Chapter 71 Will Henry Choose Jasmine?
"Henry, I've never intended for us to get married." Jasmine smiled somewhat forcedly as tears stubbornly swirled in her eyes. "Just hide me away. Hide me well, and I'll be very obedient. As long as you agree to annul the engagement and are willing to publicly acknowledge that Zelda is guilty.”
If he did this, he would give up her body and soul.
Henry reached out and pulled Jasmine into his arms, holding her tightly.
"Jasmine, give me some time to consider."
Henry's voice was hoarse, and for a moment, he truly thought of accepting her request.
He would love to take her back home and hide her forever.
"On the night of the Chamber of Commerce banquet, give me an answer." Jasmine knew Henry was very intelligent.
He knew what Jasmine wanted.
She wanted Henry to use the fact that Zelda was a despicable bully as an excuse to cut ties with the Brown family.
This was the most suitable reason and excuse she could find for Henry.
...
Hospital.
The doctor carefully examined Jasmine's condition and when he was finished, his expression turned grave. "Your ear is so severely injured; why didn't you protect it properly?"
Jasmine just lowered her head, saying nothing.
"You now have permanent hearing loss in your left ear."
Jasmine numbly looked up at the doctor. "Will this worsen her punishment?"
The doctor sighed. "Of course, the forensic examiner will assess the severity of the situation."
Jasmine nodded and continued to sit numbly.
Outside the examination room, Henry's face was grim. He repeatedly watched the video of Jasmine being bullied five years ago.
"Mr. Patrick, take this opportunity to annul the engagement with the Brown family," Ben spoke softly.
Henry gave Ben a cold look and remained silent.
Ben lowered his head, feeling his heart ache.
If Henry didn't annul the engagement, the Patrick family would definitely get involved in these matters; after all, rumors about the Brown family would also be detrimental to the Patrick family.
If Henry intervened in Zelda's affairs, Jasmine would definitely not be able to accept it.
She had already suffered enough. What had she done wrong?
Just as Henry was about to say something, his phone rang.
It was Henry's grandfather.
Henry took a deep breath and went to a secluded spot in the hospital.
Clearly, the Brown family had already received the news and contacted Mr. Patrick Sr. at the first opportunity.
Ben was somewhat worried. Henry was fearless in all aspects, except that he had great respect for his grandfather.
He would not defy Mr. Patrick Sr.'s wishes.
"Miss Wilson." After Jasmine come out of the examination room, Ben quickly ran over and handed her a bottle of warm water.
Jasmine took the water and thanked him as usual.
Ben smiled awkwardly and sat beside Jasmine. "Miss Wilson, you've done nothing wrong. Don't worry about those videos online. Mr. Patrick has already taken action. All the videos have been taken down, and the links won't open again."
Jasmine stayed silent.
"Don’t dwell on those comments. Victim-blaming is inherently wrong. You are not at fault; the bully is.” Ben didn’t know how else to console her. He couldn't protect Jasmine; he could only try to ease her psychological strain.
Jasmine gave Ben a smile. "Thank you."
Ben was taken aback, and his ears slowly turned red.
When Jasmine smiled, she really was beautiful.
Even now.
"Your ear..." Ben swiftly changed the subject.
"Permanent hearing loss; it will never heal," Jasmine spoke indifferently. She liked the quiet; it was good that way.
Besides, she still had her right ear to hear things with.
"Jasmine..." Ben took a deep breath and gripped his fingers tightly. "Don’t hold out too much hope for Mr. Patrick. The union between the Patrick family and the Brown family isn’t as simple as it seems. It involves Mr. Patrick Sr. Moreover, Mr. Patrick Sr. hasn't fully relinquished his authority, and Mr. Patrick..."
Jasmine understood the implications behind Ben's words and continued to remain silent while looking downward.
She never had much hope for herself to begin with.
Her body wasn't worth that much.
It wasn't worth Henry completely falling out with the Brown family.
With a self-deprecating smile, Jasmine stood up and walked towards the courtyard.
After finishing his phone call, Henry looked troubled.
He glanced at Ben and asked, "Where's Jasmine?"
"Miss Wilson said she needed some fresh air," Ben replied, handing the medical reports to Henry. "Permanent hearing damage, severe depression, anxiety, and multiple suicide attempts. Her depressive symptoms have also become somatic."
As Henry read the report, each breath became more pained than the last.
In a panic, he ran out of the hospital, searching everywhere for Jasmine.
In the gazebo, Jasmine sat thinly dressed on a bench while looking at the frozen lake.
It had started snowing in Boston again.
Christmas was coming.
Christmas...
During her twenty years with the Wilson family, Jasmine always looked forward to Christmas.
Because every Christmas, Evan would go to great lengths to give her the most spectacular gift.
Jasmine loved fireworks, so Evan held a fireworks show every year. He always made sure she had the best view of the beautifully lit up sky.
Her gaze wandering, Jasmine extended her hand to catch the falling snowflakes outside the gazebo.
The snowflakes were large, unlike in Silverlight City, where it almost never snowed.
Even when it did, it was just small ice pellets.
"Jasmine, have you ever thought about going back to college?" Henry approached quietly and asked.
He wanted to make amends to Jasmine as much as he could.
"I went to prison in my sophomore year, and my enrollment was revoked. How can I go back to college?" Jasmine shook her head.
Actually, she didn't want to study anymore.
In a few days, she would be twenty-seven.
Wryly smiling, Jasmine leaned on the railing to watch the snow. "Henry, are you busy? If you are, go ahead."
She wanted to be alone; the hospital environment was truly peaceful.
"I'll stay with you." Henry wrapped his coat around Jasmine and took the scarf Ben handed him to wrap her up.
Jasmine moved her lips but ultimately said nothing.
"You had excellent grades. Do you want to retake the SATs and reapply for college?" Henry knew Jasmine was destined for great things.
She had truly suffered these past few years.
Jasmine's eyes welled up as she pointed to her head. "I forgot... everything."
She no longer had the good memory she once did.
Dozens of MECT treatments made her memory fuzzy. It diminished her brain power and left her numb and sluggish.
Henry took a deep breath, realizing he had upset Jasmine again and took her hand.
"It will get better."
Jasmine didn't speak nor did she ask Henry what choice he would make.
Since she had given Henry seven days, she would wait.
…
After Zelda's incident, a wave of online mockery erupted.
Initially, some condemned Zelda, but when someone deliberately shifted the public opinion to blame Jasmine for stealing the life of a wealthy heiress, the tide turned against her.
They all started viciously attacking Jasmine, saying she brought it upon herself and that she deserved it.
Clearly, someone was intentionally manipulating public opinion online.
"Have you found out who it is?" Henry asked coldly.
Ben lowered his head. "It might be the Wilson family."
The Wilson family had a good relationship with the Brown family; they seem to be using public opinion to save Zelda.
"Suppress all the negative comments!" Henry's expression was grim.
"Mr. Patrick, as long as you don't cancel the engagement with the Brown family, you simply can't suppress it," Ben spoke up boldly.
Henry paused for a moment and rubbed his forehead. "I can make it up to her in other ways."
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