Chapter Five

Jasmine's evening was quiet. After a long day at the clinic, she often found solace in solitude, away from the constant demands of her patients and work. Tonight, however, she was sitting in her cozy apartment, a mug of chamomile tea cradled in her hands as she stared out the window.

The soft glow of the city lights cast shadows against the walls, and for a moment, Jasmine felt the weight of her past creeping in. She hadn't thought about it in months, maybe longer, but sometimes—sometimes the memories would resurface when she least expected it.

The past always had a way of sneaking up on you.

She had learned to push it aside—just like her boss always advised. Focus on the present, not the past. But her past had a way of lingering just beneath the surface, especially on nights like these.

Her thoughts drifted back to her mother, Janine Harrington. A florist with a gentle heart and a natural talent for creating beautiful arrangements, Janine had always been a guiding force in Jasmine's life. They'd had their differences, of course, but there had always been love. Janine had made sure to give Jasmine everything she needed, even when the two of them struggled after the death of her father, Derek Harrington.

Jasmine never liked talking about her father. He had been a good man, but the darkness that surrounded his untimely death when Jasmine was still young was something she never fully understood. He was gone, just like that, and it left a hole in her life that never seemed to heal.

But that wasn't what had shaped her the most. No, that came much later.

Her mother had always been there, pushing through the pain of losing Derek while raising Jasmine alone. It wasn't easy, but she did it. And Jasmine had always respected her for that.

Still, there was something about her mother that Jasmine couldn't ignore. She'd always been distant, not in an unloving way, but emotionally unavailable in ways Jasmine couldn't quite understand at the time. She wondered sometimes if her mother's detachment had been her way of coping with the trauma, both from losing Derek and from the challenges she faced as a florist, working long hours to keep their lives afloat.

Jasmine had learned to be independent from a young age. She'd never been coddled or overly protected, even when the world felt like it was closing in on her.

But then, of course, there was that relationship—the one she rarely spoke about.

It had lasted five years. A blur of both love and hurt, of passion and pain, of hope and betrayal. She had let herself fall so deeply into it that she couldn't see the cracks until it was too late. When she finally broke free, it was like waking up from a nightmare.

The details were blurry, too painful to relive in their entirety. She couldn't pinpoint the moment it had all gone wrong, but she could feel the scars it had left, hidden away beneath her calm exterior. She had put her heart and soul into it, only to watch it unravel in front of her eyes.

It wasn't something she liked to dwell on. Not now, not anymore.

But sometimes the shadows of that time lingered in the quiet moments, reminding her of the person she used to be, the person she'd been before everything changed. Before she learned how to guard her heart with walls higher than she ever thought possible.

Jasmine took a slow sip of her tea, allowing the warmth to settle in her chest. Her mother had tried to protect her from the world, but in doing so, had never really prepared her for the harshness of life. She had always tried to shield Jasmine from heartbreak, but no one could prepare you for the kind of heartbreak that came from love that wasn't real.

As the minutes ticked by, Jasmine found herself thinking of her friends, particularly Penelope. They had been friends for years, and Penelope knew her better than anyone. She'd always been the one who offered a listening ear, who never judged and always helped Jasmine see things from a different perspective. Penelope had a way of making Jasmine laugh, even in the darkest of times, and it was in those moments that Jasmine had learned to value the importance of friendship.

Penelope's brother, Luka, was another piece of Jasmine's life, though a more recent one. He had quickly become a close friend, someone who could make her laugh without trying. His carefree attitude was a stark contrast to Jasmine's serious nature, but somehow, the two had developed an unspoken understanding.

There were days when Jasmine thought about how different her life might have been if she hadn't gone through everything she had. But then, she remembered that those experiences—however painful—had shaped her into who she was today. Strong. Independent. Reluctant to trust anyone completely, but at least she was learning to heal.

The past couldn't be changed. But she could control her future.

With a sigh, Jasmine set her tea down and reached for her phone. As if on cue, a message from Penelope popped up.

Penelope:

"Want to grab dinner tonight? I have some gossip I need to share with you! 😏"

Jasmine smiled, the weight of the past momentarily lifting.

Jasmine:

"Sure, let's go. I could use a break from my thoughts."

Her phone buzzed again.

Penelope:

"Great! I'll be there in an hour."

Jasmine stood up and stretched, her body sore from sitting at her desk all day. For the first time that evening, she felt like maybe—just maybe—she could forget the past for a little while.

At least for tonight.