CHAPTER SIX–SISTER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER
Matthew themed, was a sucretstal up–and–coming architect from Botton, in New York overseeing the pastrual of Medium’s latest high–profile project dovoETURMI
Beyond a few subtle hints of masculine pride and hints of rakish charm, he vacrefreshingly devolt of pretense or inflatedego, Jinst another hard–working pry with a penchant for fine archand appropriate jolies then kept Jasmine suppressing miles
And she, in turn, found herself gradually opening up as the amber liquid in her glass slowly dwindled.
“I’m so sorry,” she rushed out, fighting others of heat in her cheeks. “Here I am prattling on like a makeman and you’ve been such a post gentleman just listening to me ambje
“Hey.” Matthew reached are the now able to give her hand coating squee, his caused pain engalling with tell and were be It’s thing”
The cation in his hazel eyes of ath through famine that she didn’t want todelli
She tiedmoretanhhanik, but has ben incaides grassed with a sudden, urbidden flash at pilt.
Here she was not even a full day out from the devastating implosion of her marriage, indulging in what leh close to undeniable Birtation with an attrarsher stranger.jeiške—
than, “ahe proped out, anatching her hand back from Matthew’s tracks group.“Oh my, 1 should be doing this”
Pank gripped her chest, making it hard to catch her breath, the wasteetering so dangerously dose to going down the same read of betrayal that ħadobliterated the bedrock of her witht
How could weak, so pathetically eager to allow the exact same sordidpath as Ethan!
Matthew’s bow furcowed in surprise at her sudden fitness, but he quickly withdrew his hand and:
back in his chair, giving her spins
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to vacatap,” he said calmly, plus cased in a placating price. “You’re absolutely right, this isn’t appropriate pleen_shatreni poudre going through”
Jasmin squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the thewatering tours. She couldn’t be boreal the mortifying truck al het marital implosion to this handsome diranger,
When she opened her eyes again, Marchew was simply wonching her with an expresses of pestle understanding,
Heached intothepoof his shirt and retired card, sliding croche table towardcher
“He’s my mumber,” he said evenly. “If you
dear without judgement well, you know where to i
Muirly, pomine stared at the embocord dights, giving a small, jerky nod of acknowledgment. Marchese held her gaze for a beat longer before thing from hischuir.
“Talie care of yourseli, Jammine,” he mormored with a faint, rearing smile. Then, without the word, he turned and strode away, leaving her alone with her nurbulentnctions one
Jasmine watched his retreating am until it disappeared through the bar mase, a fimul of shame, and lingering remorse during inside her.
Marlow had been kind enough to bad
Bata parte her couldn’t help feeling her inner argosh.
at her dear donart, saving her from compounding!
talat how abapely their interlude
Jamily motionless amit the rampled sheets whittled away in this con of solitary misery.
Hephone began
severed. To thour brief momen, his easygoing presence had provided a much–needed reprieve from
hood bed, staring asingly arche muted tides of the TV tom She’d lost track of how many hours – days she’d
in with other call from than the bait no intention of avering
She squeered her eyes shur, vejching she could simply all the insistent device into silence. Just as the ringtone finally tradedoff, it stated up again with a new number fishing across the display
“What?” she cooked out, aping to accept the call against her better judgment.
“Jammina?ion thanks goodness, it’s Claire “The familiar voice on the other and sparked a datifices of reception the sugh the fog in Jasmine’s brain. day! When earth have you been?”
Jasmine swallowed against her dry throat, the thought of fabricating excuses uttedly using “Li’m at a hotel. Downto
“A kotel?” Clone sharpened with concn. “Hat why? Has something happened?”
“I’ve been trying to reach you ha
Silence stretched between them as Janine straggled to the energy to explain the devastation that had compounded her exam in the past forty–eight hours. When the finally opened her mouth, the words emerged in a dill, hollow imp
“Edhan in furing an affair. With with
together and he wants to end this Term us
Claire’s sharp inhalation of dismay rackled
from his elling voice to the truth’d uncovered felt dredging shards of glass as an open wounded in on them
the line “What? No, that’s than can’t be meckou st
Tafraid “Jamine closed her again, the numb to
rests over the matter. Try, C. know how much you adored him despite everything” “Ok, Jamie.I’m the one who’s worry,” Cafe whisped, her voice wavering with misisture of anger and hearthink on Jaurine’s behalf, “You don’t deserve any of this, especially from mybook of a brother. Just tell me where you are, honey. I’m coming to get you right none”
Don’t try is argue with me on this “The steely edge of protectie in Claire’s one brokened nonument. “You shouldn’t have to be alone right now. I’ll be there in twenty minutes, tops.
The call disconnected before jasmine could protest further. She could only stace at the
phone in her hand for a few dads before colling onto her back with a leaden sigh A promised, there was a crisp rap at the door preckely twenty minutes later that jolted jasmine from her trance–like repase.
She barely had time to go herrumplede bet the door, admitting a whirlwind of shout out and detection in the fron of Ithan’s baby sister “This ench now,” Claire declared without preamble, into thee with no–oner. She altered slightly as she took in line’s happend appearance, writing Incrementally.“Oh, honey..”
Jasmine tried to master acnamaring expression, but the attempt telt fatile and dishearteningly fall. “I’m alright, Cakes, really, You didn’t have to cars all this way,”
“Don’three to?” Claire shook her head adamantly, closing the distance between them to grasp Jasmine’s hands in a gentle but insistent clasp, “Jasmine, you’re one of the only people I’ve over tonly admiced. With everything my best holy them away, you deserve to have people who love you rallying around”
Hier warm brown eyes shone with compassion andan under cent of something flere. Let me be that for youy?”
The maked sincerity in her tie–in–law’s gaze only lamina’s undoing the biter had to keep the bitte hands af compute from shatteringly as she gave amte nodet
“Goal” (later sepaneend hey handfly before easing the plane on shipuin a decisiveness that invoked no argument.
CHAFTER SIX – SISTER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER
“Because today, you and I are going to get our of this depressing hotel room and red cover everything this city has to offer when you aren’t shackled to my brother’s selfish whims. We’ll make a day of it- my treat, no buts about it.”
The prospect of submerging herself in the vibrant the Manhattan streets, of embracing all the stimuli and distractions she usually craved, should have filled Jasmine with dread in her
But Claire’s protectiveness and unwavering support was like a lifeline thrown to a woman adrift, helping elevate her above the depths she’d allowed herself to sink into.
“Okay,” she found herself saying in response to Claire’s expectant archedicum. T’ll just…get ready.““”
“Fantastic!” Caire beamed as if Jasmine had just agreed to scale Everest rather than venture outside. “I’ll wait in the hall – take all the time you need.”
With a parting wink, she spun on her heel and strode out, leaving Jasmine to sag against the mattress edge and gather her wits
Somehow, the prospect of embracing the world outside again felt equal parts daunting and imperative,
Still, she obeyed Claire’s directive and twenty minutes later found herself smoothing her hands over a simple knit dress as she rejoined her indomitable sister–in–law.