JASMINE
I sat in the back row, my hands squeezed together tightly in my lap. My body still ached from Henry's attack, my bruised ribs pained me with every breath, and the split on my lip stung sharply whenever I moved my mouth.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the storm inside my heart.
"Christiana was gone." She was my stepsister, the woman who had spent years trying to ruin my life.
She had helped Henry blackmail and control the original Jasmine, set up dangerous accidents, and leaked painful secrets to the public.
Yet, as I stared at the closed casket covered with white flowers, a heavy sadness settled deep in my bones.
I was not just sad for the cruel person she became, but for the young girl she might have been if her life had been different.
Painful memories flooded my mind without warning. Fragments of the original Jasmine's life crashed over me like waves. I saw quick flashes of Christiana's cold smile at family dinners.
