"Mom, this is my fiancé, Jasmine."
"It's so nice to meet you finally! I've heard a lot about you and Dad."
"Who are you calling 'Mom'? And who cares what you've heard? You're not family."
"Mom, that's enough! She's my fiancé, and you cannot speak to her like that."
"I don't care who she is. She's not my daughter, and I'll treat her however I want. Adele is the one you should be marrying, not this woman who's after your money. If you marry her, your father's company will collapse."
I felt a tight knot in my stomach as Owen gripped my hand and hurried me out of his house. I had hoped his family would accept me easily, especially after how warmly his father had greeted me. But Owen's actions were confusing. When we arrived home, he left without a word, vanishing into the night.
Hours later, he returned, his hands bruised and covered in dirt. I immediately asked what happened, but he didn't answer. He remained silent as he headed to bed, and my concern only grew. I fetched the first aid kit, gently treating his injuries.
"Owen, please… what happened? Talk to me."
But he didn't respond. He just laid down, turning away. I didn't want to argue with him when he was clearly hurting, so I stepped outside to get some air, hoping the sea breeze would calm me down.
I had always wanted a good relationship with my future mother-in-law, especially since I never had a mom of my own. I kept thinking about how I could earn her approval.
As I stood there, I noticed a light on inside the house and the sound of glass breaking. I knew immediately it was Owen. Without hesitation, I rushed inside to see what was going on.
"Owen, you shouldn't use your hands to clean that up. You'll hurt yourself more."
He didn't respond, and I tried to lighten the mood. "What's going on with you? You've been acting so strange since the visit. Don't worry, we'll figure everything out together. We'll save your family's company. I'm a CEO now, so we've got this."
I tried to distract him by suggesting we go out to enjoy the sea breeze together. We could talk about the business and how we could help him, even about him potentially working under me. I noticed his frown when I mentioned him working under me, which always amused me. He hated it when I reminded him of that, but it was necessary.
At the hospital, I kept our engagement a secret. I introduced Owen as the new doctor replacing the professor, showing him to his office next to mine. I thought it would be good to keep an eye on him while he settled into the role.
Later that day, I made my rounds, checking on patients in the department. One of our most controversial cases was a notorious criminal, sentenced to life in prison. He had been rejected by every other hospital, but we had agreed to treat him under strict conditions.
I entered his room, prepared to face the challenge.
"Sir, I hope you're doing well. We're still looking for a suitable heart for your transplant. As soon as one becomes available, we'll schedule your surgery."
His cold smile made me uneasy. "Why don't you just kill someone and take their heart? I've got business to finish, and I'm not ready to die just yet."
I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep my composure. "Sir, that's a crime. Be careful what you say. This hospital is the only one willing to treat you, so don't jeopardize that."
His lack of remorse irritated me. I placed him at the bottom of the transplant list, making a mental note to keep a close eye on him.
Later, I texted Owen, asking how his first day at the hospital went. His response was short and flat, so I decided to tease him a little.
"How's the first day going, honey?"
"It's fine. Nothing special," he replied.
I acted bossy, as I always did, and asked him to get me some juice.
He chuckled in response, "I'm doing this for our baby, not you."
I got home early to prepare something nice for him. I wanted to make him feel better after everything that had happened. But when I answered the door to a knock, I was met with an unexpected visitor.
"Adele? How did you find my house? What do you want?"
She didn't waste any time. "Listen, stay away from Owen, or you'll regret it."
"Who do you think you are, threatening me in my own home? You need to leave before I call the police."
I didn't tell Owen about the encounter. I didn't want him to worry. The next morning, I went to see his father to offer my help with the fam lol ily business. His dad greeted me with warm hospitality, a stark contrast to his wife's coldness. As I was chatting with him, his mother walked in, her eyes narrowing as she approached me.
"What's your name, young lady?"
"I'm Jasmine, nice to meet you."
She studied me for a moment before asking, "Do you love Owen?"
I nodded without hesitation. "I love him with all my heart. I would do anything for him, even give my life if he asked me to."
Her expression softened briefly, but then she spoke, her voice filled with resignation. "Thank you for loving my son, but he doesn't need that kind of love. If you truly care for him, let him go. His life will be better without you. Let him marry Adele."
"I can't do that, not with our child on the way."
To my surprise, his father seemed overjoyed. He jumped up, singing praises, and hurried into the kitchen to prepare fruit juice for me. He even brought me a pillow to rest on while I sat on the couch.
I tried to talk to Owen's mom, to convince her that I was the right choice for Owen, but she wouldn't hear it. She quickly shut me down and left the house.
"Honey, your dad is amazing."
"Did he call you an angel again?"
"His hospitality is incredible, but your mom… well, she's a different story."
I asked Owen if he had any idea how to get his mom to accept me, but he didn't. Their relationship was strained, and he was unsure of how to fix things.
Later, Owen received a call from his mother. He hesitated before answering, but I urged him to take it. When he returned home the next day, I tried to greet him with a warm hug, but he walked right past me, heading into the house without a word.
"Owen, what happened? What did your mom say?"
His face was filled with pain as he finally spoke, his voice cracking. "Jasmine, I can't marry you. I'm sorry. I can't do this. I'm disappointing you and our child."