A substitute? No wonder he claimed he couldn't live without me from the first moment we met. Who was he really referring to back then?
I wanted to put an end to this ludicrous situation swiftly. I reached out, feeling like a beggar. "Mr. Griffins, please repay the money. If I hadn't used it to pay your hospital bills, I wouldn't be broke now."
Joel looked baffled. He grasped my hand, unconcerned about appearances. "You paid for my hospital bills? What's going on, Jazz?"
I jerked my hand away abruptly. "Mr. Griffins, please call me Jaslyn." I refused to be anyone's stand-in anymore. Back then, I mistook his calling 'Jazz' as a call to my name, but I don't want to hear that name now.
Jasmine wedged herself between us and produced a check, sliding it across the table to me. "Here, for you. Thank you for being with Joel for so long. Now that I'm back, it's time for you to leave. I hope you won't ever come back to disturb him."
I took the card and left, but Joel once again caught my hand. "Can you please tell me what's going on?"
Jasmine pulled Joel away. "Let bygones be bygones. I'm back now, aren't I?"
I didn't look back at him again as I walked out of the restaurant.