My Husband Built Her the Same Garden Chapter 03
The laughter died.
All that was left was Jasmine’s guilty expression, the child’s bewildered face, and the flash of shock in Dominic’s eyes.
After a moment, Dominic snapped out of it.
He stepped in front of Jasmine and Lily, shielding them behind him as if he were afraid I might hurt them.
The way he protected her without thinking and took her side without question hurt more than I wanted to admit.
I forced down the chaos inside me and let out a cold laugh.
“What is this?” My gaze swept across the estate. “Your second home?”
Dominic pressed his lips together and reached for my hand.
“Genevieve, let’s go home and talk about this.”
I yanked my hand away. “Why should I? Am I the one who should be ashamed? She’s the mistress, isn’t she?”
“Genevieve!” Dominic’s face darkened.
His voice was a low growl of warning.
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My voice trembled. “So I was the outsider?”
Jasmine quickly handed the uneasy child to a nanny before cautiously stepping forward.
“Ms. Ashford…” Her voice was soft and timid.
“But I did know Dominic before you did. You two only got married because of a misunderstanding.”
Dominic didn’t refute a single word.
I let out a mocking laugh. “A misunderstanding?”
I fixed my eyes on Jasmine.
“When you heard Dominic had gone bankrupt and immediately dumped him for someone else, was that a misunderstanding too?”
Then I turned to the man beside her.
His expression was unreadable.
“I never knew,” I said, my smile bitter, “that the great Mr. Kensington was actually a saint.”
Tears instantly spilled from Jasmine’s eyes. She looked so fragile she seemed ready to collapse.
Dominic couldn’t bear it anymore.
After gently wiping away her tears, he turned to me. His voice had gone cold.
“Back then, Jasmine was forced by her father. We both had our own difficulties. I don’t hold it against her.”
The words knocked the breath out of me. For a moment, I just stared at him.
“Really?” My voice hoarse, even I barely recognized my own voice.
Then I asked quietly, “How old is the child?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.
“Three years and one month.”
I swayed. Three years and one month. That was exactly when I’d been drowning in grief because he’d said he wasn’t ready for a child.
I looked at the sprawling Jasmine Hill Estate before me. Without another word, I walked past them.
As I brushed by, Dominic grabbed my wrist. “Stop making a scene.”
I yanked my arm away. “Get out of my way.”
Then I continued toward the house.
The layout was identical to Rosewood Manor-every detail, every corner.
The difference was that this place felt alive. It felt warm and full of love.
Seeing it made an ache spread through my chest.
At the entrance stood a large children’s play area.
Nearby was a swing with a wooden plaque that read: [Lily’s Special Swing]
An arch woven entirely of jasmine framed the entrance to the main house.
Beside it, a small fountain trickled through a decorative garden.
I was about to walk inside when Dominic’s furious voice rang out behind me.
“Genevieve, enough!”
I ignored him and walked in.
Everywhere I looked, there were family photos-pictures of the three of them smiling together, matching parent-child outfits, family knick-knacks.
Even the throw pillows were printed with their faces.
My gaze swept the room, and my heart ached.
Everything I’d once dreamed of, everything I’d imagined for our future-I never got any of it. But Dominic had given it all to Jasmine.
Perhaps my expression had become too frightening. The little girl suddenly burst into tears.
Jasmine hurried over and scooped her into her arms.
Then, through her own tears, she looked at me.
“I’m sorry.” She sobbed softly. “This’s all my fault. I’m shameless, I know.”
She held the child tighter. “But this is my home. Could you please leave? The child is innocent.”
Innocent? And what about my child? Did my baby deserve to lose its chance at life before it even began?
“Jasmine.” Dominic cut her off, his voice low and restrained.
“This isn’t your fault. I couldn’t help myself.” His gaze never left me.
Then he grabbed my arm and hauled me toward the door.
“Genevieve, have you had enough? Enough already!”
I stumbled and nearly fell.
The next second, I broke free.
My hand swung before I could stop myself. My palm connected firmly against his cheek.
Silence fell. He went still.
“Dominic!” Jasmine hurried over and pulled me away.
Her hands trembled as she touched his face, eyes filled with distress.
Dominic slowly turned his head back toward me.
For the first time, those eyes that had always remained calm around me were filled with genuine shock.
“You hit me?”
My palm stung. My voice shook with rage. “Shouldn’t I have?”
“Four years. You lied to me for four whole years.”
The grief and fury clawing through my chest sharpened every word.
“I told you-if you ever fell in love with someone else, all you had to do was tell me.”
“What I never agreed to was being lied to for four years.”
“If you had told me the truth back then, do you think I would’ve clung to you?”
No. I wouldn’t have.
Back then, I hadn’t fallen in love with him yet. I would’ve let him go without hesitation.
But he didn’t tell me.
Instead, he lied to me, year after year, until he delivered the final, fatal blow.
Dominic’s lips pressed into a thin line. Even he knew he was in the wrong.
I shut my eyes tight. Then I looked at him one last time.
“Dominic.” My voice was calm now, way too calm. “We’re getting divorced.”