The Drive

As Jasmine’s eyes fluttered open, her head ached. Her thoughts were muddled from the night before. The memory of Elijah’s touch, the intimacy of their dinner, the question he asked… 

She stirred under the covers, unable to shake what was bothering her. The need for an answer was pressing down on her chest, suffocating her. It was no longer about outing the truth about her thesis. 

He deserved an answer. 

The evening had closed the growing distance between her and Elijah. It brought them together. She discovered what was hidden beneath his surface. The person she thought she knew, the man who had shown her a life of luxury… had dreams, goals, and ambitions.

Sure, he kept secrets from her. She had to believe that it was for her own good. That the unspoken love they shared, was the foundation of the future they were building.

Little did she know, it was all about to crumbled when she uncovered the details of the paper being discussed in the other room. The details on it that revealed a hidden connection to her past, a connection that was far more personal than she had ever imagined.

Jasmine threw back the covers and slipped out of bed. Her bare feet brushing against the cool hardwood floor. She could still feel the passion of the night burning between her thighs. 

Elijah was already gone, then room was silent. She could hear people in the other room having a heated discussion. It sounded like Marshall, Maya, and Elijah… a few other voices that she couldn’t make out. 

A gut feeling hit her. Her stomach sank, and her body trembled with uncertainty as she crept down the hallway, careful not to disturb anyone. She rounded the corner into the kitchen and followed the voices drifting from the livingroom. 

The conversation seemed important, but hushed tones made it hard to hear. She knew it was about her, but her gut told her they were keeping something from her… something big. It would make sense to charge into the room and ask, but she knew that Elijah would keep it a secret if it meant keeping her safe.

Elijah’s voice. Low, measured, as if he were explaining something important. Her heart skipped a beat as she pressed herself against the wall, inching closer to the door. The words were faint at first, but they grew clearer as she got closer.

“We found the birth certificate, Elijah. It’s undeniable. Benjamin was born in a different city. It’s all here. This birth certificate, it's real. He was taken, not adopted.”, Marshall explained.

Jasmine’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected this. Hadn’t expected to hear her his name, not in this context. Her pulse quickened, her heart racing as the pieces started to fit together in the most chilling way.

“Marshall, chill. Elijah is just trying to wrap his head around the information. Look, we found concrete evidence. We both dug deep. We have to tell Benjamin that he wasn’t just adopted. He was sold. Stolen. This puts him in danger.”, Maya’s voice rang out.

Jasmine’s legs nearly gave out from under her. Sold? He had been stolen, but wasn’t Benjamin… Clara’s brother? So, her parent’s stole him… from who? Questions raced in her mind, but she kept still.

“Elijah.”, someone else said. Their voice filled with a mix of disbelief and horror, “Do you think Benjamin knows? There is a chance that is what he wrote in the letter to Jasmine.”

Jasmine’s heart pounded in her ears as she pressed her back into the wall, struggling to stay calm. She was starting to piece it all together. The secrets. The lies. 

"I am pretty sure he knows, but I am not sure how much.", Elijah’s voice was soft. His words seemed to echo in her ears, “He called me a few weeks ago. Told me he had found out a secret. Something about leaving a banking account for Jasmine. Something about documents in a safety deposit box. Marshall, look into that for me. Maya, go with him.”

“We should up her bodyguards, boss.”, Cameron said. 

“She has the right to know Benjamin is her real brother.”, Damien added.

"She’ll know when the time is right. But not yet. She’s too close to everything. I’ll keep her safe for now, until we can figure out what comes next.", Elijah’s tone was full of concern. 

Benjamin was actually her brother. The thought alone sent a shockwave through her body. Her family had kept it all from her. The truth about his death, the circumstances surrounding her childhood. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t prepared to accept it.

Benjamin had been stolen, he never died. And all these years, her family had kept her in the dark, telling her nothing about the truth. Denial sank in. 

She couldn’t breathe. The weight of Elijah’s words settled in like a cold vice. Keep her safe? Did he mean keep her from the truth? Or keep her from Benjamin? 

Her legs went weak, and the blood drained from her face. She had to get away. She needed space. She needed to understand everything. The walls felt like they were closing in. The house no longer feeling like a sanctuary but a prison, a prison full of lies.

Without another thought, she darted to the garage. The large wooden door creaked open as she stepped inside, feeling the cool spring air that seeped into the garage. Elijah’s cars were parked neatly in the space, their gleaming exteriors almost mocking her as they stood there. 

She glanced around, her mind racing. Her hands shaking as she pulled open the door of one of the cars. She didn’t know what she was doing, didn’t know where she was going, but she couldn’t stay here. 

Not in this house of lies. Not with them. Not with the people who had kept her in the dark.

She sat in his car contemplating stealing it, but she knew he could track it. If she took his car he would know where she was and would come for her. She didn’t want to be found. 

Getting out, she closed the door quietly. She looked around and noticed Maya’s car. Her tech savvy best friend was smart, but always left the keys in her car. She knew Maya had installed programs into her car’s system to prevent tracking. It was the perfect car. 

She sped off, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she opened the gate and drove past the guards. They yelled behind her as the car shot down the road. The house was a blur behind her, the lies fading into the distance as she drove faster. 

Pushing the car harder, trying to outrun the suffocating weight of everything she had just learned. Her phone vibrated on the dash. The screen flashed with message after message, missed calls. 

She didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want to know what Elijah was saying now, or what anyone else had to say. They had lied to her. All of them. Even Maya, her best friend.

Jasmine slammed her fist against the steering wheel. Tears welling in her eyes as she gritted her teeth, the anger surging inside her. Yelling into the void of the car as she sped down the road, never slowing or stopping.

She didn’t know where to go or what to do, but she couldn’t face Elijah. She couldn’t go back to him, not right now. She needed answers but wasn’t sure who to call. 

Picking up her phone, she dialed Benjamin. It didn’t even right, the number was out of order. She needed the truth and the only place she could think of to find them was her childhood home.

Without thinking twice, she veered onto the highway. Childhood memories racing through her mind as she drove toward the familiar road that led to the house where she had spent her formative years. The house that had always felt like a symbol of safety, stability… until now. 

Now it felt like a tomb, a place where memories were buried, forgotten.

As the miles flew by, her phone buzzed again and again. The screen lit up with another barrage of messages, and for a brief moment, she considered checking them… but she couldn’t. The need to escape and find clarity, was stronger than any desire for comfort.

One thought kept creeping into her mind… throw it away, it’s not worth it.

In one swift motion, Jasmine grabbed her phone, opened the window, and tossed it out into the dark night. She didn’t watch as it disappeared into the darkness. The weight in her chest lightened a little, but the uncertainty, the fear, still haunted her. 

The road stretched out in front of her, empty and endless, and she drove through the night without looking back. There was no turning back now. She had to face it all. She had to confront the person who had the answers. The one who could explain why her life had been ripped apart. 

Her father.

Hours had passed and fatigue began to creep into her vision. She was thankful that Maya installed the solar panel on top of her car, so she didn’t have to stop for a charge. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, as she he approached the town she had left behind so many years ago. 

She could still remember the old house. The way her father let it go after her mother died. The paint had peeled from the shutters, the garden had overgrown in the front yard. She remembered how, as a child, she had always felt a sense of dread when walking toward that house, even as a young girl. Something had never felt quite right, but she had never been able to put it into words.

Now, as an adult, everything felt wrong. The truth was slipping through her fingers, and all she could do was follow the road and hope that somewhere along the way, the answers would be waiting for her.

Her headlights cut through the dark, illuminating the old house as it came into view. Jasmine’s heart beat hard in her throat as she pulled into the familiar driveway. The house loomed in front of her like a shadow.

As she stepped out of the car, she felt like she was walking into a past she had long tried to forget. The house looked abandoned as vines grew up the side and the mail piled by the door. She hadn’t spoken to her father in years, she wasn’t even sure if he was still alive. 

The grass had grown up past the porch banister and cardboard had been taped to the window. The screen door was hanging on by its last hinge. There was no turning back now. 

Jasmine had to face her father. He was the one who held the key to everything. The one who could explain the secrets, the lies, and the truth about who she really was.

She opened the door and walked in, “Father, I’m home.”