Chapter 40
Jasper
The warmth of Corinne's fingers still lingered on mine as we made our way back from the dance floor. She looked radiant under the soft golden lights, her cheeks flushed, not just from the dance but something deeper—maybe hope, maybe fear. I saw it all. Every flicker in her eyes. Every attempt to steady herself.
And damn it, she looked stunning.
"You good?" I asked, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. Her smile was soft but tight, guarded.
"Yeah," she replied. "I think I just need something sweet."
"Dessert," I offered, guiding her toward the long table where an elegant arrangement of sweets had just been served.
I saw my mother approaching before Corinne did. And the second I saw who was walking beside her, my stomach dropped.
Janice.
The same Janice who wore heartbreak like a medal and who my mother clung to like an extension of herself. Her heels clicked with practiced elegance, her smile sharp and too practiced.
Corinne stiffened beside me.
"Jasper," my mother beamed, arms open. "Darling, we were just talking about you. Look who I found."
"Janice," I greeted, voice flat.
"Jasper," she said, leaning in and placing a kiss on my cheek as if she still had that right. "You look well."
Corinne's grip on her glass tightened. I could see the confusion in her posture, the way her chest rose just slightly faster.
"And you must be..." my mother tilted her head, eyes squinting behind her mask of politeness. "Corinne, right? Brittany's friend."
Corinne smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes. Corinne. It's nice to meet you."
"Of course it is," Janice chimed, brushing her curled hair behind her ear. "We were just reminiscing about old times. Weren't we, Mrs. Ashford"
"Indeed. Janice and Jasper were such a beautiful couple. Almost a decade together. Engaged too. Such a shame things didn’t work out."
My jaw clenched. I didn’t want to do this. Not here. Not now.
Corinne cleared her throat softly. "Excuse me," she whispered to me, setting her untouched dessert plate down. "I'm just going to get some air."
I turned to follow, but my mother stepped in, a thin smile on her face. "Really, Jasper. Are you going to let a guest of yours walk out alone while you ignore the people who matter?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't do that."
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
"Insult her. Undermine her. Especially in front of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing."
Janice rolled her eyes, arms folded. "Jasper, come on. You barely know her. And she’s... come on. A mother of two? Divorced? And wasn’t she just recently—"
"Stop." My voice was sharper than I intended. I took a breath and looked my mother directly in the eye. "I’m only going to say this once. Don’t disrespect Corinne again. Not in front of me. Not in front of anyone."
My mother looked stunned. "I’m your mother, Jasper. I have the right to care about who you bring around."
"Then care without cruelty. Care without dragging someone through the mud based on what you think is acceptable. Corinne is kind. She's strong. She's survived things you wouldn't last a day enduring."
Janice huffed. "So you’re defending her now? Over us? Over history?"
I turned to her. "There is no 'us,' Janice. There hasn't been for a long time. What we had... I thought it was love. But it was comfort. Safe. Predictable. I don't want safe anymore. I want real. I want someone who feels deeply. Who doesn’t live to please the social circle."
"So you want broken?" she bit out.
"I want brave," I said firmly. "I want someone who gets back up. Even when the world crushes her."
My mother gave me a cold look. "I won't bless this. A divorcee? With emotional baggage and children?"
"Then don't," I said, stepping back. "But know this. If you ever make Corinne feel less-than again... you won't just lose your influence over my life, you’ll lose me altogether."
I didn’t wait for their response. I turned and left, heart racing.
I found Corinne on the patio, arms folded over herself as the wind played with her hair. She didn’t look at me when I approached.
"I'm sorry," I said gently. "You didn't deserve that."
"It’s fine," she whispered. "I’m used to it."
My heart cracked. "No, Corinne. Don’t say that. Don’t let people like them convince you that you have to get used to being hurt."
She turned to me then, eyes glistening. "I just... I don't fit here, Jasper. I came because Brittany asked me to, but this world? It's not mine."
I stepped closer, brushing my fingers over hers. "It can be, if you want it. But only if you're treated with respect. With kindness. And I swear to you, as long as you're standing with me, you'll never have to hear those things again. Not from them. Not from anyone."
She blinked at me. "Why are you doing this?"
I smiled faintly. "Because you're not like them. Because you're honest, and real, and even when you're hurting, you still shine. And because..."
I hesitated, then lifted her hand to my lips. "...I see something in you that I haven’t felt in a very long time."
She didn’t say anything. But the way her fingers laced through mine told me everything I needed to know.
And in that quiet, I decided:
No one was going to ruin her peace again.
Not on my watch.