The Words I Left Behind

Jasmine wandered the streets, clutching the doctor's diagnosis—a death sentence.

"So you're saying… I only have about 30 days left?"

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Spencer."

It had been a gut-punching feeling to hear those words—one that wasn't the first time Jasmine had felt it.

The Spencer family was barely holding together now, and all the pressure had fallen on her shoulders.

When she had felt completely alone in the past, she had called William. She thought that even if they just argued or bickered a little, it might still make her feel better.

However, William rejected every single call. When she kept trying, he finally got annoyed and just turned off his phone.

The next time she saw him, he was in their bed with a young model, both of them naked.

William never saw how helpless she really was.

All he saw was a face he was sick of.

He deliberately kissed the model in front of her—deep and messy, the kind that left a string of spit at the corner of their mouths. It stung Jasmine's eyes.

"So? Want a divorce?"

Jasmine forced herself to stay calm and ran out of that room.

In Jovelle City, pretty much everyone knew she and William had never gotten along. They fought every time they saw each other.

And nearly everyone believed Jasmine hated William—just like William hated her.

Jasmine touched the ring on her finger—the one William had reluctantly given her after they got married.

When he handed it to her, he had thrown the box so hard it hit her in the face.

At first, Jasmine hid her feelings well—until the night William forced her to act like a real wife.

In the heat of the moment, his hand brushed against the ring on her finger.

William suddenly burst out laughing.

"Jasmine, don't tell me… you've been refusing to divorce me because you actually like me?

"If that's the case, then you'd better forget those thoughts now. Not only will I never like you—I can't stand you!"

There was never any baseless hatred—William disliked her for concrete reasons.

He didn't like her because the Graham and Spencer families had arranged their marriage way too early. And because of that, his first love had been forced to leave the country.

That night, Jasmine stared at the ceiling until the sun came up.

Her mom had passed away early. No one ever taught her how to hold onto someone she loved. As a kid, all she knew was how to use sarcasm and sharp words to get William's attention.

But after that?

Jasmine blinked her dry eyes.

Her phone kept buzzing, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen—William was flooding their group chat with smiley face emojis.

[What's the occasion? You seem pretty thrilled, Mr. Graham.]

William didn't reply. He just sent a photo of the signed divorce waiting period form.

That one picture was like a bomb going off—it blew up the whole chat full of quiet lurkers who had just been watching the drama unfold.

[You really split? Jasmine actually agreed?]

[This is amazing news! William, you finally got rid of that burden!]

[Time to celebrate! You said just last week that you couldn't even sleep after seeing her face every night. Now you're free—switch out ten or twenty women if you want, no one's stopping you!]

[But isn't it weird? William's hooked up with so many models, and Jasmine put up with it all. Why's she suddenly not putting up with it now? You think she's messing with you? What if she ghosts you at the end and you can't even file the papers?]

That comment made the whole group fall silent.

Right after that, Jasmine's phone started ringing.

"Jasmine, you're not playing me, right? After the 30-day waiting period, you're really going to show up and get our divorce finalized?"

Jasmine's pale lips curled up into a faint smile, and she spoke softly into the phone.

"Yeah. I'm playing you. What are you going to do about it?"