. Through the half-open door, she saw Caesar bent over. He was adjusting Sabrina's IV drip, and his slender fingers delicately turning the dial. Roderick sat by the bed peeling an apple. The peel hung in a long, unbroken strip, and he was feeding the pieces to Sabrina one by one. Jasmine suddenly found it hard to breathe, and hot tears fell without warning, scorching her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away. "Jasmine," she said softly to the empty hallway. "Who are you crying for? No one cares. You're not allowed to cry!" When she turned, she straightened her back and walked quickly and steadily. Only her tightly clenched palms, now bleeding slightly, betrayed her pain. … In the days that followed, Caesar didn't show up again. It wasn't until her day of discharge that Jasmine saw the familiar black Maybach waiting at the hospital entrance. The window rolled down to reveal Caesar's well-defined profile. "Get in," he said coldly as usual. Jasmine turned to leave. "You want me to discipline you in front of all these people?" he threatened. Her steps halted abruptly at this sentence. She couldn't believe he would say something like that. In the past, when he said such things to "discipline" her, she took it as part of their fun. But now that his first love was back, why would he still treat her like this? She clenched her teeth and got in the car. Caesar handed her a booklet from an auction house. "You've seemed unhappy lately. Didn't you always love shopping? I'm taking you to an auction today," he said generously. Jasmine was about to decline, but then, her pupils contracted when she reached a certain page. It was her mother's pearl necklace! After Elvira moved in, she insisted that all of Jasmine's mother's belongings be cleared out under the excuse of her having nightmares. Jasmine had begged endlessly, only to be told by Roderick, "She's dead. Keeping her things is bad luck." She never imagined she'd see her mother's favorite necklace again here. Jasmine gripped the booklet tightly, crumpling the page in her palm. Her fingers trembled as she took out her phone and quickly messaged her private lawyer. "Sell all the wedding gifts in my bank vault now!" For this necklace, she could live with being married with nothing and becoming a laughingstock! … At the magnificent auction hall, Jasmine followed Caesar into the VIP section and immediately saw Sabrina sitting in a reserved seat. She was wearing a white dress and giving Jasmine a sweet smile. "Jasmine!" Sabrina affectionately hooked her arm around Jasmine's. "I said I wanted to apologize to you at the auction, but I didn't expect Caesar to really bring you along." She blinked, saying, "You two must be really close." Jasmine's whole body went stiff, and she slowly turned to look at Caesar. With his profile striking like a sculpture under the light, he looked down at the auction catalog. He didn't even spare her a single glance. So that was what this was. He hadn't brought her here because he noticed she was feeling down, nor to cheer her up. It was just because Sabrina wanted to "apologize", so he casually brought her along like a prop. Strangely, the pain Jasmine had expected from this revelation didn't come. Jasmine only felt a hollowness in her chest. It was as if a piece had been dug out, and yet, no more blood could flow.