SWNOVELS Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN–TENSENGOTIATIONS
Out of her peripheral vilan, Jasmine could see Samantha seitling back into her chair with a carefully neutral expression. The other woman clearly recognized this was Jasmine’s tight now requiring no further intercessions
“You want to hand this insult of a proceeding off to some judge who couldn’t possibly comprehend the years of loving partnership your client so carelessly obliterated?” Jasmine’s voice bad descended to a dangerous mamur, but there was no mistaking the venom lacing her words.
With that, she shoved back from the table and cose in one smooth, unhurried motion. “But I promise you, Ethan whatever lies you try spinning from here on out, I won’t make a single concessionaily. Not after the way you disgraced everything we once fought so hard to build together.”
The deadly silence that met her heated pronouncement seemed to reverberate against the gleaming surfaces of the conference room. Even Ethan appeared momentarily taken aback by the low fury thrumming through her.
It didn’t last, of course. Soon enough, the shadows shifted across his chiseled features, lips twisting into that same infuriatingly supercilious sneer he’d been wearing all afternoon.
“is that so!” His cultured tone dripped condescension that immediately made Jasmine’s hackles rise, “And just what acts of ‘disgracing out love” are you referring to precisely, my dear?”
Jasmine didn’t bother dignitying Ethan’s condescending remark with a response. She simply span on her heel and stormed out of the conference room, her heels clacking furiously against
the marble floor
“Jasmine, wait!” Ethan called after her, hurrying to catch up as she stabbed the button for the elevator. “Where are you going? We’re not done here!”
The elevator doors slid open with a moted ding and jasmine stepped insida, whirling to face Ethan as he rushed through the opening after her, “The hell we aren’t,” she spat. “I’m done lecting you manipulate and belirleme through all this.”
Ethan’s expression hardened. “I’m manipulating you? That’s rich coming from the woman who bas dug her heels in at every turn to make this as difficult as humanly possible. You’re punishing me, plain and simple.”
“Punishing you?” Jasmine shook her head in disbelief. “You’re the one who destroyed our marriage, our family, with your selfish cheating I’m just trying to get what I deserve after you trampled all over me.”
“There you go again with the hysterics,” Ethan scoffed, raking a hand through his hair agitatedly. “Always has to be scorched earth with you instead of compromises.”
Jasmine opened her mouth to unleash another heated retort, but Ethan plowedomrard.
“Maybe if you hadn’t been so damned frigid and unaffectionate all the time, I wouldn’t have taped in the first place!”
The ugly accusation hung in the air between them, rendering Jasmine temporary mute with shock and hurt. “How dare you,” she finally whispered, voice shaking with rage. “Don’t you – dase try turning this around and blaming your cheating on me!”
Ethan’s eyes flashed dark fire. “I never whored around, no matter what delusions you’ve been spinning in that artistic head of yours. It was just Lila – one simple mistake that you blew entirely out of proportion!”
“Sample mistaka?” Jasmine gave a mirthless bark of laughter. “You cheated on me, and over again by your own admission! With some vapid little thing from your office, no less.” “Don’t talk about her like that Ethan napped, in Lila’s defense for “She may be young but at least she’s vibrant and passionate, everything you haven’t been for years now! The words were like a dagger misting in Jasmine’s hear. His disgraceful fling thrown back in her face with such callousness. But she refused to crumble before him, refused to let him see just how decimated she truly felt inside.
“I can’t be you,” she bit out, shaking her head slowly. “How many times did you swear your love for me back then? What happened to being soulmates who could weather anything!” “It’s not that simple, Jasmine,” Ethan sighed, all the belligerant wind suddenly leaving his sails as he ran a frustrated hand over his mouth.
“Things got so damn broken after after the miscarriage. And no matter how hard I led, you just kept pulling further and further away from me. From us
There was a heavy
bause as the weight of that particular anguish resurfaced between them. Ethan’s imploring eyes searched Jasmine’s pony features, “Baby, you have to know I never stopped loving you,” he said softly, taking a tentative stepcloser.
“What Lila and 1 had was just physical, yeah A distraction from all the hurt we were both drowning in over losing our child. But you’re the one I’ve always wanted forever with, no matter
how far off track pot.
Jasmine squeezed her eyes shut against the fresh sting of tears, jaw clenched hard As usual, Ethan knew just which of her vulnerabilities to prod, which tender spots left exposed by the most traumatic loss of her life. The one blameless dream they had both clung to until it cruelly slipped through their fingers.
“Don’t you dare use our baby’s memory like some cheap ploy to reel me back in,” she gritted out, emerald eyes snapping open to bore into Ethan with simmering cage and reproach. “You alonedy disgraced and trampled all over those hopes we shared with your selfish cheating How could ever trust you again after that?”
Ethan opened his mouth, no doubt to launch into another appeal laced with placating lies and half–truths. But Jasmine had heard enough. She was through wasting her dignity and composure on this pathetic display any longer
Lifting her chin, she cut him off with a glare of pure, scalding disgust. “save it for the divorce courts, Exham. Or better yet, goy on Lila’s shoulder again about what an utter failure I am compared to her pristine charm”
Her pacting shot hit its mark, puncturing the delicate overtures Ethan had been trying to construct. His jaw clenched, expression darkening into a scout of potent fury as the elevator doors slid open
“You’re making a huge mistake walking away like this, Jasmine,” he bit out in a tone Laced with menace. “I’ll see to it that you pay dearly for turning your back on everything we built
together over one mistake.”
Jasmine held his gradily, refusing to be cowed “Goodbye, Ethan,” she said coolly, then turned and swept out of the elevator without another word or backward glance. She ignored the stuttering steps behind her, barreling through the gilded lobby with singular purpose
It wasn’t until the revolving door deponed her onto the crowded sidewalks that she finally faltered, logs trembling beneath the full force of her anguish and humiliation
Irking into the sheltered alcove of a nearby metron, the leaned back against the cool brick and led to draw a steadying breath.
Ethan’s callous parting words seemed to the in her ears, their cruelty outdone only by the scathing dismissal of the child’s memory, That one loss she had poured every shred of faith and emotional forfitude into overcoming, all for naught
THE COURS