"That's enough, Jasmine."
It was my father who spoke this time, coming forward to regard her gravely. "Zulekha, please take her upstairs. Talk to her. She's upset right now," he said to my mother.
"I'm not upset. I'm pissed off and I am hurt," she snapped at my father. "Your son isn't as innocent as he seems. You don't know what he did!"
"Jasmine," I said loudly and she looked back at me. "I think you need to leave. Please. Stop making trouble for my family."
Her face. Her face when I said those words just crumpled. Sobs came out as gasps from her throat and she dashed at the tears angrily. She threw one last look at Hamza, who only regarded her coldly, without an ounce of compassion.
Jasmine screwed her eyes shut and exhaled forcefully. Like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. Why wasn't I helping her? I should be helping her.
She opened her bloodshot eyes and looked straight at me. "Keep Layla away from him," she told me firmly and then turned and walked out of there, with those tears still glistening on her cheeks.
****
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jasmine
I wasn't sure how I was able to drive myself back and go up to my hotel room without shedding another tear. Numbness had spread through me again. Armaan. Oh my God, to have the same thing happen to him with Layla all over again. That was unbearable. Why wouldn't he believe me? I was only trying to protect him and Layla too. I thought he would finally be happy. So happy without me hurting him. I thought Layla would love him and take away his painful memories.
I walked into the shower after undressing and turned it on, feeling the cold hit my skin. I showed who I was to the world and was crucified for it. But what about people like Hamza who hid behind masks? Who walked around with so many secret sins to their name. Where was the justice in that?
I'd suffered a lot already and knew there was still so much of my suffering left but men like him were never blamed for their actions. And now he was doing the same thing to another girl but nobody believed me because I was Jasmine Khan, the outlaw. The one who had turned against her religion and had a reputation for being a slut.
I didn't bother to hide my ugliness from them so they decided to take his side instead. Well, screw them all. But not Armaan. It hurt that I had done all of this just to see him end up in another version of hell again. He didn't deserve it. Not my Aaru.
....
I dressed in slow, methodical movements, feeling like I couldn't be alone for another minute. I'd go crazy. I didn't like pain. I didn't want to feel it. It broke me so bad, turned me into someone powerless.
I needed to talk to someone. Not about this. Something else. Anything to take my mind off the trauma, the horrible reliving of my past.
When I knocked on Jasper's door and he called for me to come in, I found him moving around the room, looking for something.
"Hey, Jasmine," he said gruffly as he picked up one of his cameras.
Jasper would take my mind off things for a while. God, how badly I needed a friend right now. Just one person on my side after even Armaan had failed me. Jasper would understand.
"How'd it go with Skye?" I asked, sitting on the arm of the couch in his room and watching numbly as he stuffed the camera in a bag.
"Pretty well," he answered and then smiled at me. The smile faded when he noticed my sadness. "Are you okay?"
No. I wasn't okay. I needed him to just stay here with me for a while so I wouldn't feel completely alone in this world. If my parents had been here, they would've stood up for me today. Dragging in a lungful of air, I forced a smile on my face. His news was more important right now.
"Yeah. Just some divorce stuff," I replied with a wave. "Tell me what happened with Skye."
Jasper came over to me, his posture full of suppressed energy and joy. "She agreed to let me be with Jacob." He grinned and I didn't think I'd ever seen him so happy. "We're going to work it out, how to tell Cole. But God, Jasmine, I'm so happy. I'm going to officially meet my son today."
Then he went towards the bed and put the bag in a suitcase. That was when I realised he was packing.
Oh my God. Jasper was leaving.
"Where will you stay?" I asked him. How had that escaped my notice when I had first come into the room? That he was packing up his things?
"With Cole and Skye," he told me and zipped up his suitcase. Then he blew out a breath and came over to stand in front of me again. "I'm going to miss you," he said. "But don't leave Milan just yet. I'll see you tomorrow and we can hang out, have lunch or something."
I looked up at him blankly. "I don't think that's a good idea," I muttered.
He took my hands in his. "I'm not getting back together with them."
"Then you're an idiot," I replied.
Jasper gave me a grimace. "The situation is very delicate. I don't want to force things. I'm happy I will get to be in Jacob's life."
I nodded and smiled at him. "I'm happy for you too, Jasper."
Jasper inclined his head and looked at me fondly. "Thank you for telling me about him,"
