Chapter 2
A handkerchief was handed to me. I slowly looked up and saw Jasper standing right in front of me.
He flashed me a comforting grin, his dazzling white teeth on full display.
It was the summer after high school graduation, and he was working a part‑time job to pay for college tuition.
Maybe I just needed somewhere to vent my feelings, or maybe I wanted to thank him for lending me his handkerchief.
In the end, I provided him with financial support using my father's company as the front.
He started coming to the Hunt residence regularly under the pretense of gratitude.
He'd hang out and chat with me, and sometimes he'd show me around his campus.
Back then, I was really sensitive and felt pretty insecure about myself.
Jasper, on the other hand, was already a bit of a campus celebrity, thanks to his good looks and top-notch grades.
I couldn't bring myself to walk next to him, worried about all the weird looks and gossip from everyone else.
Jasper pulled me close to his side and gripped my hand firmly.
He said, "Brianna, will you be my girlfriend?
"If I hadn't met you, I probably wouldn't have even made it through the school gates.
"No matter what other people say, don't let it get to you. Don't be afraid, don't be sad.
"In my eyes, you'll always be the most beautiful girl."
As he spoke, his eyes shone like a river of stars.
Jasper reached out, gently brushed the hair from my forehead, and placed a tender kiss right on my scar.
Teenage love always burns bright and hot.
Flowers fell from the roadside trees, scattering over Jasper's hair. My heart skipped a beat. I nodded, blushing, and said yes to him.
After he graduated, Jasper joined my father's company. He turned down my dad's offer to start at a cushy position and insisted on working his way up from the very bottom.
He quickly climbed to department manager on his own merit, shutting up everyone who thought he was only mooching off my family.
The more successful Jasper got, the more girls seemed to be drawn to him, and that just made me feel even more insecure.
I was scared I wasn't good enough for him, that I couldn't keep up, that he was slipping further and further away from me. But right when I was at my lowest, he chose that moment to propose.
"Will you marry me?"
Jasper, ring in hand, dropped to one knee.
He'd reserved the entire rooftop restaurant, with 9,999 roses blazing like a sea of fire behind him.
"Yes," I managed to say, covering my mouth as tears streamed down my face.
I could only sob as he slipped the ring onto my finger, completely overwhelmed.
After we married, he treated me wonderfully. He would even wait in line for six hours to buy my favorite candied almonds.
"Brianna, don't get mad at me for being nosy, but you and Jasper were so good together. Why did you two end up getting divorced?" Diana asked.
She looked at me, her eyes full of curiosity.
In the third year of our marriage, my father stepped down from his position due to health issues and handed full control of the company over to Jasper. From that moment on, Jasper seemed like a completely different person.
He started spending more and more time out at business dinners and networking events, and he was coming home later and later every night.
At first, he'd always let me know where he was and when he'd be back, but then he started staying out all night without even sending me a single text.
I waited up for him all night on the couch.
When he finally came home, he didn't say a word. He threw his clothes at me, hitting me right in the face.
"They reek of booze. Wash them for me," he said, his voice cold and distant.
I brought the clothes up to my nose and sniffed. There was the strong smell of alcohol, but mixed in was a perfume scent that definitely wasn't mine.
A surge of anxiety hit me.
"Who were you with last night?" I asked.
"Who else could it be? People from the ad agency. I'm tired. Run me a bath," he replied, sounding impatient.
Seeing me still sitting on the couch, he seemed worried I might overthink it, so he added, "I drank too late and didn't want to wake you up, so I just made do at the office all night."
I didn't want to push him and make him mad, so I let it go. I got up, ran him a bath, and made him some hangover drink.
Later, I ran into Bianca Barry at the office. She was wearing a red bodycon dress that hugged her curves.
Her hair was styled in big, bouncy waves, and her bright red lips gave her that classic, glamorous retro vibe.
Even I couldn't help but take a second look at a woman like her.
As soon as Bianca stepped into the elevator, I caught a whiff of a scent that felt eerily familiar.
I watched her press the button for the same floor I was headed to, 23.
That used to be my dad's office. Now, Jasper was the one sitting in there.
Bianca turned to me, flashing a polite smile as she reached out her hand. "Mrs. Seth, hello. I'm Bianca, Mr. Seth's new assistant."
I was honestly caught off guard. Diana had been with my dad for years, loyal and dependable, and now she'd been replaced by someone so young and attractive. Jasper hadn't mentioned a thing to me about it.
"Hi, um... how did you..." I started, still a bit thrown off.
"Oh, I saw a picture of you and Mr. Seth on his phone."
Bianca picked up on what I was about to ask and answered with a smile.
I nodded. Jasper's phone wallpaper was a photo of us in our wedding outfits.
Following Bianca, I stepped into the office. Jasper was sitting with his back to the door, busy with his phone, seemingly lost in whatever was on the screen.
"Bianca, wanna go to your favorite Sorrel restaurant for lunch?"
Maybe it was the sound of Bianca's heels, but Jasper turned his chair and asked.
When Jasper saw it was me, his smile faded instantly.
His eyes flickered with guilt as he got up and took what I was holding.
His tone stayed calm, but there was an edge to his voice.
"Why are you here?" he asked, looking at me.
"You've been out at business dinners so much lately, I was worried you weren't eating properly, so I made you some soup," I said softly.
"Don't bother coming by again," Jasper replied, his tone icy and distant.