That day I was coming home from work when I found Joel, drunk and wanting to jump into the lake. His eyes held a desperate emptiness, muttering under his breath, "Jazz, Jazz, I really can't live without you."
My name is Jaslyn Carter. Back then, I thought Joel was calling out to me, but now I realize he was probably calling for Jasmine.
The moment he saw me, a flicker of comfort appeared in his eyes. To persuade him not to end his life, I agreed to let him come home with me.
My grandmother and I comforted him and I shared my story with him.
"I lost both my parents when I was young. I've only had my grandmother, but I never gave up. Life has been tough, but I've learned to find joy in hardship."
Joel always looked at me with a blank expression, then he smiled with resignation. "I don't have parents either."
We went to school together, ate together. Joel loved my grandmother's cooking and enjoyed visiting the roadside stalls near our school's gate.
That was how we eventually came together.
Though times were tough, Joel filled my life with love. He said he wouldn't let go of my hand this time.
"Jazz, I will marry you someday," he said, looking at me with unwavering determination.
Even though he had nothing back then, I was moved to tears and held onto him tightly for a long time.
Three years simply passed. However, on the day I received my acceptance letter to graduate school, Joel unfortunately had a car accident.
To save him, I emptied out all our savings, even selling my grandmother's beloved bracelet. "Jaslyn, Joel is a good boy, use this to save him," she said.
But after I paid off all the hospital bills, Joel vanished without a trace. I asked the doctors where he had gone, but all I got were shrugs and "I don't know."
After Joel disappeared, I searched for him like a madwoman. I went to his school, but no one knew who Joel was.
It wasn't until I saw the news of Joel's engagement that it slowly dawned on me.... He was never just a poor student.
I should have had no further ties with him, but I needed money to save my grandmother. If I hadn't emptied all my savings to save Joel back then, I would've had at least some money to save my grandmother.
Thus, I began digging for answers, determined to uncover the truth. Eventually, I boldly entered a luxurious restaurant where Joel was rumored to be meeting friends.