The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 164

Breaking away from a toxic family was never an easy feat.

It wasn't about an inability to listen to reason or being too cowardly to fight back.

Years of childhood oppression, verbal abuse, constant invalidation, and strict control warped a person's entire perception of reality into total chaos.

The lines between right and wrong became blurred.

It required relentless proper guidance, constant correction, and unyielding support just to normalize their worldview. Only then did they stand a chance of breaking free from their past.

And that step alone was filled with insurmountable hurdles.

It was like trying to convince a mother who had spent twenty years in a deeply patriarchal household to suddenly pursue her own dreams.

She would think you were out of your mind.

The environment had already assimilated her.

She had become its defender and its champion.

Instead of breaking free, she would turn around and beg you to accept your fate.

Just understanding the logic wasn't enough.

One had to feel it—to be moved by it, enraged by it, and deeply crave the freedom it promised.

They had to believe to their very core: This is the right way. This is my life.

Why did Jasmine suddenly find the courage to run?

She genuinely cared for her sister.

Valery was undeniably a tragic figure.

No one could argue with that.

She had an incurable heart condition, a life overshadowed by a ticking clock, and a deeply lonely, despairing existence.

Even if her mind had grown twisted, even if her bitter loneliness made her want to drag everyone else down into the dark with her—her suffering was still profound enough to evoke intense pity and sorrow. Jasmine's inherent kindness was the very cage that trapped her.

She had been born specifically to keep her sister company.

Perhaps her parents had never truly wanted her for herself.

All their guilt and tender affection were reserved for their sickly eldest daughter, while all their hopes and ambitions were placed on their exiled youngest son.

Jasmine was simply the convenient middle child—the one meant to compensate for their guilt and quietly pave the way for their ambitions.

Unfortunately for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, their master plan had ultimately fallen apart.

If they had merely treated Jasmine as Valery's companion and entirely restricted her from the outside world, she would have been doomed to remain a marionette her whole life.

She never would have had a chance to escape.

But their greed went further; they needed her to help her brother, too.

The son was meant to inherit the family business, and since the eldest daughter was incapable of helping, the burden fell to the second daughter.

Nora was a high-potential achiever with perfect grades; Cassidy was the beloved heiress of the Quinn family.

By encouraging Jasmine to befriend them, the parents hoped Nora and Cassidy would eventually serve as valuable connections for Nathan.

Their calculations were flawless.

They had manipulated every piece on the board.

But the dice of fate hadn't rolled the way they expected.

Nathan grew up incompetent and irresponsible, with zero interest in taking over the family business. He spent his days drinking with his deadbeat friends, living a life even more pathetic than Parker Quincy's.

Meanwhile, Jasmine was exposed to the real world. She watched Nora break free from her abusive family, and she saw Cassidy use her own marriage as a chip in a high-stakes gamble. She watched her friends seize control of their own destinies.

And she wanted to try it, too.

The precious baby boy was a complete failure, and the obedient workhorse daughter had finally awakened and smashed her cage.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith's own bottomless greed had orchestrated their downfall.

"You're looking at this too simply," Maloney said, his hands resting easily on the steering wheel.

"If she didn't have a brother, Jasmine never would have had the chance to be friends with you for all these years."

"The Smiths knew Valery was a massive burden, and they had absolutely no intention of dumping that burden onto their precious son."

Maloney laid the brutal truth bare in front of Nora. "They're all just tools to them."

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