The Words I Left Behind

Jasmine called William.

After he declined the call three times in a row, she ran out of patience.

She sent him a text.

Sure enough, he called back in less than two minutes.

But his voice sounded tired—deeply tired.

"Jennifer's sick. I need to stay with her," he said. "We'll deal with the last thing in a couple of days."

He was about to hang up when Jasmine quickly shouted, "No!"

Right after she said it, William let out a cold laugh. "It's just two days, not a breach of contract. Jasmine, don't push it!"

Her nose stung, and she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. She laughed, trying to sound light, even though her whole body was aching.

"William, there's just one thing left. After that, you're free. What—is it that you're having second thoughts? Want to stay married to me a little longer? Fine by me. I've got no problem with that."

William had always been bad at holding his temper when she used that kind of talk.

And just like always, it worked.

After he hung up, Jasmine held her phone and laughed until she couldn't stop, until tears ran down her face and into her mouth.

The bitterness of it all felt like a blade twisting in her heart.

She was afraid he would notice something was off. Afraid he would mock her again, even when she was so close to the end.

So, Jasmine asked Tania to help her put on makeup before he arrived.

It usually only took five minutes to walk downstairs, but Jasmine took nearly 20 to finally reach William.

"You're so slow. It's the last thing. Just spit it out." William said.

He was clearly annoyed, but Jasmine wasn't in a rush at all. She got into the passenger seat and buckled herself in, and she only looked at him after she settled down.

"It's simple," she said. "Make me lunch."

William stared at her like he didn't believe it. "Just lunch?"

Jasmine nodded. "Just lunch."

He kept looking at her, unsure, like he was trying to figure out if she was messing with him.

The first four things, Jasmine had made as difficult as possible. So for the last one, William had expected something outrageous—something as impossible as pulling the moon from the sky.

But to his surprise, all Jasmine asked for was a home-cooked lunch.

He glanced at the time, then picked up his phone and sent a few messages. After that, he drove them to the grocery store.

This was the first time Jasmine had ever gone shopping with William. It was also the first time they felt like a regular married couple.

William pushed the cart while Jasmine stood beside him, telling him what to get. At checkout, Jasmine stood quietly next to him.

A child came running past, nearly crashing into her.

William instinctively pulled her behind him, shielding her.

His hand, in that moment, gripped hers tightly.

Jasmine lowered her gaze to their hands that were tightly held together, and her eyes began to blur with tears again.

This was only the second time William had ever held her hand on his own.

But before she could even feel the warmth of his palm, he quickly let go.

After that, she followed him back to their marital home.

The house didn't hold many memories for them. William had been forced to marry her, and ever since, he had fought back in every way he could.

Ninety-nine affairs, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

After changing his shoes, William went straight into the kitchen. Jasmine had been holding herself together all this time, and she finally let out a breath and slid down to the floor the second he turned away.

By the time he came back out, she had already put her mask back on. She sat there calmly, watching him serve the food like nothing had happened.

She didn't even know William could cook.

A man who was proud and untouchable, had actually learned to cook for a woman.

William must really love Jennifer.

"Why is there so much food? It's just the two of us, and I don't think we can possibly finish this," Jasmine said, frowning as he kept bringing food out.

With her body in this state, there was no way she could eat that much. She was scared that one bite too many would give her away.

William placed down the last plate, looking calm.

"Who said it's just the two of us?"