Jasmine didn't think it'd hurt this bad.

Well, of course it would be painful. And it was not that faint, longing ache she felt so many months ago, when her feelings were still vague, muddled by insecurities.

Tears came unbidden down her eyes, the rims reddened.

A lance of pain flared in her chest. Heartbreak. Now she knew why it was called like that. Her heart might not have truly split in two, but the pain might as well have been the same.

It was not physical. It couldn't be bandaged and cured. Still, she could feel the repercussions sizzling across her skin, as if her heart was pumping out scalding hot blood.

Jasmine scooped a handful of cold water and splashed it on her face, washing everything away. She tilted her chin up, hesitatingly looking up, at the mess she was.

The black eyeliner was smudged around her eyes, coming down her cheeks in twin stripes.

'You can't let him go like that...' a voice hissed into her ears, poisoned with cruelty and possessiveness, 'He's ours. He belongs to us.'

"I won't let him go..."

Certainly not after coming so far. She had seen the look in his eyes, the temptation, the desire, when she kissed him. She was the fruit he secretly coveted.

"He doesn't love her. He loves us."

'Yes, he does. He's been bewitched. Ensnared into conceiving a child that isn't growing in our womb.'

"What should we do?" Jasmine screwed her eyes shut, biting her bottom lip, slowly cooling off the smoldering ache in her chest. The cold water did little to abate the rippling heat. The bitter tears still clung to her face.

'Kill it. Kill what doesn't belong to us.'

She played around with the idea, seeing some merit to it, but... "Jered would hate us. It's not our child, but it's his."

'Then make it ours. Steal it, so it may belong to us and Jered. He'll have no choice but be with us, for his sense of responsibility would demand no less.'

"H-How..." her pulse accelerated. The thought of a family, with Jered, borne from her womb, made her feel giddy, dizzy, carnivorous with desire.

Her breath came in and out like a ravenous, starving animal.

'I know of a way...'

The voice giggled mischievously before it faded away, leaving Jasmine's thoughts to herself, free of the weight of her other 'half'.

She held a hand over her chest, letting go of the pain, feeling her heartbeat slowing down. A smile brightened her face, eyes narrowed and unfocused. Ah, Jered. Her beloved brother. The light of her life and the darkness of her soul.

They'd eventually be together. The obstacles along the way would make it all the more worthwhile.

And he would be free to love her then. No more restrictions. They would hold hands through it all, standing unmatched at the peak of their love, overlooking a hill of corpses of anyone who'd speak up against their union.

With a content smile, she skipped back to her room, grabbed a plastic bag that was filled with her brother's blood, poked a straw into it, and started sucking, greedily.

A moan tore through her throat, her body rolling around her bed. A sip was enough to make her see heaven, but if she wanted to enter it, more stimulation was needed.

Slowly, a hand tip-toed its way down her navel.

Evelyn wasn't sure what to do with her free time. Once Ambrose was dealt with, permanently, she had finally seized absolute control over Ashy Petals, or what was left of it. It didn't matter. As long as the company behind it survived, she could rebuild everything else. With Carneval's help, they turned a branch of the company in a neighboring town into their headquarters, temporarily.

The 'incident' Jered caused had been promptly swept under the rug, not that anyone could have seen anything with the barriers in place.

For now, the success of the company was more important than the revival of its magical underbelly. She needed money and resources to recruit Magicians. Jered had gladly agreed to help her before he parted for Archiland. It had been a little over a week, and she sorely missed him.

Evelyn had known Jered since his freshman year, but outside her classes, she never really interacted with him. Then came the realization that he was a Magician. The recruitment. Their fight at Little Spirit Forest. Archiland. And then the 'comfort' they drew from each other in a stressful situation. What happened next was a swirl of emotions she couldn't put a lid on. What started as attraction, grew into respect, and then fully blossomed into 'something' once she found out she was pregnant.

She had never been in love before. Love was a strong word, not to be used carelessly. She certainly had her fair share of crushes, mostly on famous Magicians she grew up hearing tales about. But she could never recall an instance where she was so deeply interested in someone that their physical absence could make her feel so down.

And all it took to lift her spirits up was a message. A line of text that lit up the screen of her phone, stealing a huge smile from her face.

—"I'll be there soon."

Evelyn strangled back a squeal as she hugged the phone, kicking her feet up in a display of childish glee. Not wanting to be seen in her couch-potato look, she hastily got up from the sofa and headed for the bathroom. She showered, applied some light make-up, a bit of perfume, and chose a sexy piece of lingerie she had tucked away for a 'special' occasion.

The result bespoke for itself as she looked into the mirror. Her dark locks fell over her shoulders in shiny, perfect curls. She never really had a need for cosmetics; her natural beauty was more than enough, but she did notice the look in Jered's face when she wore that crimson lipstick. Mischievousness was drawn all over her face as she relived that particular thought once again.

A soft knocking rang out.

Evelyn's breath hitched in her throat as she snapped her attention to the main entrance. She immediately spared one last look at the mirror, shaking her hair to make sure everything was perfect. It had to be perfect. And then she waltzed up to the door, slowly opening it as she set herself in a sexy doorway pose. She wanted Jered to see the slice of heaven she could give him as soon his eyes landed on her.

And she would have been highly successful, if only the timing was accurate. Because on the other side of the door was not the handsome lover she was expecting.

Beautiful as the unexpected visitor might have been, it was still not her Jered. Blonde tresses cascaded down her back, with a few stray bangs framing an attractive, delicate face. Green eyes, with freckles of crimson, the same shade as Jered's, but it lacked his sharpness.

Yes, Evelyn could definitely see a bit of him in her face. It might have been the bone structure, or the skin. Maybe both.

She was dressed in a black turtleneck, tight jeans that hugged her voluptuous figure, and plain sneakers.

"Are you by any chance Jered's sister... uh, Jasmine, right?"

A pleased smile flashed across Jasmine's face, glad to be so easily recognized, "Ah, yes! Did he talk to you about me?"

Evelyn returned the smile with an awkward one, inwardly cringing a bit as she hugged herself, hoping to cover a bit of her embarrassing state of undress, "Yes, mostly about how troublesome you are," she chuckled.

Her lips twisted into something between a pout and a smirk. Evelyn had a full view of her canines, "He secretly likes it."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," Evelyn regarded the young woman with a curious, albeit guarded, look, "Not that I mind the visit, but why are you here?"

"Jered and I had a little conversation about you. He seems serious, which is kinda... odd. So, yeah, I decided to drop by and meet you personally... to confirm whether he was right or not," Jasmine cocked her head sideways, her smile widening a fraction, "Do you mind if I come in?"

Evelyn pursed her lips inward, hesitation flickering in her eyes, "Not at all..." she gave in, stepping back to let Jasmine walk in, "Come."

"Wooow, you live in such a beautiful place, Eve. Can I call you Eve?"

"Thank you, dear. And sure, go ahead," she smiled, "Eve doesn't sound too bad."

Jasmine laughed behind a hand, "You can call me Jaz. Mom and Jered call me that."

"Does Jered have a pet name too?"

"Well, he used to," Jasmine chirped, "Jaddie. We'd call him Jaddie, or Jade, depending on our mood. He didn't like it... but we continued anyway, haha..." she said, arms tucked behind her back as she marveled at the expensive decor.

Evelyn was genuinely amused, "Would it be a bad idea if I come up with a pet name for him?"

"I don't think he would mind too much," a shrug, "Chances are though that he'd come up with something even worse for you."

"Worse than Eve?"

"You said you liked it!" Jasmine pouted, crossing her arms.

"I said it wasn't too bad. I might have lied," Evelyn tapped her lips, her face the epitome of innocence, "Oopsie?"

Jasmine plopped her rear on the sofa, one knee hanging over the other, "Were you expecting him?" she eyed the older woman's lingerie, and the white, velvety skin underneath the see-through fabric.

It was not something you'd simply welcome 'anyone' in. Unless she was having an affair, but the thought was ridiculous. Her brother was the finest specimen of a man. Who would ever give up on that for a cheap thrill with some underachiever?

Jasmine's lips curled up, flashing her teeth at Evelyn.

She might have been smiling, but her eyes were not. The conversation had gotten a little bit more serious.

Evelyn sat across from her, hands on her lap, "Yes... I was."

"Is he coming right now?"

"That's what he said."

Jasmine hummed, briefly closing her eyes.

"You don't like that I'm dating him, do you?" Evelyn easily broke the silence with a practiced smile. She didn't think it was unnatural for Jasmine to be protective of Jered. If not for the mortifying circumstance they were in, she would have even gone as far as to think that it was cute.

"Well, you're older, like... way older... mom would probably have a heart attack if she knew," Jasmine huffed out a breath.

"She doesn't have to know."

"No, she doesn't," Jasmine returned, the crimson in her eyes deepening, as did the smile that tugged at her lips. And then, of course, she dropped the bomb, "But you're pregnant..."

A flicker of fear stabbed Evelyn's heart, and it could be seen in the way her expression twisted, bottom lip caught between her teeth, "He told you."

"He did," Jasmine confirmed, idly playing with her fingers, "He told me 'more' than that," and then she looked up, to see if her words had the intended effect.

The suggestive emphasis on that particular word had the older woman restless.

"Like what..."

"Oh, you know..." she shrugged, "Like how he doesn't like you. He told me he's with you only because of the child," she said, so casually and carefree, as if her words didn't shatter the heart of a woman in love.

"You're lying!" Evelyn ground out, "H-He might not love me, but he likes me!"

"And what makes you think that, hmm? Was it before or after you had sex with him? Before or after he knocked you up? Accidentally too might I add. Because he would never consider having a child with you."

A sharp pain cut into her heart, and Evelyn swallowed back the tears. She hated that Jasmine could poke into her deepest fears and insecurities so easily. Was Evelyn so easy to read?

'Breathe in. Breathe out.'

Breaking down in front of Jasmine wouldn't be of any help to her argument, "I told him there was no need to stay around, that I could take care of the child on my own, but he insisted. He. Insisted. It was a mistake, yes, and I fully took responsibility for it, but so did he."

"Oh yes, yes," Jasmine waved her off with a laugh, "But it was not because he's attracted to you. Don't ever think for one moment that there is any sort of romance budding between you two. Jered has taken a lot from our father, especially his belief in the importance of family. The child is what keeps him to your side, not you. He used you to take care of his needs," she spat out, jealous of the fact he fucked Evelyn, and not her, "You're a cocksleeve."

Evelyn stood up, hands balled into fists, and mana swirling around them in violent waves, "I will not tolerate you waltzing here, to my home, just to make a mockery of my relationship with Jered. I don't care that you're his sister. You're not welcome here, now get out!"

"Or what?" Jasmine leaned forward, challengingly, chin resting atop her hand, "Don't tell me that you're going to attack me?"

"You think I won't?" Evelyn took one step forward, but Jasmine was undeterred.

"Jered would never forgive you."

A weird expression came to Evelyn's face, "I see... I see what this is all about. You're jealous..." and then pity flashed in her eyes, before a laugh tore through her throat, "You're jealous of me."

"That I am," Jasmine freely admitted, not budging one bit, "You have what I want. I'm here to get it, one way or another."

"You want... what I have," Evelyn parroted, stunned at first, then the realization of what Jasmine truly meant sunk in. Ice coiled around her heart, making her shudder from its freezing grip, "You want to be with him... with your brother..."

And then there was no amusement. No pity. No anger or confusion. Only disgust.

"That... is nasty."

That managed to wipe the smile off of Jasmine's face, "It's not nasty," she hissed, standing up and closing the distance between them, until they were eye-to-eye, "It's beautiful... more so than anything you could possibly have with him. You're not fit to be his woman, I am. You're not even good as a replacement. You're more like a footnote to remind him of how much better he could have. Look at you, dressed up like a slut. How many cocks did you suck before you met my brother, huh? You're a whore—"

A sharp sound rang out, leaving behind a burning handprint on Jasmine's right cheek.

Tears welled up in Evelyn's eyes, threatening to fall but held back by sheer will, "You dare call me a slut? You damn little bitch! Why don't you fucking take a look at the mirror yourself! You're disgusting. God, I might be a bit messed up for liking someone so young, but you're really pathetic. You're worse than trash. Y-You want to fuck your own little brother..."

"Oh I do!" Jasmine held her burning cheek in one hand as she bit her bottom lip, eyes narrowing, "I want him... I want him so bad it hurts. You can't be with him. No one can. No one is good enough."

Evelyn sensed something 'inherently' wrong and twisted in her gaze.

"Ah, the things I do for love!" Jasmine's eyes throbbed with pink hearts as a maniac laugh rolled off her tongue, "He's going to love us... he's going to be ours. Only ours. As it should be. As it should have been from the start. A family. A family of three. So beautiful. So perfect."

Her fit of husky giggles tapered off as her cold eyes landed on her.

Evelyn paddled back, retreating until she was at a safe distance. Her mana stirred, on stand-by, a heartbeat away from conjuring a shield or a whip. She could tell Jasmine had mana, a lot of it too, like an untapped well of darkness that brewed just beneath the surface. And from the way some wisps coiled around her, she could use it too. Its density was not high, not as high as Jered's, but she didn't want to risk her unborn child's life in a squabble between two jealous women.

"You think I'm going to hurt the child?" Jasmine asked, highly amused at the fear she could invoke so easily, with just a couple of words. From the same woman who stole her brother, no less. A rush of adrenaline swam in her bloodstream, her heart pumping with more contractile force, "Should I? Huh?"

The crimson in her eyes intensified, and the dim lights around them flickered, on the brink of dying.

Evelyn growled, "You bitch..."

She didn't seem to be magically powerful, but there was something in her mana, something twisted, so foul that it shouldn't exist. And as its wispy limbs reached for her, Evelyn could smell blood. A copperish tang that settled right underneath her nose, making her a little dizzy from how overwhelming it was. Mana crackled in her hand, swirling into a mass of concentrated electricity. It slimmed down and lengthened into a whip.

"Don't you fucking come closer or I'll roast you!"

Jasmine smiled, a carefree curl of her lips. Seriously, the woman in front of her was being so silly.

A sharp pain shot through Evelyn's stomach, like a stab. She didn't bleed. There was no wound, but an instinctive fear tied her insides into a painful knot. She almost dropped to her knees, eyes wide open, unblinking, "What did you do..."

Her hand dived for her stomach, trembling. The coil of mana there... was... was not there anymore. Something had been stolen. Something precious, priceless, that couldn't simply be stolen like that. But it was. Confusion gave away to horror as the ghastly truth dawned upon Evelyn.

She had been expecting Jasmine to pull an underhanded move. Maybe an attempt to hurt the unborn child, or threaten to hurt it. It was well within the realm of possibility, but to simply vanish it like that? As if it never existed... as if she and Jered had never done 'that'.

"No... no..."

Evelyn made to stand up, her knees weak under the burden of her emotions. Her voice was brittle, tears welling up at the corner of her eyes.

Jasmine said something, but Evelyn didn't register it. It was all white noise.

"Where..." Evelyn gritted her teeth, fingers sinking into her scalp as she sent probing pulses of mana, hoping to get a reaction, as she usually did, from her child. Unfortunately, she was met with radio silence. No pulse made its way back to her, "No no no no no..."

"Are you looking for this?" Jasmine asked, analyzing the fetus in front of her with genuine interest. The fetus couldn't have been bigger than a couple of inches, and it was encased in a protective, wispy cocoon borne from her Shadow's powers. It would provide the child with everything it needed until it settled in its new home inside Jasmine's uterus. She beckoned it with her hand, and her unseen telekinetic grip pulled it closer, "I'm going to be a mom..." she said, staring longingly at the baby, at its limbs, marveling at how small, frail, and weak it was.

Naturally, Evelyn was quick to react.

Anger.

She instantly conjured her signature spell. A lightning whip crackled in her hand, electricity zapping all around it, "Give it back!" she loaded her hand back and then let it go.

Jasmine didn't move an inch from her spot. She was not stupid, and neither was Evelyn.

She was not aiming at Jasmine, not when her child was still there, in the younger woman's hands. A perfect shield, truly. The lightning whip made a sudden swerve and ended up tearing a huge chunk of the wall on the far end of the room. The concrete burst out, along with the brickwork and the mortar that held it together. Dust kicked up, but a gust of wind cleared it up.

Evelyn cried out, tear-stricken, "Give it back, Jasmine! I beg you!" she dropped to her knees, banging her fists onto the softwood flooring, "Give it back... what would Jered say, Jasmine? He would hate you... he would hate you..."

"Would he, huh?" Jasmine's smile didn't waver, "Would he really bring himself to hate his sister, the mother of his child?"

"But you're not the mother!"

"Perhaps, but right now neither are you," she brought the fetus closer, for inspection. She twirled it, bobbing it up and down, simply out of curiosity.

"Stop it!" Evelyn hissed, anger bubbling and churning up at the sight of her unborn child being treated like a plaything. Her mana demanded to be used, to be shaped, controlled, and weaponized to murder Jasmine.

But she couldn't. She could live in a world where her child was not with her, yet safe in someone else's embrace. But she couldn't, and wouldn't, live in a world where her child was dead, murdered by her own inadequacy.

"You couldn't even protect your child, Evelyn," Jasmine said sweetly, "Clearly, you're not fit to be a mother, let alone the mother of Jered's child. In fact, You're not fit to be anything involving him."

"Jasmine..." Evelyn banged her fist again, a burning twinge traveling up her slender arm. She was willing to feel anything but the loss of her child, "What do you want...? What the fuck do you want?! I'll give you my soul if you so wish, but please, please, don't touch our child... my child!"

"Oohhh...?" Jasmine walked up to her and crouched down, at eye level with her, "You would truly do anything for the life of this child?"

"Y-Yes..." desperation weighted heavily on Evelyn's voice, "Anything..."

What other choice did she have anyway? Maybe she could stall for time and wait until Jered came...? As much as Jasmine appeared threatening and aggressive, Evelyn could see that she'd become a docile, subservient little whore the moment Jered smiled at her.

"I'm afraid you have no negotiation power over it," Jasmine cupped Evelyn's chin, tilting it ever so slightly upward, just so she could stare down at the powerless, grief-stricken eyes of a woman who had her world turned upside down, "Don't mourn, my dear. You can still come to visit the kid, under my careful supervision, of course. I'll let you talk to them. I'll let you mourn the loss of the perfect ending you could have had if only you didn't sink your filthy claws into what belongs to me."

"Jasmine..." Evelyn had never wept so pitifully before, groveling at someone's feet, pleading, sobbing, and praying that there was a crumb of humanity left in this corrupted young woman, "P-Please..."

"Please, please, please, please... blah blah blah. Stop. Just stop," Jasmine snapped, shoving Evelyn off of her and grinning when the older woman was sent tumbling back onto a coffee table, "It doesn't matter what you say or do, Eve. This child now belongs to me. To me and Jered. Mom and Dad. A beautiful family of three. I wonder if the child will have our eyes... maybe my nose and Jered's hair. Will it be a boy or a girl?"

She bit the corner of her bottom lip, eyes drooping into this half-lidded, almost aroused state of daydreaming.

'Do it. Don't tarry. Take this child back home... it's ours.'

The voice in Jasmine's head suggested, and how could she not listen to it?

Her mana stirred, the smoke around her welling up and dancing around the fetus.

Jasmine walked around the grieving woman, a mistake, perhaps, since Evelyn snapped and grabbed her ankle. She looked down at her, face twisted and tears endlessly pouring out.

"..."

Evelyn didn't say anything. Words would have fallen on deaf ears. But the challenge in her eyes? It was welcomed with an upturn of Jasmine's eyebrows and a smile that didn't fit such a delicate face.

'It doesn't end here.'

And then she released her, staring into the distance, into the smoking wall of her living room as Jasmine's footfalls grew distant.

A door was latched open...

Silence.

... and then clicked shut.

"..."