Chapter 1
Five years into her secret marriage with Carl Sinclair, Jasmine Mendoza still hadn’t been touched by him.
On their wedding anniversary, she made a bold move to climb into his bed in lingerie.
But before she could even touch his lean body, he shoved her out of the bedroom without a trace of gentleness.
“Leave,” he said coldly. “I told you–I agreed to the marriage, but I’ll never sleep with you.”
In the corridor, his handsome face was filled with clear disgust under the faint light.
Jasmine felt ashamed. She bent over slightly, clutching her shirt and biting her lip. “But Matthew told me…
Her pitiful look didn’t make him feel sorry. It just made him more annoyed.
“Don’t try to use Grandpa to guilt–trip me,” he snapped. “Did he also tell you to throw yourself at me like this?”
Jasmine was about to deny it, but Carl’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, and the coldness in his expression vanished. “Whitney, what’s going on?”
His voice softened in a way Jasmine had never heard before like he
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was afraid of scaring the woman on the other end.
But Jasmine knew that only one person could make Carl speak like that -Whitney Lawrence, his college junior.
She was his beloved crush, someone he treasured deep in his heart.
It was clear Carl knew how to be gentle. He just never chose to be that way with Jasmine, not even a little.
A soft, frightened voice came through the phone. “Carl, the lights in the ward went out. I’m scared. Can you come to stay with me?”
Carl didn’t hesitate and replied gently, “Don’t worry, Whitney. I’ll be right there.”
Once he hung up, the warmth in his eyes faded. He turned to Jasmine. coldly. “I’m staying with Whitney tonight. Deal with Grandpa by yourself. If you dare to complain to him, we’re getting a divorce.”
Jasmine forced a smile. She wouldn’t say anything.
Because from now on, there was no longer anything between them.
Before their wedding, Matthew Sinclair had her sign an agreement. If she failed to conceive Carl’s child within five years, the marriage would be void. As compensation, he’d send her abroad.
No one knew that marrying Carl had always been her dream.
Jasmine first heard Carl’s name from her father. He mentioned that Carl was a gifted prodigy, got into college at 16, and became the youngest surgeon at the city hospital by 25. Her father always spoke highly of him.
Since Carl worked with her father, Jasmine respectfully called him “Mister.”
She had always been curious about this mysterious man..
One day, she visited the hospital and saw Carl for the first time. He stepped out of his office in a white coat, giving clear instructions for the operation to the team. His calm and confident presence stood out among the crowd.
From then on, she fell for him. And her feelings only grew stronger.
She began pursuing him boldly, begging Matthew to agree to their marriage. But he said no. “Jasmine, Carl isn’t the kind to bend easily. Besides, he already likes someone else. If you marry him, you’ll only get hurt.”
Even though Jasmine loved Carl deeply, she had no choice but to bury those feelings.
But then, Carl came to her.
“Jasmine, let’s get married,” he said.
There was no wedding, no celebration–just a marriage certificate.
No one knew that on the night she became his wife, she was overjoyed and couldn’t fall asleep at all.
Later, she learned that Whitney had married her overseas boyfriend. That was why Carl chose her without much thought. It didn’t matter to him who he ended up with.
At first, she didn’t mind. She foolishly believed that with enough love and effort, she’d eventually warm his heart.
Chapter 1
But after marrying Carl, she realized she was completely wrong.
They had been married for five years, yet he never allowed their relationship to be made public, ignored all her attempts to get close, and never replied to her messages.
She even tried to seduce him, using every method she could think of. His eyes would redden with desire, but in the end, he always pushed. her away, clinging to his self–control..
That was when it hit her.
Even though Whitney had married someone else, Carl still stayed loyal.
to her.
Just now, she had failed for the 999th time. It finally sank in that Carl
would never love her.
Now that Whitney had divorced and returned to America, Jasmine knew what she had to do.
She had to step aside.
After making up her mind, she called Matthew and said, “Matthew, can you arrange for me to go overseas? I miss my parents.”
Her parents had moved abroad and asked her to join them, but she chose to stay behind because of Carl.
Matthew sighed helplessly. “Jasmine, I’m sorry you’ve gone through this. I’ll make the arrangements. Everything should be ready by next Wednesday. Use this time to get your things in order.”
She thanked him and ended the call.
Looking at the calendar, she saw she still had seven days.
In seven days, she would completely leave Carl.
