37. Jasmine

37

JASMINE

J asmine stood in front of the door of the other penthouse, took a deep breath, and rang the bell.

Margo answered a moment later, her mask of worry turning into relief when she saw her. "Thank goodness you're here." She ushered her inside.

The tension was palpable in the air, emanating from the siblings but mostly from the figure hunched on the plush living room sofa.

When Rob turned to look at her, Jasmine was struck by how much he resembled his sister. His hair was a darker shade of blonde than Margo's, but he shared the same Nordic features—high cheekbones, clear blue eyes, and fair skin. Those eyes were now red-rimmed.

"Hi, Rob." She approached him with a smile attached firmly to her face. "I'm Jasmine, Margo's friend."

He seemed puzzled by her appearance. "Do you live here?"

"No. I live across the hall in the other penthouse. The owners of Perfect Match were kind enough to provide lodging for several of us here."

That was the cover story Margo and Frankie were using with their families, and she could work with that.

She sat next to him. "I heard what happened. I'm so sorry you're going through this."

Rob cast an accusing glance at his sister. "Did you tell all of your friends about your duped brother?"

Margo winced. "I'm sorry. I've been suspicious of Lynda for a long time, and I've been pretty vocal about it. Jasmine was the one who prompted me to tell you my suspicions. She said that it's better to suffer a little pain now than much more of it in the future."

"Thanks," Jasmine said with a note of sarcasm in her tone. "Why don't you throw me under the bus?"

"Sorry." Margo winced again. "I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. I need to talk to Negal."

Rob didn't say anything, but he watched his sister leave with an accusatory look in his eyes.

For a moment they sat in silence, the weight of Rob's pain pressing on Jasmine in an almost physical way. Finally, Jasmine spoke. "You know, I went through a breakup not too long ago. It wasn't as dramatic as what you're going through, but it still hurt."

Rob looked up, a flicker of interest in his eyes. "What happened?"

Jasmine sighed, thinking back to those days that now felt like a lifetime ago. "There wasn't any big betrayal or fight. We just realized we weren't right for each other. But even without a major reason, it was still hard. Letting go of someone you care about hurts even if you know that it's for the best. I knew that both of us needed to find the right person and that compromising would only make us miserable in the future. "

"But I love Lynda," Rob's voice cracked. "I can't believe she could be so deceitful, but even worse than that was how nasty she turned when I confronted her. The way she talked to me, it was as if she hated everything about me. Why was she marrying me, then? How do I move on from that?"

Jasmine's heart ached for him. The pain of betrayal was a unique kind of agony, one that couldn't be easily soothed with words.

"She probably didn't mean most of what she said. You caught her red-handed, and she got defensive. Not that I'm excusing her behavior. She is a nasty piece of work. What I'm trying to do is to take the sting out of her words. I don't know what insults she hurled at you, but you shouldn't take any of them to heart because none are true."

Rob let out a breath. "Thank you for saying that, but you don't know me. What if I deserve the insults?"

"I know you a little bit from what Margo has told me about you. You are smart, successful, and you are a nice guy who takes people at face value because you are an honest man who doesn't expect deceit from others."

He arched a brow. "You mean a patsy?"

She shrugged. "There could be worse things to be called."

He shook his head. "I can't believe how blind I was. We've been together for over five years. We lived together. How could I have not seen her for who she was?"

Jasmine smiled. "I'm the last person to ask. I was the patsy who went on a vacation to Mexico with a cartel thug, believing he was an honest businessman."

"Right." He grimaced. "And you dragged Margo into that mess. I don't want to think what would have happened if the FBI wasn't watching that yacht."

That was another cover story that Margo and Frankie had told their families, but Jasmine didn't have all the details of the story, so she needed to change the subject.

"It's not easy to realize that you've been duped," she admitted. "And it's okay to hurt and to be angry. But you need to realize that you were saved from a disastrous marriage in the nick of time and that you deserve better."

Letting out a breath, Rob slumped against the couch cushions. "I can't go back to the home I shared with her. I can't be near her right now."

"That's totally understandable." Jasmine placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to figure everything out immediately. Take it one step at a time."

"I need to find a place to live," he said.

"There is no rush. For now, you're safe here. Let yourself breathe. Let Margo take care of you for a little bit. That's what family is for."

Not her own family, but it was for most.

Rob nodded. The raw edge of his pain seemed to have dulled slightly, though the hurt was still evident in every line of his face.

Margo returned, her eyes shining with excitement. Or maybe tears? Had she talked with Kian after all, and he had yelled at her?

"What happened?" Jasmine asked.

"Mia and her fiancé are coming over."

Rob's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Why would they come now? I barely know them, and I'm in no state to talk to anyone." He cast a sidelong glance at Jasmine. "Except for you. Talking to you was actually helpful."

"I'm glad."

Margo hesitated, clearly struggling with how much to reveal. "Tom, Mia's fiancé, has an interesting proposition for you. I can't say more about it right now."

That was a good call to bring Toven in. He would be able to compel Rob to keep the secrets he was about to learn.

Rob looked between them, confusion and a hint of frustration in his eyes. "What's going on? Why all the secrecy?"

Jasmine leaned forward, meeting his gaze. "I know this is confusing, but I promise you that what you're about to learn is going to turn your world upside down and in the best possible way."

He let out a bitter laugh. "My world's already been overturned."

"I know," Jasmine said softly. "But this time, it's going to put everything back to rights and make things better than you could possibly imagine."