Chapter 22: Step sister
Jazmine Harrison stepped out of the car, accompanied by Amelia. She glanced at the three-story European-style mansion, and a strong wave of nostalgia struck her.
When her mother had married her father, he was already in a relationship with Scarlette Whites. Scarlette, her stepmother, was a commoner, so Jazmine's paternal grandfather never allowed their marriage. Her mother, on the other hand, was the only daughter of the prestigious Davenport family. Driven by greed, her father married her mother, Catherine Davenport.
The marriage was a disaster.
After the wedding, for some reason, her grandfather cut ties with her mother. With no powerful background to support her, Catherine was left vulnerable. The mansion they were standing before had been a gift to Catherine at her wedding. Yet, cruelly enough, her mother, her father, and his mistress — Scarlette — all lived in the same mansion.
Shortly after Jazmine's birth, her stepmother gave birth to Rosaline.
With Catherine left defenseless, Scarlette and her father delighted in bullying her mother. But Catherine endured it all — silently and with grace — for Jazmine's sake.
Jazmine had witnessed countless humiliations her mother suffered, especially during social gatherings when her father openly favored Scarlette. And away from prying eyes, things were even worse.
Despite it all, her mother managed to protect Jazmine — until her death when Jazmine was ten years old. After that terrible day, Jazmine's life turned into a nightmare. Alone, she was left in the hands of those beasts.
Amelia noticed Jazmine's face darkening, her expression twisted with suppressed memories. A shiver crept up Amelia's spine as she glimpsed the cold fury in her friend's eyes.