Connecting The Dots

Jasmine was devastated. Guilt creeps on her as she thinks about El who might have died in the car accident. Did he die because of her? Who sends the picture? Her mind is full of questions as she clutched her blanket.

She bites her lower lip as she shivers on her thought of El having an act of revenge on her. She started to overthink until she tasted the blood in her lip.

"I'm sorry." Jasmine softly whispered to herself and embraces her knees.

Viel looked at her with pity in his eyes. It hurts him knowing she is hurting and yet he is too afraid and selfish to stop it.

"Love," Viel called her and tried to touch her but she avoided him. He noticed how Jasmine shivers from his call, and this breaks his heart.

"Jasmine, I am leaving for work but I can stay if you want," Viel told her using his soft voice. His expression shows how worried he is.

"Leave. I need to be alone." Jasmine replied and hid her face. He sighed in defeat and smiles at her.

"I love you." Viel softly said and leave the room.

Jasmine was left alone again, since the day she remembered about the car accident, she could not help but to blame herself. Because of her someone might have died.

She could not even attend her work as she starts to overthink that she and Viel might fight to get into a car accident. Jasmine does not want to Viel be involved in her unluckiness and tragic fate.

She clutched her mobile phone as it vibrates from all the message notifications from her friends and co-workers. She wanted to reply but at the same time, she is afraid that she might see a message again from the unknown email user.

Jasmine knew that Viel had already hired a private investigator to know who the sender is and until they did not know who it is, Jasmine could not relax.

She stayed silently in Viel's mansion, she tried to entertain herself by playing Viel's collection. There are many locked cabinets and containers in Viel's mansion and what they contain might entertain her for she could satisfy her curiosity, she wanted to open some locked cabinets but decided not to as she respect his privacy.

As she was watching television, her phone rang, and she immediately accept the call as she temporarily forgets her situation.

"Hello?" She greeted the caller.

"Hey Jasmine, it's me. Monica." Says the lady on the line. Jasmine smile in relief as she heard her friend's voice.

"Monica, why did you call?" Jasmine asked her.

"I'm free. I want us to hang out." Monica told her.

"Oh, I don't- "

"Jasmine, please! I do not always have free time." Monica cut Jasmine's response. Jasmine bites her lip as she hesitates on declining her friend's offer.

"Okay, where are we going to meet up?" Jasmine asked her in defeat. On the other line, Monica smirked with her red lips.

"I am at the fast-food near Halili Network. See you!" Monica said as she ended the call.

Jasmine sighed as she massaged her head, she planned to stay at home, but cannot as her friend wanted to see her. She stopped in her tracks as she realized Halili Network is where Dave is currently working. She pouted as she thinks of an excuse if they even met again.

She hailed a cab and immediately wear her earphones. She arrived at her destination fast since there is no traffic. Her hazel eyes searched the building as she looks for her friend. And then she saw Monica waving her hand.

Jasmine approached her and seated herself at the seat in front of her friend.

"How are you?" Monica asked Jasmine and sips on her cola.

"Fine, I guess?" Jasmine answered.

"Is there any problem?" Jasmine hesitates if she will inform her friend about the email or not.

"Nothing, how about you?"

"My fiancé does not want to marry me." Monica sadly answered. Jasmine notices the hint of sadness in her friend's voice and this breaks her heart.

"I begged him. I kneel down to him just to marry me and yet he still chose that bitch." She continued as she clutched her fork.

"I do not understand why? I am rich, prettier and he knows me the longest. How could he not choose me?" Monica asked Jasmine.

Jasmine felt her throat dry and sips her drink while avoiding Monica's gaze.

"Do you know the answer?" Monica asked her as her green eyes examines Jasmine's expression.

"No." Jasmine lied while knowing the answer that her fiancée must really love the other girl and appearance, and money does not gain love.

Jasmine shockingly looks at her friend when she suddenly heard her sobs. She saw how her tears fall down to their table.

"Monica?"

"Should I beg her to leave him?" Monica mumbled while staring at Jasmine's eyes. "Should I copy her movements and her face for him to love me?" She continued leaving Jasmine speechless.

"I love him first that is why he is supposed to be mine," Monica concluded.

Jasmine decided not to speak, she listened to her friend rants and offer her a tissue.

"Jasmine, if I would need your help for him to be mine. Would you help me?" Monica suddenly asked Jasmine as she wipes her tears.

As for Jasmine, she was taken aback by her friend's question. She never expected that their meeting would turn to this.

"Ah?"

"We are friends for an exceptionally long time. You would help me, right?" Monica reasoned at her.

"That's what true friends do." She told Jasmine.

"Yes," Jasmine answered as she maintains a smile on her face.

"That is a promise," Monica told her and made Jasmine do their pinky promise.

They finished their hang out as soon as they finished their food. Monica left Jasmine with an excuse that she is needed in their company. While Jasmine decided to stay at the fast-food chain a little bit to think about her decisions. Jasmine is aware that she said yes because she was pressured and uncomfortable but as they say a promise is a promise.

"Jasmine?" A voice from her back called her. Jasmine closed her eyes as she knew who the owner of the voice is.

"Hey, Dave." She replied and ready herself to leave.

"We need to talk. This is important." Dave told her and because of her curious self, she accepted his offer.

Dave seated at Monica's chair and place an envelope on the table.

"How do you know Monica Abuelos? I saw you with her." He asked her.

"She is my friend for a very long time," Jasmine answered.

"Jasmine, is your relationship with Viel Salvador a fake one?" Dave asks her, Jasmine coughed as she was shocked at his question.

Yes, they started as a pretend relationship but now they are a real couple.

"No." Jasmine denied, and this made Dave frown.

"Remember what I told you at our last meeting?" Dave asked her.

"Yeah, no one suspected a thing because it was you and him and not the other girl that has been seen with him and his parents." Dave revealed and this has caught Jasmine's attention.

"That's already from the past." Jasmine frustratedly replied and closed her notebook. She already knows who the girl might be, that might be his fiancée.

"Eh? My co-worker just saw them together three weeks ago." Dave mockingly said.

"Yes." Jasmine answered as she felt her gut feeling regarding Viel's fiancée.

Even if Viel did not tell her, Jasmine knew he is in a arrange marriage as she saw how against he was at his friend's arrange marriage. Jasmine swallowed nervously as she tried not to overthink.

Dave examined Jasmine's expression, he saw her curiosity and her nervous expression. He mentally smirked as confirmed his guess. He handed her the envelope and Jasmine accepted it.

"What is this?"

"Open it."

Jasmine opened it and saw pictures that made her heart turn into pieces. It was the pictures of Viel and Monica together with their parents. Her tears slowly fall down as she holds the evidence that proves her gut feeling is correct.

"Are you aware that they are engaged to each other?" Dave asked her while acting like he does not know the answer.

"I do not." Jasmine answered as she broke into tears. The scenario of her and Monica's promise flushed in her mind.

"We are friends for an exceptionally long time. You would help me, right?" Monica reasoned at her.

"That's what true friends do." She told Jasmine.

"Yes." Jasmine answered as she maintains a smile on her face.

"That is a promise." Monica told her and made Jasmine do their pinky promise.

Jasmine paled as she realized that she was the snake Monica was talking about.

"I hope she is gone so he can be mine." Monica told Jasmine while looking at her hazel eyes. Her emerald eyes did not change their gaze as she stabbed her pie.

She realized that all the glare and rant of Monica is about her. She knew she had been played by her. She gasped when she remembers when Viel asked who her friend was. Why did he not inform her?

"Monica, Monica Abuelos." Jasmine told him.

Jasmine knew that she should gave meaning to how Viel swallowed nervously that time, but she did not.

"I need to go." Jasmine told Dave and left the building.

She went home and she saw Viel looking for her. Her hazel eyes meet his amber eyes. She felt her heartbeat stop but not because of romantic reasons but because he kept secrets from her.

"I was looking for you." Viel told her and hugged her.

She hugged him back, tightly as she is afraid to lose him. She is scared, she remembers the main goal of their pretend relationship back then is to get his fiancée back. Did he love Monica? Or not based on Monica's rant? Jasmine is confused.

"I love you." Jasmine confessed to him and kissed his lips. In her mind, she is willing to break her promise. She knows Viel loves her, and she loves him back. She decided to be selfish this time.

"I love you too, love." Viel answered back.

"Where did you go?" He asked her as he caressed her cheeks.

"Monica Abuelos wanted to hang out." She told him and examined his expression.

She saw how Viel paled and switched his gaze nervously. She noticed the lump on his throat.

She did not care if Viel noticed the use of Monica's name because starting tonight Monica is not a friend but a manipulator foe.

"Are you okay? I hope you did not have any headaches." Viel tried to divert the topic but this did not miss Jasmine's keen observation.

"I am. How about you? Are you okay?" She asked him. "Do you have anything to share?" She continued leaning him to confess.

"No." Viel answered and once again, Jasmine tried to maintain her expression as she knew he decided to keep it a secret again.