AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jasmine!” It’s clear that she’s not in the house, but I can’t help it. I whip my phone out of my pocket, hurrying down the steps and into the living room as I dial her on the phone.
Damien drifts out of the kitchen with a plate of food in his hands. One look at me, he returns to the kitchen and reappears without the food.
“Master Alec?” He calls worriedly. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find Jasmine!” I redial her number. “And I can’t reach her either.”
“What?” Damien’s mouth falls open. “She doesn’t know anywhere in France. Did she mention that she was going out?”
“Here.” I hand my phone to Damien. “This is her number. Dial it on your phone.”
I don’t know exactly what is going on, but I have a sinister feeling blossoming in my chest, and I hate it.
“I can’t reach her,” Damien says. “Have you looked everywhere?”
“I have!” I growl. “She’s not in the fucking house, Damien. Don’t you think I would check everywhere before panicking?”
As I run my hands through my already-disheveled hair again, my gaze falls on the envelope on the center table. It wasn’t there when I left this morning. I’m sure of it.
“That wasn’t there this morning.” I point to the envelope, rushing to grab it from the table. There’s no name on it, and I tear into it to see a neatly folded letter.
There’s Jasmine’s name on the headline, and my heart lodges itself in my mouth as I read. When you come home to find a letter like this from your girlfriend, it’s never a good thing.
Alec, the time I’ve spent with you has been the most amazing moment of my life. You proved your love to me in every way, and even as I write this, I can still feel it. However, there are so many things that tug at us, and I don’t think I can do this anymore.
I’ve realized that nothing I ever do will be good enough for your mom, and I cannot cope with constantly having to prove myself. Even if I decide to stay, what about my family? I’ll be subjecting them to the condescension and hate your mother will throw their way. We all deserve better than this.
I love you so much, but I cannot be with you anymore. I’ve booked a flight back to New York, and by the time you see this, I will have left. I do not want you to chase me; my mind is made up. Thank you for everything, and I wish things didn’t have to be this way. This hurts more than anything, but it has to be done.
Goodbye, Alec.
I read the letter three more times before I drop to the floor. I stub my toe against the table, but I don’t feel the pain because the one in my heart is more than enough. My heart is bleeding profusely, and there’s a sudden ache behind my eyes. It’s tears. I can’t remember the last time I cried.
Damien snatches the letter out of my hands, and a bit later, he swears. “Fuck!” I don’t think I’ve ever heard Damien swear like that before.
“Maybe you’re right about having a normal family,” he says, dropping down beside me. “Should I get the jet ready?”
I feel many things at once.
There’s anger. It’s directed at Jasmine. I’m furious with her, and my body trembles with the force of it. How could she leave without speaking to me first? Did she think this stupid letter would be enough?
I would have defended her before anyone, and she just decided to leave. How does that even make any sense? I already chose her over my mom, my dad, even over the fucking wealth of the Ace family. I chose her!
This hurts more than anything, but it has to be done. That’s bullshit, Jasmine, because if it hurt, you wouldn’t do it. No one deliberately hurts themselves!
“No.” I shake my head. “Let her go.”
“What?” Damien barks. “You can’t possibly do that.”
“It’s what she wants.” I glance at him. “I’ve done everything I can to prove that I will always have her back over my family, but she doesn’t accept that, so I’ll let her go. I can’t possibly murder my family before she believes me.”
Another emotion I feel is irritation at my family. My mother has stayed away from us for the past few weeks since we’ve been in France, but apparently, the bad impression she left on Jasmine at their first meeting was enough to send her running back to New York without a goodbye.
My father has been great, but I hold him responsible also because he never cautions my mother. He lets her do whatever she wants, no matter how foolish it is. He’s scared of my mother, and it baffles me.
“We should go after Jasmine,” Damien says.
“No.”
