The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 86

"We'll hit the tourist spots, and we'll really travel," Yates added quickly, terrified Jasmine would reject the idea. "Jasmine, we'll go wherever you want. I'll let you decide."

Jasmine's hands balled into tight fists, a suffocating wave of despair washing over her. She took a deep breath. "I'm not getting married."

Seeing his authority openly defied, Mr. Smith exploded. "Stop this nonsense!"

Mrs. Smith kept her tone relatively mild. "If you feel wronged about something, just say it. We can discuss it."

Jasmine stubbornly stood her ground. "I'm not getting married. No matter what, the wedding is off."

Mrs. Smith threw her hands up in exasperation. "Who upset you? Why are you throwing this tantrum?"

Yates panicked. "Jasmine, let's not rush things. We can figure this out together."

Mr. Smith scowled. "You've spoiled her rotten!"

Faced with three pairs of eyes filled with confusion, anxiety, disappointment, and rage, Jasmine's body began to tremble. Feeling her courage drain away, she instinctively took a step back.

Cassidy placed a firm hand on Jasmine's back to steady her.

Jasmine stiffened in surprise.

Scraping together the last remnants of her resolve, she said, "My decision is final."

Jasmine looked Yates squarely in the eye. "Yates, I'm not marrying you."

With those words hanging in the air, Jasmine grabbed Cassidy's hand and bolted down the hall.

Behind her, Mr. Smith's furious roar echoed off the walls. "If you walk away today, the Smith family will disown you!"

Jasmine faltered, coming to a dead stop.

She turned around, gave a final, decisive nod toward her parents, and kept running.

Halfway out, Cassidy yanked Jasmine in the opposite direction, steering her back toward her hospital room.

"You still have medical tests to finish."

After completing the checkup and getting a prescription, Jasmine went to handle the discharge paperwork—only to find her payment had been declined.

She stared at the terminal in shock before reality set in. "I think my parents just cut off my credit cards."

Cassidy blinked. "They're playing that dirty already?"

"And when Jasmine said no, they cut off her money?"

"Bingo."

"And threatened to disown her?"

"Uh-huh."

"How can they be so ruthless?"

"Because the family scapegoat suddenly stopped wanting to be a punching bag. Obviously, they have to crush her spirit and drag her back in line. Otherwise, how are they supposed to maintain their perfect family harmony?"

Nora went silent for a moment. "She needs to become independent."

"Yeah, it's the only way forward."

"She can come work at my studio in the meantime."

"She doesn't know the first thing about fashion design, so she'd never agree to that." Cassidy paused, a smirk tugging at her lips. "But it just so happens I have the absolute perfect job lined up for her."