Chapter 335 Connor Is the One behind Jasmine
The Betty's residence.
Betty got home, took a shower, did some facial care, and then lay down on the bed to apply a face mask.
The phone rang, and the message was from Aurora.
Betty opened it and took a look. Aurora sent a photo of Richard taking care of her.
Aurora: [Betty, We would be happy together without you.]
Betty angrily tossed her phone aside.
'You are so childish.’
'Richard stayed because he wanted you to give up and then let you leave on your own.' she thought.
Aurora: [Betty, do you dare to make a bet with me?]
Betty still ignored Aurora.
Aurora: [Don't you want to see what position you hold in Richard's heart?]
Aurora: [If you want to know the answer, come alone to Maplewood Elementary School tomorrow afternoon. That's where Richard and I fell in love. If you lack confidence, then forget it. I will arrange to meet Richard there. Once we revisit our past emotions, he will understand who the right woman for him truly is.]
Aurora: [Betty, I admit you are great, beautiful, and outstanding. But Richard and I are more compatible in this world. You are more like a distant figure, unreal and hard to reach. Your standards are too high. I understand Richard's personality, and if he tries hard to match up with you, he will be exhausted. If you truly love him, won't you consider being more lenient with him?]
Betty held the phone, her fingers clenched tightly.
Aurora kept sending messages over and over again.
Aurora: [If he can never reach your heights, don't you think he would feel inferior? That's how people in our world are, stuck at the bottom, always humble. It's not like you can make him happy just by giving him everything; you'll only ruin him.
Aurora: [Betty, I beg you; please spare Richard.]
For Aurora, Betty was just an unrealistic fantasy.
'When people in the real world reach the heights of fantasy, they become very, very tired.’
'Once, I also thought that marrying a wealthy man and living the life I wanted was happiness.’
'Later, I realized that family background really determined everything early on.’
'The real upper class, always keeping the poor out.' she mused.
Betty: [What do you want to bet?] Betty typed with numb fingers and sent it over.
Aurora: [I bet deep down in his heart, the one he truly loves is me. To you, it's just novelty and obligation.
Aurora: [Tomorrow, I will wait for you at the old campus of Maplewood Elementary School.]
Rental property.
Jasmine and Ethan returned home and began to deal with the ingredients.
Jasmine was a bit absent-minded and accidentally cut her hand.
Ethan's heart tightened as he grabbed Jasmine's fingers to disinfect them. "What are you thinking?"
"It's... It's nothing," Jasmine said, lowering her head, her voice slightly stuttering.
Ethan furrowed his brow.
He was quite sharp. Jasmine felt something was off after seeing Connor today.
'Is it because Connor was your therapist that made you remember past events?' Ethan thought.
"Jasmine, I am your husband, the person who can share all the pressure with you," Ethan crouched in front of Jasmine, speaking softly.
Her eyes reddened slightly as she looked up at Ethan, not saying anything.
'If you knew from the moment I entered prison, I was already thinking about how to scheme and manipulate you, what would you think?' she thought.
"Please don't play with Connor anymore. He's not a good person," Jasmine whispered.
Ethan's expression darkened for a moment. He had finally cured her stutter, but upon seeing Connor today, he reverted to his original state.
This indicated that Jasmine was scared and extremely fearful of Connor.
"Okay, I won't play with him anymore," Ethan coaxed Jasmine, "You sit here and rest for a bit. I'll go handle the ingredients, and we'll have dinner in a while."
Jasmine nodded, lowering her head as tears welled up in her eyes.
'If Connor were to tell Ethan about my experiences in prison, what would happen?’ she mused.
'Countless suicides, countless instances of being bullied. Would Ethan despise her?'
The phone rang.
Jasmine was startled and nervously picked up her phone.
Sure enough, it was a message sent by Connor.
Connor: [Ethan spoiled you a lot.]
Jasmine's fingers were trembling, making it impossible for her to type a single word.
Connor: [It seems like you have completely gained his trust.]
Jasmine: [No.]
Connor: [What? Are you planning to break the agreement now?]
Jasmine: [Connor, what exactly do you want to do to Ethan?] Jasmine's tears splashed on the phone screen.
Her fingers were a bit slippery.
Jasmine: [He has lost everything now; the Douglas' family group has already kicked him out, and he is in a very miserable state.] Jasmine begged Connor not to scheme against Ethan anymore.
Jasmine: [Ethan said you guys are friends; he considers you a friend; why would you use me to scheme against him.]
While in prison, Jasmine attempted suicide for the first time, and it was Connor who provided her with psychological counseling.
At that time, Jasmine didn't know that this person would soon manipulate her.
After multiple suicide attempts, the prison, fearing responsibility, had no choice but to allow Connor to gain a deeper understanding of her condition and undergo further treatment.
She underwent numerous sessions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at the hospital. During that period, she became emotionally numb to external stimuli, showing no response to the outside world.
Connor walked into the hospital room, sat beside her, and smiled as he said, "Jasmine, only I can help you out of the abyss. Let's work together."
From that day on, Connor began to threaten and manipulate her.
He used to see her every day, showing her photos of Justin and Richard, telling her about Serena and Daniel, stirring up hatred in her, and triggering a protective instinct towards Justin and Richard.
"If you want to protect the ones you love, you have to strengthen yourself gradually. By indulging in self-blame and self-pity, dying in prison, why would you then choose to bring this child into the world?" Connor would provoke Jasmine, making her feel self-reproach and guilt.
"If you want to protect Justin, you have to get stronger."
"Ethan was the only man in Silverlight City who could protect you all."
Connor gave Jasmine psychological cues to get close to Ethan, approach he, gain his trust, and stay by his side.
Try to make Ethan fall in love with her.
"Approach him, and then destroy him." Connor said.
"Jasmine, is your hand still hurting?" Ethan prepared the ingredients and walked over to ask.
Jasmine snapped back to reality, panicked, wanting to hide her phone, and almost threw it out.
Ethan's eyes flickered with concern as he reached out and pulled Jasmine into his arms. "Is there something you're keeping from me?"
"No... no," Jasmine shook her head in fear.
"Eat first." Ethan didn't dare to ask more, afraid of upsetting Jasmine.
Jasmine lowered her head, holding her phone.
The phone rang again.
Jasmine took a deep breath, ran to the restroom, and opened it to take a look.
Connor: [Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on Ethan now. It's not the right time.]
Jasmine: [Ethan was a good guy.]
Jasmine wanted to reject Connor.
Jasmine: [I won't help you hurt him.]
Connor: [With my understanding of Ethan, he can't tolerate even a speck of sand in his eyes. If he finds out that we've been approaching and using him from the beginning, how do you think he would react towards you?]
Jasmine's breathing quickened.
Jasmine: [I won't let you hurt him.]
Connor: [You are unable even to protect yourself. Do you think you can protect him? Do you think depression is something that can be easily shaken off? Who knows, one day, you might be triggered to escape, to leave this world. How long do you think you can protect him?] Connor's words were filled with sarcasm.
Jasmine squatted on the ground, her body trembling, breathing rapidly.
Connor is right. She had a very severe case of depression, which couldn't be completely cured just by suddenly seeing the sunlight.
When she fell ill, she couldn't control her body and emotions at all.
Depression was like a demon, not knowing when it would engulf her, leading her to eternal damnation.
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