The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 149

Nora couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I really don't think Yates poses any threat to Jasmine's mental state."

"When she walked out, she blocked her parents and Yates on absolutely everything. The only number she left unblocked was Valery's, and even then, she just leaves the messages on read."

"The only person with enough emotional leverage to drag her back into that house is Valery."

"Jasmine is going to have to face the firing squad eventually. It's inevitable. Running away buys her the time to heal and evolve, but she can't hide forever. Forging herself into someone unbreakable is the only way she'll survive that final confrontation."

Cassidy nodded grimly. "Agreed."

As their conversation wound down, the celebration entered its final hours. Jasmine and Felix practically skipped over to raise a toast to Cassidy.

Stepping in as the designated proxy for her pregnant friend, Nora knocked back both champagne flutes on Cassidy's behalf.

The moment the alcohol hit her stomach, she immediately regretted it, dreading Maloney's inevitable, relentless nagging when she got home.

Flagging down a waiter for a tall glass of lemon water, she chugged it and slipped out of the private suite, power-walking up and down the velvet-lined corridor.

She had read somewhere that a brisk heart rate could speed up the metabolism of alcohol.

Rounding a sharp corner, Nora nearly collided dead into Sebastian Sinclair.

She froze in her tracks.

Thanks to Cassidy's massive corporate promotion and her soaring favor with Bridget Quincy, their social access had leveled up astronomically. They weren't just scoring VIP boxes at elite auctions anymore; their casual drinks had relocated from trendy downtown bars to ultra-exclusive, invite-only sanctuaries like The Sapphire Lounge.

Consequently, the crowds they rubbed shoulders with had shifted from reckless trust-fund kids to the terrifying titans who actually controlled the city's economy.

Nora recovered her composure in a fraction of a second, offering Sebastian a flawlessly polite, icy nod.

She immediately spun on her heel to retreat.

"Nora," Sebastian called out, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet hall.

Nora paused, glancing over her shoulder. Tilting her head in feigned innocence, she asked, "Yes, Mr. Sinclair? Did you need something?"

Sebastian flinched slightly at the cold formality.

Sebastian was clearly trying to weaponize their brief social history, hoping Nora would act as a sympathetic mediator.

He was using Seraphina's pathetic antics as a strategic opening, aiming to preach about how 'personal grudges shouldn't derail lucrative alliances,' secretly plotting to manipulate Nora into staying Maloney's executioner's blade.

Like hell she was getting dragged into that mess.

She was happy to listen to her husband's boardroom conquests over dinner, but she absolutely refused to meddle in his warfare.

Nora practically jogged the rest of the way. The second she threw open the double doors to their suite, she was met with absolute chaos.

Jasmine had clearly severely overestimated her alcohol tolerance and was currently draped tragically over a stainless steel trash can, heaving her guts out.

Cassidy was gripping the younger woman's elbows, rubbing slow, sympathetic circles into her heaving back.

Nora instantly rushed forward to grab a handful of napkins.

In her past life, Jasmine had treated alcohol like poison. On the rare occasions she allowed herself a sip, she policed her intake with military precision—terrified of her parents' draconian wrath, and paralyzed by the fear of being too hungover to make her mandatory bedside vigil for Valery the next morning.