Chapter 4
When Jasmine opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a room.
She tried to sit up but accidentally pulled at the injury on her arm, making her gasp from the sharp pain. Carl, who had just poured a bottle of warm water, saw it and gently reminded her, “Don’t move. Your arm’s still healing.”
Her eyes flickered. The pain told her something was off. Her arm was tightly bandaged, and she didn’t know why. The fingers gripping the blanket gradually turned pale.
“What did you do to me, Carl?”
He handed her the water and calmly said, “I took the skin from your wrist and transplanted it to Whitney. She’s in a fragile state. Seeing a scar could make her worse.”
He spoke like it was no big deal.
He knew how much Jasmine cared about her appear
appearance–every small cut was something she treated carefully. But this time, he had taken a whole patch of her skin without mercy.
Her heart felt shattered. She trembled, and tears rolled down her
checks. “Carl, why? You didn’t even ask me.”
Carl looked at her without emotion. “You were the reason Whitney got hurt. You needed to be punished.”
So, he still didn’t trust her. He didn’t even mind hurting her for
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Whitney’s sake.
Jasmine turned pale, her chest tightened, and her tears soaked the blanket. Seeing how hurt she looked. Carl softened his tone. “This was just a small lesson–to teach you that actions have consequences. Once I find matching skin, I’ll have it fixed.”
She didn’t understand what she had done wrong. Why was she being punished?
Maybe her only mistake was loving Carl.
After that day, she never spoke to him again. He seemed to notice she was upset and tried to treat her better.
But Jasmine no longer cared.
At lunch. Carl placed a piece of shrimp on her plate. “High–protein foods help with healing.”
Jasmine picked out the shrimp and asked the maid to change her. dinnerware.
“I’m allergic to shrimp.”
Carl was caught off guard. Of course, he was surprised. She once ate the shrimp he gave her without hesitation, even knowing she was allergic.
She ended up in the hospital, lips swollen and painful, yet she still laughed on the hospital bed like a fool.
Thinking about it now, she realized just how foolish she’d been.
The atmosphere at the table suddenly turned cold. Not knowing what
to say. Carl got straight to the point. “Whitney is coming to stay here for a while. I don’t trust the hospital staff, so when I’m not home, I’d like you to take care of her.”
Jasmine froze for a moment. Then, she nodded. “Alright.”
Carl felt a bit uneasy watching how cooperative Jasmine was.
He had already planned how to pressure her if she refused. But now, she agreed so calmly without resistance or tears. Something felt off.
Just as he was about to speak, the housekeeper’s voice suddenly came. from outside. A few maids entered, each carrying luggage. The one walking at the end was Whitney.
She noticed Jasmine eating in the living room and spoke in a surprised. tone, “Ms. Mendoza, you’re here too?”
Jasmine’s eyes were locked on Whitney’s arm.
The wound itself was only the size of a thumb, yet Carl had removed the skin from her whole arm.
After realizing the truth, Jasmine held onto the edge of the table so tightly that her nails snapped before she could steady herself. Carl spoke softly, “Jasmine doesn’t know anyone in Los Angeles, so she’ll be staying here for a few days.”
Jasmine smiled sarcastically and added, “I’ll be gone by next Wednesday.”
She did leave Los Angeles that day.
But Carl didn’t seem to care much. He went ahead and helped Whitney carry her things. Once they got upstairs, Whitney stood by Jasmine’s
bedroom door, clinging to his arm and speaking sweetly,
“Carl, the sunlight in this room is perfect. The doctor said I need more sunlight to get better.”
Carl glanced over at Jasmine. Before he could say anything, she spoke up first. “I’ll move out.”
Whatever Whitney wanted, she could have it.
Jasmine didn’t even want Carl anymore.
Seeing how easily Jasmine gave in, Whitney lost interest. As Carl helped her unpack, she swung her arm and boasted, “Jasmine, you’re so shameless. Carl doesn’t love you, but you still stick around. If I were you, I’d have hit a wall and killed myself. See? When I said my skin was ugly, Carl agreed to have your skin transplanted onto me.”
Jasmine stayed calm and ignored Whitney’s provocation.
No matter what happened, Carl would always take Whitney’s side.
“Congrats. You’ve won,” Jasmine said sincerely.
But Whitney took those words the wrong way, thinking Jasmine was mocking her
She looked like she was about to lose her temper. But then, an idea crossed her mind, and she smiled instead. “Jasmine, if I got hurt and Carl saw it, who do you think he’d believe–me or you?”
Jasmine’s expression shifted. Right after saying that, Whitney suddenly leaned back. Before Jasmine could react or reach out, Whitney was already falling down the stairs.
Whitney landed at the bottom. Wincing in pain, she stared at Jasmine
with a hurt expression. “Ms. Mendoza, why did you push me? What did I ever do to make you hate me this much?”
Carl happened to see this scene.
