My Husband Built Her the Same Garden Chapter 05
Meanwhile, Dominic was speeding down the road, his face a mask of agitation.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened with every passing second.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Genevieve-it was that he couldn’t think of anyone else who would target Jasmine and Lily.
For years, he had hidden them carefully.
He never imagined it would all fall apart so fast-and he was completely unprepared.
Frustration filled every line of his face.
He hadn’t lied to Genevieve.
He intended to take care of Jasmine and Lily. But he had no intention of letting Genevieve go Just then, his phone vibrated. A video.
The moment he opened it, his blood ran cold.
On the screen, Jasmine was sobbing in despair while Lily lay unconscious beside her.
A distorted voice echoed from the recording.
[Five million. Cash. Dumpster at Ironridge Depot. Or I kill them.]
Dominic’s fingers tightened around the phone. He typed bac right away.
[You’ll have the money within an hour. Don’t lay a hand on them.]
There was no reply.
Dominic didn’t dare waste a second.
He called his assistant and told him to get the cash to the drop point right now.
either.
Every time he pictured Jasmine and Lily trapped somewhere and scared out of their minds, a sharp pain hit his chest. The thought was almost unbearable.
Then he thought of Genevieve.
He remembered the look in her eyes before she left.
There had been disappointment there, but worse than that, there had been nothing at all. No warmth. No emotion.
A strange panic tightened in his chest.
An hour later, the kidnappers collected the money and left the factory.
By the time Dominic arrived, he found Jasmine covered in tears.
A red handprint stained one side of her face.
“Dominic…” The moment she saw him, she fell apart.
She threw herself into his arms, sobbing so hard her whole body shook.
Her voice was barely steady. “They made Lily take something. She still hasn’t woken up. What are we going to do?”
A chill shot through him.
Without hesitation, he picked up his unconscious daughter and rushed her to Lakeside Medical Center.
Outside the ER, Jasmine sobbed hysterically.
“It was Genevieve, wasn’t it? How could she do this to us?”
“Fine-maybe I’m shameless. Maybe I never should’ve been with you.”
“But what did Lily ever do? She’s only three! How could Genevieve be so heartless?”
Dominic wrapped an arm around her but said nothing, his lips pressed thin, his jaw tight.
He was thinking.
Would Genevieve really do this?
Was the proud, kind woman he’d known all these years truly capable of orchestrating a kidnapping?
His thoughts tangled into a mess.
Beside him, Jasmine’s fingers clenched tightly. A flicker of panic shot through her.
He didn’t believe it? Anxiety and fury surged inside her.
She’d gone this far-slapped herself hard enough to bruise, forced herself to drug Lily with sleeping pills.
Everything had been arranged perfectly.
So why wasn’t Dominic condemning Genevieve with her? Why wasn’t he angry enough?
Jasmine dug her nails into her palm. The sharp sting brought fresh tears to her eyes.
She bit her lip and looked up at him pitifully.
“Dominic… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know when Genevieve might come after Lily and me again. I’m really scared.”
“So either let us go… or divorce Genevieve.”
Dominic’s body stiffened.
A calculating look flashed through Jasmine’s eyes.
She was forcing his hand, and she was confident that Dominic would choose her.
Yet the arm around her shoulders slowly loosened.
Jasmine’s face went pale. Disbelief flooded her expression.
Dominic remained silent for several seconds before speaking.
“Genevieve and I are bound by a business marriage. Too much is at stake. I can’t divorce her.”
Jasmine froze. Dominic reached for her cold hand.
“You’ll just have to bear it,” he said, his tone softening. “Even without a title, I’ll make sure you and Lily want for nothing.”
Then he looked away.
Jasmine’s breath caught. This was not what she had expected.
Dominic hadn’t chosen her. Or rather, he’d chosen Genevieve, using business obligations as his excuse.
Her fingers dug into her palms. She struggled to suppress the rage and resentment trembling through her body.
Just then, the ER doors swung open. Dominic rushed forward. “How’s my daughter?”
The doctor removed his mask.
“Don’t worry. She ingested too many sleeping pills. We’ve pumped her stomach.”
“There’s no danger. She’ll wake up soon.”
Relief flooded through him. The tension knotting his shoulders finally released.
Thank God. As long as Lily was safe.
He turned to Jasmine. “I’ll get a doctor to look at your face.”
Jasmine nodded silently. But as she watched him walk away, resentment surged inside her.
She had hurt herself. She had dragged Lily into this. And in the end, she had gained nothing.
For the first time, genuine unease crept over her.
Five years ago, when she thought Dominic had gone broke, she’d dropped him without a second thought.
A year later, she found out it was all just a test. A bet. A con. It nearly drove her insane.
By then, she was already married to a forty-year-old man she couldn’t stand.
She had no intention of wasting the rest of her life with him. So she devised a plan.
She seduced Dominic. Created an opportunity for that one night together.
Then she claimed she was being abused by her husband.
Dominic stepped in and helped her secure a divorce.
All these years, Jasmine had believed she was the one in control-that Dominic would always choose her.
But after today, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
Meanwhile, Dominic had just reached the elevator when his phone rang.
His assistant David’s voice came through, shaking.
“Mr. Kensington-something’s happened.”
Dominic frowned. “What?”
David took a deep breath.
“Ashford Group just released a public statement.”
A chill ran through Dominic’s chest.
“They’ve officially announced the dissolution of your marriage alliance… and a complete severance of all ties
between Ashford Group and Kensington Industries.”