Chapter 41

Yasmin never expected Caleb would defy Corine to protect her.

Corine paused, then let out a bitter laugh. She pointed at Caleb and Yasmin with trembling hands. “How dare you treat me like this? If Jacob were here, he would never have allowed it! He would never have allowed you to humiliate me like this!”

Yasmin felt a headache coming on and tried to explain calmly, “Mrs. Grant, that’s not what we meant.”

“Get out! Get the hell out of my house!” Corine yelled, pointing at the door. Hatred filled her eyes as she glared at Yasmin and Caleb. “Caleb, you really like stealing Jacob’s things, don’t you? You’ve always been like this! Seram!”

Stealing Jacob’s things? Yasmin wondered what Corine meant. Before she could process it, Caleb grabbed her hand. “Take care,” he said to Corine, then pulled Yasmin out the door.

The afternoon sun shone brightly, almost blinding. Yasmin quietly stared at her shadow, Caleb’s right beside hers. Under the midday sun, their linked shadows merged.

Yasmin thought about Caleb’s protection, feeling a mix of longing and self-mockery. He always protected her unexpectedly, making her believe she had a place in his heart. But then he'd snap her back to reality, reminding her his care was fleeting, not born of love.

“Caleb, thank you for earlier,” Yasmin said, withdrawing her hand. Caleb’s suddenly empty hand twitched slightly before he shoved it into his pocket. “Don’t see her again.”

“Mrs. Grant used to treat me really well. She remembered my favorite foods, took me on trips, comforted me, and encouraged me during hard times. She really meant a lot to me…”

Yasmin lowered her gaze, feeling sadness. She hadn’t sought trouble; she’d hoped to find the loving elder who had cared for her.

“Yasmin, to her, you still belong to Jacob,” Caleb’s voice came from above.

Yasmin looked up, the sun blinding her. Caleb had already started walking. She quickly caught up. “What do you mean?”

“Before Jacob passed, you had a close relationship. To my mother, even after four years, you should still be considered closest to him.”

Caleb was right. Even if Corine accepted Yasmin as a daughter-in-law, it would only be as Jacob’s wife, not Caleb’s.

Yasmin finally understood Corine’s sudden dislike. Reconciliation meant divorcing Caleb—impossible. “But I really do miss Jacob,” Yasmin said, gazing toward the cemetery. “To me, Jacob is like family.”

Caleb stopped suddenly. Yasmin, not noticing, bumped into his back, staggering before regaining her balance. She rubbed her forehead and glared at him. Before she could speak, he said, “Yasmin, you’ve never been stingy with Jacob.”

She hadn’t been stingy with her compliments, her longing, her smiles, her reliance, or her love for him. But then, he had been by her side; he’d taken her from the psychiatric hospital. Yet, like Corine, Yasmin had only noticed Jacob, never him.