The Words I Left Behind

On the other end of the line, William was breathing heavily.

Jasmine figured if she were standing in front of him right now, she wouldn't even make it through the month—he would probably strangle her on the spot.

Before William could start yelling, she laughed again.

"William, I'm not messing with you this time. But I have one condition."

William didn't say a word.

Jasmine didn't care and kept going.

"I want you to do ten things with me. Once they're done, I'll go with you to sign the divorce papers. I promise—I'll disappear from your world for good."

That promise was tempting.

William frowned. "Ten is too much. Five."

Jasmine chuckled. "Fine."

The first thing? She wanted William to take her to a charity gala.

She dressed to the nines. When William came to pick her up, his fingers were flying over his phone screen, eyes locked on it. He didn't even glance at her once.

Jasmine didn't mind. She knew better than to expect anything sweet out of his mouth.

But oddly enough, once she got into the car, William finally looked up at her—and frowned.

"Did you lose weight? Your face looks pale. Honestly, you look awful."

Jasmine curled her fingers slightly but stared straight ahead, saying nothing.

When they got out of the car, William grabbed her hand. Jasmine flinched, and he sneered.

"What? We've held hands before. We've done way more than that. Don't act all shy now."

Her icy hand was wrapped in the heat of his palm.

It wasn't the first time William had held her hand—but it was the first time he had ever done it on his own.

People around them stared, wide-eyed at the strange, sudden harmony between them.

After the auction started, Jasmine spotted something she really wanted. She instinctively raised her paddle—only to have the man beside her beat her to it.

It was a painting by a late foreign artist, and many people in the room liked it. The bidding quickly heated up.

But in the end, it was William who won it with the highest bid.

A strange warmth passed through Jasmine's chest.

"William—"

"Ship the painting to the Farrell family's residence in Norwyn City."

Jasmine's hand, halfway raised, froze in the air.

So, the painting wasn't for her.

A wave of bitterness rose in her throat, threatening to drown her whole.

She abruptly stood and walked toward the exit.

William frowned and followed, grabbing her arm in one quick stride.

"It's not over yet—where do you think you're going?"

Jasmine tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong.

William was losing patience. "You're the one who asked me to come here, so why are you throwing a fit now? You're seriously sick!"

That last line hit Jasmine hard.

"Yeah. I'm seriously sick."

She yanked her arm free and walked off without looking back.

Jasmine didn't contact William for a week. She also moved out of the home they had lived in since they had gotten married.

At first, William didn't care.

However, the thought of the four things she still wanted him to do made him uneasy. It felt like if he didn't finish them quickly, Jasmine might suddenly cling to him again.

Unable to hold back, he finally called her.

Jasmine had just finished a round of chemotherapy when her phone rang. Her condition was getting worse. Her whole body ached down to the bone.

"There are still four things left, Jasmine. Don't try anything stupid."

Jasmine went quiet for a moment.

"I want to go to the country of Zaryen."

William frowned. "Right now?"

"Yeah. Right now."

William seriously thought Jasmine was out of her mind. But for the sake of the divorce—for the sake of getting rid of her—he really did book a flight to Zaryen right away.

Jasmine was bundled up tight. By the time she arrived, William was already annoyed from waiting.

"What's your deal? I offered to pick you up, but you wouldn't let me. Then, you show up late."

He kept grumbling.

Jasmine didn't say much. She just handed him her suitcase. "You talk too much."

William sneered, but he took everything from her hands without complaint.

Even he didn't realize how natural it felt.

Just as the plane was about to board, William's phone suddenly rang.

Jasmine stood at the gate, looking at him from across the way.

William's hand clenched around the phone, and his whole body went stiff.

"Sorry, Jasmine. I can't go to Zaryen with you."