Chapter 6: Reckoning

Jasmine stood outside Dean’s apartment the next evening, her heart thudding against her ribs. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say, but now that she was here, the words felt heavier.

Dean opened the door, eyes tired but hopeful. “You came.”

“I needed answers,” Jasmine said, stepping inside. “Not just from your mother. From you.”

Dean nodded, gesturing toward the couch. “I get it. I owe you that.”

She sat, her posture firm. “Did you know? About the investigator?”

“No,” he said quickly. “I swear I didn’t. I found out when you did.”

Jasmine studied him. “But you didn’t stop her. You didn’t protect me.”

Dean’s face fell. “I didn’t know I needed to. I thought she’d come around. I didn’t think she’d go that far.”

“That’s the problem,” Jasmine said. “You didn’t think. You didn’t see how vulnerable I was, how much I trusted you.”

Dean leaned forward. “I see it now. And I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this.”

Jasmine looked away, then back. “I don’t need you to fix it. I need you to understand it. To feel what it means to be doubted, to be watched like a threat.”

Dean swallowed hard. “I do. And I’ll prove it. Not just to you—but to her. To everyone.”

Jasmine stood, her voice soft but resolute. “Then start by standing with me. Not behind me. Not beside me. With me.”

Dean nodded, rising to meet her gaze. “I will.”

Dean pulls me into his embrace as we just stand in the middle of his apartment, as he whispers to me, “I’ll do everything in my power to make this right to you and our relationship. I will not let this happen again.”

“I know you will make things right, Dean,” she told him.

As she left his apartment that night, Dean had a lot to be concerned about: how he was going to make things right with Jasmine and their relationship going forward.

The moment Jasmine left for the night, he went to bed early and tried to get some sleep. Dean was awake, the darkness of his room mirroring his sleepless state as he concentrated on a plan to earn back Jasmine's trust and show her how committed he was to their relationship. Meanwhile, back at Dean’s place, he wasn’t getting any sleep; he was too focused on making sure he fulfilled his promise to Jasmine and made this right, and he wasn’t going to let sleep consume him until he came up with a plan to hopefully gain back Jasmine's trust and show her that he is serious about their relationship. There was no sleep for Dean that night. In his mind, Jasmine's words echoed like mantras: "Not behind me. Not beside me. Be with me. It wasn't just a plea. A challenge. A truth he hadn’t fully grasped until now.

He realized that apologies were easy. Change was hard. And Jasmine didn’t need comfort—she needed accountability.