Chapter 446
After Jasmine Henderson had stayed with the Ross family for three days, her phone rang one evening while Charlene Ross was in the bedroom, towel-drying her hair.
Glancing at the caller ID, Jasmine’s face lit up. She turned to Charlene,
excitement in her voice. “Mom, it’s Dad!”
Charlene just murmured an acknowledgment, and Jasmine quickly answered, putting the call on speaker. “Dad!”
Thorne Henderson’s voice came through, warm and familiar. “Have you had dinner yet?”
“Yeah, I have!” Jasmine replied cheerfully.
After a bit of small talk, Thorne finally got to the point. “Remember, tomorrow we’re going out with Ms. Hawkins, just like we planned. I’ll be sending someone to pick you up soon.”
The days Jasmine spent with the Ross family had been lively and delightful. Even though Charlene was busy with work and they didn’t get to spend as much time together as Jasmine had hoped, she still felt truly happy.
She wasn’t quite ready to leave. Caught off guard by her father’s call, she started to protest. “Dad, I don’t-“noveldrama
But she stopped herself, as if something had suddenly occurred to her. Her voice grew quieter, tinged with reluctance. “Okay… But I want you to come get me yourself.”
Thorne, ever indulgent when it came to his daughter, just laughed. “Alright, alright, I’ll come pick you up myself.”
When the call ended, Jasmine walked over, wrapping her arms around Charlene’s arm. “Mom, I don’t want to leave you…”
Earlier, when Thorne had said he’d send someone, she’d instinctively refused. If Charlene guessed right, Jasmine had changed her mind because she didn’t want to let Vesta Hawkins down.
She might not want to leave, but that didn’t stop her from agreeing to go, just to keep her promise to Vesta.
Charlene just stroked her hair gently, her voice soft. “Come on, pack your things. Your dad will be here soon.”
Jasmine pouted, clinging to Charlene’s arm. “Mom, I already told you I brought so much stuff this time because I wanted to leave it here. That way, when I come back for summer vacation, I won’t have to pack again! I haven’t even been here that long and you’ve already forgotten?”
Charlene hadn’t forgotten.
But when Jasmine had brought it up a couple of days ago after she first arrived, Charlene hadn’t agreed.
After all, by the time summer rolled around, she and Thorne would likely be officially divorced.
From then on, she would have to stick strictly to the terms of the custody agreement for their visits.
Rather than explaining all that, Charlene simply said, “Okay, Mom knows.”
She urged Jasmine to go pack up her homework and anything else she needed to bring.
Not long after Jasmine finished packing, Thorne’s car pulled up outside.
Though Helena and Vernon Ross weren’t particularly fond of Thorne, they did care about Jasmine. So when it was time for her to go, they joined Charlene at the door to see her off.
Thorne got out of the car and, seeing Helena and Vernon, offered a polite greeting. “Mrs. Ross, Mr. Ross.”
It had been a long time since Helena and Vernon had last seen Thorne. At his greeting, they merely nodded coolly, saying nothing.
Thorne looked to Charlene, but she only bent down to Jasmine. “Go on, get in the car.”
“Okay.” Jasmine said her goodbyes to the Ross family, then got in and rode away with Thorne.
As Charlene turned to go back inside, Helena squeezed her hand. “You’ll be filing the papers soon, won’t you?”
Charlene nodded. “Yes.”
Helena sighed, but smiled gently. “It’s for the best.”
After chatting with Helena for a while, Charlene remembered something and decided to text Thorne: “About the divorce-could you find a time to talk to Minnie about it?”
For most kids, news of their parents’ divorce would be hard to accept.
But Jasmine was different.
Telling her wouldn’t be a problem.
A while later, Thorne replied: [Alright. I’ll talk to her when I get the chance.]
Charlene set her phone down and was just about to get back to her work when another message from Thorne popped up: [If you have anything you want to add to the divorce agreement, just have your attorney contact mine. If it’s reasonable, I’ll agree to it.]