Chapter 13

“Who are Becca and Teddy?”

Jasmine was even much more calmer than she thought she was going to be after witnessing what she witnessed that afternoon.

Cara had urged her to let all her emotions out, knowing that the Queen must be wanting to cry. But instead, she shook her head and to Cara’s surprise, she dressed up even more beautifully than she normally does as she walked to the dining table for dinner.

“Are you sure, your highness?” Cara had asked as she feared that the Queen was going to do something but good during dinner.

“Yes, Cara. I’ve never been more sure about anything,” Jasmine had said as she put on her diamond earring.

She had memorized a whole script of how she was going to approach the subject to Matt, but it was seeming to be difficult as Matt didn’t come for dinner and the maids nor guards had no idea of where he was or why he missed dinner. The only thing they said was that he wasn’t back since he went to the college renovation.

Jasmine knew the real reason why he wasn’t around for dinner. It was because he was with his mistress and their son. She couldn’t help but wonder if they laughed and told jokes as they ate, something she could never do with her children.

That night, she kept tossing and turning and resisted the urge to go to his room to check if he was around. She kept imagining that he was all cuddled up with Becca and then they were making sweet love. The thought of that made her body crawl and she got up and walked to the kitchen, needing a glass of alcohol to soothe her nerves.

It was then that a shadow caught her eyes and to her dismay, it was her husband. Perhaps, he was just coming back from his mistress’ apartment and might’ve even stayed the night if not that he didn’t want her to suspect anything.

Jasmine pushed the thoughts away and watched and waited as Matt’s hand paused midway to his mouth with a forkful of what seemed like scrambled eggs. She couldn’t help but wonder if his mistress didn’t feed him.

From the darkness, she could see that he didn’t raise his eyes to meet hers.

Matt seemed to have been suspended in time for what felt like forever, before he continued eating and chewed slowly. Jasmine thought that he was thinking of a lie to tell her.

Jasmine’s fingers tightened around the glass that she was holding, that it felt as though it was going to crumble under her touch. She was holding back from snapping at him.

“Don’t pretend, you didn’t hear my question, Matt. They won’t go away just because you ignore them.”

After what seemed like eternity, he swallowed reaching for a glass of whatever the content was and downing it quickly.

“How do you know about them?” From the darkness, she couldn’t make our his features or his expression, but from his voice, she could tell that he was pissed.

“I don’t!” She kept the glass on the table with a thud. “That’s why I’m asking you. Who are they?”

She heard him sigh and wondered what excuse or lie he was going to come up with. “They’re not your concern, Jasmine. I’m taking care of them.”

She scoffed. She wasn’t expecting to be dismissed like that. “Oh yea. And I’m supposed to be okay with that.”

He chuckled. It sounded so rich. It was his laughter she first fell in love with and she hated how he just laughed it away as though she wasn’t talking about something serious.

“As I said earlier, Jasmine, I’m taking care of them,” he emphasized the ‘them’

Jasmine was done trying to be civil. She slammed her clenched fist down on the table.

“You have a son out there and there’s a possibility of you still screwing his mother and you keep saying it has nothing to do with me? Damn it, Matt! I know you to be everything, but not a lying coward!”

Matt stood up slowly, surprised that of all things for her to have thought, it had to be that. Because it was dark and the tears had clouded her eyes, she didn’t see him stand up and walk towards her.

It was when he reached out and clamped a hand on her upper arm that she realized that he had already stood up from where he was. She tried to shrug him off, but his grip was firm.

“Jasmine! No, it’s not that!” He exclaimed, although, he had wanted to keep everything a secret, but now, he felt the need to explain everything to her.

“Teddy isn’t my son and I’ve never been romantically involved with Becca!”

Jasmine’s brow knitted in confusion. She wondered if he was lying to her now as the letter had stated otherwise and the way they had looked when she had seen them. They were definitely more than friends.

“But the panda…”

He scrunched his face. “Uh, that was just a stuffed toy I got for him…but how did…wait, did you spy on me?”

Jasmine opened her mouth to speak, but clamped them shut immediately, realizing that she was going to have to explain everything to him. How she had seen the letter and followed him.

“Spying—uh no,” Shestammered before adding immediately. “Spying would imply that it’s a secret and it is a secret, isn’t it?”

“You don’t trust me,” it was a statement rather than a question and She had nothing to say, lest, she worsened the situation.

His cheeks flushed with anger as he tore his face away from her. She was infuriating him by the day and he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

“Look Jasmine, I don’t know what’s going on with you at the moment, but you were never like this. You’re not the same woman I met seven years ago and it’s…”

“You’re not the same man I met seven years ago either. Right now, it feels as though, I live with a stranger.”

Matt said nothing, he stood up instead and walked away from the room.