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Two Months Later...
It had been a few weeks since Aubrey's tour wrapped, and the quiet was a welcome change. Weeks had passed since the whirlwind of hotel rooms, arenas, and constant staff traffic. Jasmine, now four months pregnant, had felt increasingly overstimulated by the never-ending presence of people, so Aubrey scaled everything back. They only called on Deena, their nanny, when absolutely necessary, with Aubrey gladly stepping into full-time dad mode while Jasmine focused on work. He waited on her hand and foot without complaint, savoring the slower pace, protective and tender in the way only he could be—especially now, with another baby on the way. She was now back in office three days out of the week.
Jasmine adjusted the photo frame on her desk—one of her, Aubrey and Aaliyah in Italy—before reaching for her water bottle. Back in the office after months of remote work, she was finally feeling like herself again. Four months pregnant and steady. Balanced.
A knock broke her focus.
"Come in," she called without looking.
The door opened, then hesitated.
"Hey... Jasmine."
Her brows lifted before she glanced up. Jon.
She sat up straighter, keeping her tone neutral. "Hey."
He lingered by the door. "Can I... talk to you? Just for a minute."
She gestured toward the chair in front of her desk. "Sure."
Jon stepped in, shutting the door behind him. He didn't sit.
"I owe you an apology," he said, voice low.
Jasmine tilted her head slightly. "Okay."
"I said some things. A few months back. About your job. About your husband."
She gave him a slow blink. "You told me I only had this position because of who I married."
"Yeah." He exhaled. "That wasn't true. And I knew it even when I said it."
"So why'd you say it?"
He looked at her, then down at the floor. "Because I had feelings for you. Still kinda do."
Jasmine's lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak.
He rushed to explain. "I didn't mean to. It just... happened. And instead of doing the mature thing and keeping my distance, I told myself the best way to deal with it was to turn it into resentment. Make you seem like the problem so I didn't have to admit what I was feeling."
Her expression was unreadable. "You thought disrespecting me was the solution to your emotional confusion?"
