Chapter 7: Responsibility

The next morning, Dean walked into the sunlit sitting room of his family’s estate, clutching Jasmine’s journal like a sacred artifact. The journal's edges were worn, and it held many handwritten poems, remnants of memory, and self-discovery. When Jasmine left the journal at his apartment a few months ago, she trusted him with a piece of herself that she hadn’t shared with anyone else in a long time.

He opened the front door of his parents' place and walked in, searching for his mother, and by the time he turned the corner, he found Margaret sitting by the window, sipping her tea with practiced elegance. She looked up, surprised to see him so early—and so serious.

Dean didn’t sit at first; he placed the journal on the table between them and looked at his mother with a stern look on his face. He didn’t want to go easy on his mother; he wanted her to learn the error of her ways. Dean finally spoke to his mother in a calm tone, not letting his anger take over.

“She trusted me with this,” he said, his voice low but steady. “And you treated her like a threat.”

Margaret’s brow furrowed. “Dean, I—”

“No,” he interrupted, but not with anger. “You need to read this. Not to judge. Just to understand who she is. What you nearly destroyed.”

Margaret stared at the journal, her fingers tightening around her teacup. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“But you did,” Dean said. “You hurt Jasmine, but more importantly, you hurt me too. I’m your son, but apparently I’m not enough of anyone. You did not consider my feelings in my own relationship. Because you didn’t seem to trust me to choose someone worthy in my own judgment. You didn’t trust Jasmine to be more than your assumptions of someone out to get my money, even though Jasmine has never cared about my money before and loved me for me.”

He stepped back, letting the silence settle in the room. Margaret reached for the journal slowly, as if it might burn her. She didn’t open it right away. But Dean didn’t wait for her reaction. He had more to do—more than words, more than gestures. Jasmine deserved more than just action.

As he walked out of the room, he felt the weight of the past event pressing against his shoulders. But for the first time, he wasn’t trying to carry it alone. He was trying to dismantle it. He walks back to his car, unlocks it, and gets in it to drive back to his place. On the drive home, he still thinks back to his conversation with his mom. Wondering if she will change for good if she doesn’t want to risk losing her son again.

Dean goes back to his place, and he first gets himself settled before he goes over and walks into his living room as the floor creaks with each step he takes, and then he takes a sit on his couch and he comes up with a plan to show Jasmine that he is going to stand up for her and show more of how he loves her. He goes into his room, grabs his laptop from his desk, and does some research on one of her family members.

He decides to honor Jasmine's grandmother, Evelyn, and decides to create a scholarship in her honor. The Evelyn Rose Scholarship will be dedicated to Jasmine’s grandmother, who was a poet who inspired Jasmine’s love for writing. The scholarship will support women who are pursuing careers in literature and journalism, particularly those whose voices have been cast in the shadows and overlooked.

It will provide mentorship, funding, and publishing opportunities, and it will also have an annual showcase that highlights stories that confront bias and honor truth. In addition, a mentor in writing will be paired with the scholarship recipient, who will also receive every resource needed to excel in publishing. They will network with top industry professionals, secure a one-year publishing contract with the recipient's preferred publisher, and gain access to the publication tool. even after they had graduated from the university and were able to access the resume portal to help polished up their resumes for future job applications in the near future.

This will be my apology and my promise to Jasmine forever.

I won't disappoint Jasmine, and I intend to keep my word to her. I'll ensure no one doubts my loyalty, even if my mother doesn't see my love for Jasmine. I will prove to my mother that Jasmine is the one for me, showing that our relationship is built on true love and understanding, not something fake, especially since my mother believes Jasmine is only after my money, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Jasmine would still love me even if I didn’t have a penny to my name and we would work through any challenge together.

He began typing on his laptop and drafted a letter to the college president since he and his family have very strong ties to the university.

He ended the letter with a promise to resolve:

I will personally fund all four years of this scholarship. I ask the board to stand with me in turning a moment into a legacy of empowerment.

Yours Truly,
Dean Whitmore

Dean's eyes darted across the computer screen, making sure his response to the board was concise and unambiguous. He is serious about his proposal to start this scholarship, demonstrating that students on campus will be heard, even when facing difficulties, and that no one should give up their dreams because of lack of funds. This scholarship will remove the one obstacle that often stops college students from pushing themselves further, helping them gain a clearer understanding of their life goals as they strive to finish strong.

Dean didn’t send the letter immediately. He reread it twice, then printed a copy and placed it beside him on the coffee table. The letter covered every woman who has ever been dismissed or silenced, not just Jasmine.

He hit “Send.”