My eyes drifted toward Jacob, who had been silent the whole time.
He was just sitting under the dim light and I couldn't make out his expression.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Selena and Sadie were both staring at me intently.
Suddenly, memories from the past came flooding back.
A year ago, I coaxed Jasmine to sleep at night and received a call from Jacob.
The caller was not Jacob himself but his assistant, who asked me to rush to a high-end restaurant immediately.
I thought Jacob was just drunk and asked me to take him home, but I didn't expect that I would be forced to join the drinking party at that time after opening the door of the room.
Jacob was already drunk then, but the guests at the party were unwilling to let him go.
I couldn't force Jacob away; otherwise, the Gilmores' industry would be affected and the consequences would be disastrous.
So, for his sake, even though I had a severe alcohol allergy, I readily agreed to their request.
I picked up the whiskey, tilted my head back and drained it in one gulp.
That night, I took Jacob home and ended up in the hospital because of it.
The next morning, I rarely saw Jacob looking so worried about me.
When he found that I had woken up, his face suddenly became gloomy, "Josephine, even if you hadn't come, I would have found a way to get out unscathed! You knew you were allergic to alcohol. Why did you risk your life?"
"Jacob, I married you and am part of the Gilmores. I'm willing to share these burdens with you."
From that day on, all the liquor bottles in the house disappeared.
Jacob stayed home for a month and his attitude towards Jasmine and me improved significantly.
I thought this would be the beginning of our improved relationship.
Thinking of this, I laughed at myself and tried to hold back my tears.
I lifted my head and finished the entire bottle of white liquor in one go.
"Just one bottle isn't enough to show my sincerity in apologizing. I'll punish myself with three more!"
I picked up another bottle of liquor and started pouring it into my mouth.
The fiery liquid burned down my throat, irritating my stomach.
When one bottle was empty, I reached for another, but Jacob grabbed my hand.
His face was dark as he shouted, "Enough!"
"Is that enough? Has your childhood sweetheart, Miss Jones, forgiven me? Is my apology over?"
His face grew even darker. "I only told you to apologize properly, not to throw your life away! Josephine, you know how much influence the Gilmores have in New York. As Mrs. Gilmore, if word gets out that you keep acting like this, how will you show your face again?"
"And what about your daughter? How can you take care of her if you don't even care about yourself? You're being completely irresponsible!"
At the mention of Jasmine, a sharp pain stabbed through my heart. "She doesn't need me to take care of her anymore."
I yanked my arm free and stormed out.
After walking a few steps, I felt dizzy and fell to the ground and fainted.
Jacob rushed forward and picked me up, but Selena stopped him after only a few steps.
Selena held an unconscious Sadie in her arms. "Jacob, Sadie suddenly fainted."
Jacob turned around and paused. His face was full of hesitation.
After a moment, he turned back toward the door, still holding me in his arms. His voice was cold. "I'm taking Josephine to the hospital. I'll have my assistant look after Sadie."
When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose.
Jacob handed me a glass of water when he saw me awake.
"Thanks, Mr. Gilmore. I appreciate you taking care of me, but I can manage independently now. You can leave."
"Josephine, must you talk to me like that? I brought you here myself and stayed all night. What more do you want from me?"
What did I want? I didn't want anything anymore.
The past ten years were the best youth of my life, but I wasted them all on Jacob.
Now that Jasmine was gone, I just wanted to be myself again.
"If you are okay, leave the hospital immediately! Go home and take care of your daughter; don't let her stay alone for too long!"
"You deliberately drank yourself into the hospital just to cause trouble, leaving your daughter alone at home. You are truly disgraceful! If I'd known you were not only ruthless but also heartless enough to abandon your own child, I never would've married a vicious woman like you."
I took a deep breath. "Jacob, I'll say it one last time, Jasmine is already … "
Suddenly, Selena rushed in in a panic and interrupted me.
"Jacob, something happened! Sadie has acute leukemia and needs a blood transfusion!"
