Liam raced down the block with a box of cake and sweet treats for Jasmine.
Wiping her hands that had been sifting through the trash, Jasmine eyed Liam uneasily and took a cautious step back.
A life peppered with too many hardships had taught Jasmine to fear everyone, including Liam.
But Liam understood. He grinned and offered assurance. "They're all fresh and still sealed. Have a look for yourself."
Silent, Jasmine just stared at the ground, her fingers clenched tightly around the fabric of her pants.
She was hungry. She craved the offering. But she wouldn't beg.
"Here's the deal," Liam began, sensing her discomfort while he pointed toward the car parked curbside. "You're collecting bottles, right? Mr. Douglas sent these over. All this? Barely cost a hundred bucks. Pay it back to Mr. Douglas whenever you've saved up enough."
Jasmine followed the direction of Liam's gesture, Ethan...
She gave a small nod and accepted the cake. She would pay it back. She was determined to seize every opportunity to get closer to Ethan.
With her bag of scavenged bottles, Jasmine hobbled back the way she came.
Her ankle throbbed in pain, swollen from Zelda’s cruel stomp.
Back in the storage space at The Douglas Family estate, Jasmine meticulously cleaned her hands and softly woke the slumbering Justin. "Justin, wake up, sweetheart. Let's have something to eat."
Daniel didn't bother keeping a close watch on her, knowing Jasmine wouldn't dare flee.
If she ran, she’d be caught and dragged right back.
What was the point in running?
Staying meant atonement.
Benjamin had agreed to Jasmine’s desperate offer: donate a kidney, and she'd settle over two decades of debt.
After that, she'd be free from any debt to them.
Free at last.
"Mom..." Justin woke, his young eyes heavy with sleep. Then, spotting the tiny cake, he lit up, even licking his lips. "Is Mom an angel?"
Jasmine laughed, her heart feeling lighter, as she handed him the treats. "Mom has a little magic."
"You're amazing," Justin said, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Jasmine instinctively flinched. "I'm... I'm dirty, honey."
"You're not dirty." Grabbing Jasmine's face gently, Justin looked serious. "You're the cleanest, Mom."
Jasmine’s throat went tight with emotion as she chuckled, but her tears betrayed her. "Be a good boy, Justin. Eat."
"Mom, you first," insisted Justin, showing understanding beyond his years. He always knew to offer the first bite to her.
Despite her hunger, Jasmine wanted to save it for Justin. "I've already eaten."
"You're lying," Justin stated resolutely, refusing to eat until Jasmine had her share.
Jasmine sat beside Justin, letting him lean on her as she took a bite of the bread—it was incredibly sweet.
It was genuinely, remarkably sweet.
After being locked away all those years, she'd nearly forgotten the taste of sweetness.
"Mom, where's Dad? Is he a superhero? Will he come to save us?"
That night, Jasmine held her son close as they slept.
Justin had so many questions.
"Dad’s off saving aliens, that's why he’s gone, and it's going to be a really long time before he gets back."
"Dad's a hero."
Jasmine was crafting an image of a father for Justin, wanting nothing more than for her son to grow up healthy, happy, and whole, without feeling the void of having no father figure.
"Justin, in a little while, Mom might have to go to outer space to find Dad, and it could be a really long time before I come back..." she whispered softly.
But suddenly, Justin fell silent.
"Justin..." A pang of worry struck Jasmine.
Then Justin began to cry. "Mom, don't go."
He was just scared of being left alone.
Jasmine hugged Justin tighter as tears welled up in her eyes.
She was going to die, die on the operating table.
...
"Get up; you’re always sleeping."
The next morning, Jasmine was rudely awoken by the nanny’s kick.
Instinctively protecting her child, she sat up groggily.
"Eat up, and don't you dare say I let you starve." The nanny tossed a bowl of spoiled food at them and left.
Justin also sat up, smelled the food, and felt nauseous. "Mom, it's bad; we can't eat this."
Jasmine didn't respond. She took the bowl, limped out the door, and dumped it in the garbage can, cleaned the bowl, took a sip of cool water to rinse her mouth, and then led Justin to freshen up.
"Mom, where are we going?"
Jasmine gestured for Justin to be quiet. "We’re going home to see Uncle."
As they were about to leave, Daniel returned.
His car stopped outside with a little boy about Justin's age stepping out, clutching an oversized Iron Man toy.
Jasmine knew him. That was Daniel's nephew whose mom was Daniel’s twin sister---Lisa Douglas.
"Uncle, who is that?" Casey pointed at Justin; his voice laced with caution.
Daniel’s eyes darkened, and his voice turned ice-cold. "Stay away from him; he's dirty."
Justin looked down, hurt, at his bleach-white shirt—the one uncle had washed for him. He wasn't dirty at all.