Jasmin's POV
The night air carried a sharp chill that cut through my skin, but nothing could dull the strange tension building in my chest as I listened to Mariyah. Her earlier sadness when I'd pulled her away from Swift finally made perfect sense.
She hadn't been frustrated about failing to seduce him. She'd been heartbroken because the man she truly loved hadn't even flinched when she threw herself at someone else. The raw pain radiating from her hit me like a physical blow. Her anger, disappointment, and helplessness were suffocating. This was the agony of being invisible to the one person who mattered.
Seeing Mariyah like this made my own heart ache.
"Is any man really worth destroying your reputation?" The question escaped before I could stop it, unaware that four figures stood within earshot, listening without making their presence obvious.
