JANET’S POV
“Janet, are you alright? What happened?” Jasper’s voice cut through the line, sharp with concern. His tone was so intense it made my chest tighten. Before I could answer, he added, “I’m coming.”
I told him my address and hung up.
For someone I once refused to acknowledge as family, Jasper’s concern only made me feel more guilty than comforted especially when I compared it to how Rowan had treated me…
I let out a shaky breath, limping to a quiet corner of the hospital. My ankle burned with pain, but my chest felt worse–like something heavy was pressing down on it. My heart still raced from everything that happened.
–
Rowan was right about one thing: I was a mess. And I needed rest with my family.
For the first twenty five years of my life, I thought I was an orphan. Until three months ago.
–
That was when
my
birth family found me. Jasper the one who claimed to be my eldest brother – reached out. He showed me the DNA test, told me he’d been searching for me for years, and asked me to come home. But I pushed him away.
How do you trust someone who says they love you when they never showed up before? I rejected him, politely. I wanted peace.
But Rowan had broken the last piece of me.
The headlights of a sleek black Toyota GR86 flashed across the hospital parking lot. I didn’t have to guess. I know it’s Jasper’s, I was trying to stand from where I was sitting before the car door opened.
His dark hair perfectly styled, his chiseled features accentuated by the dim light. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, filled with concern.
“Janet,” he called, rushing toward me. “What the hell happened? Why are you limping?” His body tensed, and the sharp edge in his voice made it clear that if I told him the truth, it wouldn’t go well.
“It’s nothing,” I said quickly.” Just an accident. I slipped while taking my bath.”
Jasper stopped in front of me, his sharp blue eyes narrowing. “You’re lying,” he said flatly.
I forced a smile to make it more convincing to him. “I’m fine, Jasper.”
His jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he wrapped his arm around my waist, carefully helping me toward the car. His grip was firm, as if I’d break if he let go.
In the car, he opened the passenger door.
