CHAPTER 44
When Stella called, Nina knew immediately that something was off. Her voice was too sweet, too polished—society-perfect, scrubbed of emotion.
“Nina, sweetheart, it’s my anniversary. You’ll come, won’t you?”
Nina hesitated.
On the one hand, she wanted to get out of her four walls, feel alive again, breathe in something resembling normal life. On the other, there was a crushing weight inside her. The truth was, she didn't want small talk or champagne.
“Don’t even start,” Stella cut in before Nina could answer. “We’ve known each other forever, and if you don’t come, I’ll be offended.” A pause. Then, more seriously: “I mean it, Nina. This really matters to me.”
Stella had always known how to apply pressure. Memories. Obligation. Social decency. And even though they hadn’t seen each other in ages, she couldn’t bring herself to ignore the invitation.
“Will Frank be there?” Nina asked, holding her breath. The only question that truly mattered.
Stella hesitated.
“My husband invited half the guests,” she admitted. “You know him—he uses my birthday to gather the right people. But… I’ll check, okay? If Frank’s coming, I’ll tell you right away.”
Nina wavered until the very last moment. But she agreed anyway. Maybe she just wanted to remind herself that she could still wear a beautiful dress, walk past the whispers—and not break.
Over the past few weeks she’d lost noticeable weight. She was thinner now, more fragile. And yet, in the dress, she still looked refined, feminine, beautiful. When she stepped into the banquet hall, she caught eyes she’d almost forgotten how to notice.
“Nina?!”
She turned and saw Stella. As always, she looked striking: a red dress, loose hair, expensive jewelry. Stella rushed over with a genuinely bright smile, hugged her, kissed her on the cheek.
“My God, you’re gorgeous… and you’ve lost so much weight!” She stepped back, giving Nina an appraising look. “But it suits you. You’re glowing. And it’s only been a few weeks since we last saw each other.”
Nina forced a smile.
“Thank you. You look… incredible too.”
“Come on, I want to introduce you to a couple of people,” Stella said eagerly. “Single, promising men. Two divorced, one who’s never been married at all.”
She hooked her arm through Nina’s before Nina could protest.
“And your Frank doesn’t seem to have shown up. I checked.”
The words 'your Frank' landed like a slap in the face. But Nina said nothing. What mattered was that he really wasn’t there.
They moved past small clusters of guests. People stared openly at Nina, not hiding their curiosity. A victim to some, a hysterical woman to others. Everyone had their version.
“There,” Stella suddenly whispered, slowing down and nodding toward a group of men near the buffet. “The new owner of the MedLife clinic network. Very serious guy. Wealthy, influential, single. He does have an adult daughter, though. Don’t you dare be stubborn.”
Nina turned her head.
And froze.
It was Jasper.
He stood half-turned in a dark navy suit, a glass in his hand, talking to a man she didn't recognize. His profile was familiar down to the smallest detail: the dimple in his cheek, the tense line of his jaw.
They hadn’t seen each other in over a week since that strange evening. And all that time, Nina had caught herself thinking about him. Not as her tormentor anymore—but in a completely different, frighteningly wrong way.
He had been right. She really did need a good specialist. Because what was happening inside her head felt far too much like attraction to the forbidden.
“No,” she whispered, trying to stop Stella. “No, Stella, don’t.”
“Are you kidding me?” Stella pushed on. “This is the best match at the party! Don't be stubborn.”
And louder now, with a dazzling smile:
“Dr. Garth, hello!”
He turned.
Their eyes met.
His gaze slid over Nina, from her shoes to her shoulders, lingering on her face. No surprise. No awkwardness. Unlike her.
Nina definitely needed to work on hiding her reactions—because the moment she saw him, something sparked under her skin.
“Let me introduce you,” Stella said with obvious satisfaction. “This is Nina. We volunteer together. Just like you—we help children.”
Jasper dipped his head slightly and smirked. He still gave no sign of recognition.
“Good evening, Nina.”
His voice was even, deep. Everything inside her clenched; her breath stuttered. She nodded back, suddenly aware of how uncomfortable she felt.
“Oh! I need to take care of the cake,” Stella chimed in brightly. “Excuse me. You two chat—I’ll be right back.”
And just like that, she slipped away, leaving Nina alone with the one person she had never expected to see here.
Nina stood facing Jasper. With every passing second, the silence between them tightened, grew heavier. He watched her closely but said nothing, as if waiting for her to be the one to break it.
“I didn’t expect you to know William Reed,” she said with a thin smirk.
One corner of his mouth lifted.
“I got dragged here,” he replied calmly, taking a sip of wine. “These days I’m a profitable partner.” Then, after a beat, “You look good tonight, Nina.”
Her heart betrayed her with a sharp jolt. She looked away, feeling a warm, unsettling rush low in her belly. She needed to leave, immediately.
“Thanks. It’s just the dress.” A pause. “You know… I think I’ll head out. It’s too stuffy in here.”
She turned and almost fled, putting distance between herself and Jasper. It took everything she had not to look back.
Past the glass doors, she stepped into the garden. Cool air cut through her instantly, raising goosebumps along her skin. Nina wrapped her arms around herself and stopped by a tall thuja bush, trying to breathe, to shake off the tension.
She’d congratulated the birthday girl. There was no reason to stay.
She turned and froze.
“Do you seriously think Nina is having an affair with Jasper Garth?”
The voice was Vivian's.
Something inside Nina collapsed. What the hell was that woman doing here? And why was she talking about her? Had Stella set this up?
Nina couldn’t see their faces—only silhouettes. Four women with champagne glasses stood at the edge of a lit path. But she would have recognized Vivian’s voice anywhere.
“Oh, don’t be so na?ve,” Vivian went on with a smug laugh. “My husband told me everything. In confidence, of course.”
She paused theatrically, and a sick sense of dread pierced Nina’s chest.
“Frank kept quiet for a long time. Nina’s father forced him to marry her.”
“What?” one of the women asked eagerly. “Why would he do that?”
“To cover up a shameful scandal,” Vivian lowered her voice, but not enough.
“Twenty-two years ago, Nina went to the police claiming that Jasper Garth raped her. Can you imagine? It was a blow to the whole family, especially given their status. So her father threatened Frank into marrying her to bury the disgrace.”
“Wait… is that true?” another woman whispered.
The world tilted.
Frank had told this vile woman everything—her most personal pain, twisted beyond recognition. No one had forced him to marry her; he had begged her father to let him into the family.
“Of course it is,” Vivian continued confidently while Nina fought the numbness creeping through her body. “And now he’s finally free. Her father’s dead. The farce is over. Frank and I can finally be happy without worrying that Lloyd would destroy us if he found out about me and our son.”
“Oh my God… that’s just—”
“Disgusting?” Vivian cut in. “Exactly. But I’m glad the truth is coming out. People should know the truth. She’s a manipulator. She staged everything so that now everyone thinks Frank is a heartless bastard.”
Nina’s head was ringing.
Everything blurred.
She stood there, fingers clawing the fabric of her dress, unable to feel the cold or her body. Only pain. Sharp, burning pain—as if her heart had been ripped out and everything inside her turned inside out.
Everything she had tried to forget, everything she had buried so carefully.
Now it was a weapon.
Their weapon against her.
Her pain. Her shame. On display.
“What the hell kind of garbage are you spewing?”
Jasper’s voice cut through the air like a gunshot—sharp, furious.
The women turned. Vivian went pale, then quickly recovered, lifting her chin into a defiant smile.
“Isn’t it the truth?”
Nina didn’t turn around. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Her fists clenched hard at her sides, holding herself back from lunging at that woman right there, in front of everyone.
Jasper didn’t say a word. He slipped off his jacket and, unexpectedly, draped it over Nina’s shoulders. The fabric was warm, scented with his cologne, still holding the heat of his body.
His hand brushed her waist—light, almost weightless, but unmistakable. Enough to make one thing clear to everyone watching:
There was closeness between them.
And he was done hiding it.
“I understand,” he said in an icy voice, “that you’re trying to clean up your reputation. But sinking to this level—this filth and outright lies? Even for you, that’s low, Vivian. That is your name, right? I’m not mistaken?”
Everyone around them froze, openly watching the scene unfold. Nina was still breathing hard, staring at Vivian without blinking, ready to lunge at her at any second. She took a step forward—but Jasper immediately tugged her back, holding her in place, stopping her from doing something reckless.
“It’s not a lie,” Vivian snapped, hysteria creeping into her voice. “You know damn well it’s the truth!”
“The truth is only this,” Jasper replied calmly. “Twenty-two years ago, a report really was filed in Nina’s name. Everything else is filthy speculation and fantasy.”
His voice stayed steady. Flat. Controlled.
“Our fathers hated each other. When Nina’s father caught us, he caused a scandal. She was nineteen. I was twenty. It was a stupid, reckless, but very intense first love—and it became forbidden.”
He looked straight at Vivian, unblinking. She seemed to deflate.
“Then she got married, and I left. Our lives went in different directions. But now,” he pressed Nina a little closer to himself, “we’re on good terms again.
And if even a fraction of what you said were true…
” He paused deliberately. “Do you really think we’d be standing here like this? That Nina would allow me to touch her?”
Nina couldn’t move. He said it all so calmly, so convincingly, that if she didn’t know the truth herself, she might’ve believed every word.
“Maybe you should tell your friends how Nina’s shares and real estate ended up registered in your name, Vivian,” Jasper went on. “That’s the real mystery. And a far more interesting topic than our past.”
Vivian opened her mouth as if to respond then snapped it shut.
Every eye was on them.
“Come on,” Jasper said gently to Nina. “You’re shaking. You’re cold.”
He turned her around and led her toward the exit.
They passed the cluster of women, who were practically savoring every second of the spectacle. Nina stayed silent. Jasper walked beside her—tense, contained, wound tight. He didn’t need to say anything; she felt it in the energy radiating off him.
His jacket was still draped over her shoulders, smelling like him, and she couldn’t bring herself to take it off and give it back.
“My driver will take you home,” Jasper said at last, without looking at her.
He stopped beside the car already waiting at the curb.
Nina didn’t argue. She didn’t have the strength.
All she wanted was to get out of there as fast as possible.
And then—find a hitman and shoot Frank along with his sharp-tongued mistress.
Even if the police came for her afterward and locked her up.
Only then, she thought, would she feel even a shred of satisfaction.
Jasper got in beside her, gave the driver her address, and the car pulled away.
He didn’t look at her. She didn’t look at him.
Everything inside her was stretched tight. Neither of them knew who should break the silence. Nina’s heart was still racing after the scene in the garden. And what infuriated her most was that she wasn’t angry at Jasper, the source of her original pain, but at Frank and Vivian.
That realization alone made her furious.
“Don’t worry,” Jasper said evenly, as if he sensed her state. “I’ll make sure this doesn’t go anywhere. It’s not in either of our interests.”
He sounded cold. Businesslike. As if they were negotiating terms.
And that lit a fuse inside her.
She turned sharply toward him.
“But it's already gone somewhere, Jasper!”
He stayed silent, looking at her. His eyes held nothing but resolve and steel.
“Then,” he said with emphasis, “we’ll have to change the rules.”
***
Nina woke up late.
Bright daylight streamed in from outside, but the room itself was dim, the curtains drawn tight, the air stale and heavy.
She’d barely slept, tossing and turning, replaying the garden scene over and over. It felt like a jagged wound had settled inside her body, making it hard to breathe.
Her phone lay on the nightstand. The screen was lit.
Seven missed calls from Jasper.
Her heart immediately sped up. Nina bolted upright and rubbed her neck. Her fingers trembled as she hit call back.
He answered instantly. No greeting.
“Are you home?”
“Yes…” She frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll send a car for you. We need to meet. Urgently.”
Nina sprang out of bed, her bare feet hitting the cold floor.
“Jasper… what’s happening?”
“Just promise me you won’t answer any calls,” he said. “None. Not even from unknown numbers.”
“You’re scaring me,” her voice tightened. “You’re really scaring me.”
Silence fell between them. Too long.
“This isn’t a phone conversation,” he said at last. “I’ll explain everything when we meet.”
He hung up.
Nina slowly lowered the phone back onto the nightstand. What the hell was going on?