Abandoned by My Husband, Claimed by His Billionaire's Brother Free Preview

San Francisco, prison.

"Don't look back once you're out. Make a good life for yourself."

Jasmine Wilson stood trembling in the biting wind.

Five years had passed.

She was only 21 when she was imprisoned.

"Get in the car."

A black Maybach was parked by the road, and the man in it was speaking in a frosty tone.

He was Jasmine's 'brother.' For 21 years, Jasmine had affectionately called him her 'brother,' until one day she discovered that they shared no blood relation.

"Bro...," Jasmine's voice was hoarse, and she looked down, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"I'm not your brother; don't disgust me with that," Evan Wilson's face darkened as he checked the time. "You've stolen 21 years of my sister's life and made her suffer endless humiliation in that home. What right do you have to call me brother?"

Jasmine's cracked lips moved, but she ended up saying nothing.

In San Francisco, the only heiress to the Wilson family fortune, Jasmine Wilson, turned out to be the nanny's child. The real Wilson family heiress had been secretly switched at birth.

"I'm sorry..." After a long silence, Jasmine apologized in a raspy voice.

Framed and imprisoned for five years, she had learned to bow her head, apologize, and do anything for survival-including begging on her knees.

Once upon a time, she was the lofty heiress of the Wilson family, adored by her brother and cherished by her parents.

But one day, the true heiress of the Wilson family burst into her life in tattered clothes. Overnight, her birth mother turned into a criminal, and she became the impostor heiress, a pariah in San Francisco, and a laughingstock despised by all.

No one cared that when her mother switched her at birth, she was just an infant, without any choice in the matter.

Jasmine, who once had lived the pampered life of a wealthy heiress in their home for twenty-one years, so delicate and resplendent, admired by everyone, now appeared dusty, pale, and pathetically diminished to the bone.

Clearly, she had a rough time on the inside.

"Don't make me repeat myself; get in the car!" Evan's resentful gaze pierced Jasmine. "Serena's had an accident. Are you happy now? You owe her; let's go to the hospital and pay your debt!"

Jasmine's hollow eyes froze with sudden fear.

After stepping out of the detention center, she thought she was hallucinating. Why would her brother come for her when the entire Wilson family loathed her to their core?

Yet, Evan did come.

And it wasn't to pick her up.

"What do you mean... " Jasmine trembled.

"Serena had a car accident and needs a kidney transplant. You owe her," Evan spoke with a furrowed brow and a grave tone.

Jasmine took a deep breath, stepped back once more, and turned to run, her instinct to survive kicking in.

"Jasmine, you are as venomous as ever."

She didn't get far before someone grabbed her wrist harshly, sending her crashing to the ground.

Lying in a heap, her forehead struck the curb, and blood began to stream out.

That voice... it was cold and eerily familiar.

Turning her head, Jasmine recoiled in fear.

Daniel Douglas, her former fiancé and one of those who'd fabricated evidence to send her to prison.

"You owe this to Serena," Daniel said, each word deliberate as he dragged Jasmine, fresh out of prison, back into a hellish abyss.

She thought that once she was released, she'd be free.

In the courtroom, she offered no explanation, and indeed, she had no explanation to give.

She figured that pleading guilty and serving five years behind bars would atone for all her sins. But she was wrong; it was hardly enough.

"Let's hurry up and get her to the hospital; Serena is waiting," Evan said, his patience wearing thin.

"What if she refuses?" The driver inquired.

"Refuses? Her life should belong to Serena; what right does she have to refuse?" Daniel scoffed, grabbing Jasmine's chin in his hand. "Your vile birth mother is still rotting in jail. If you want her to live, you better do as you're told and trade your kidney for her life."

Jasmine's body shuddered and then grew stiff. Sure enough, freedom from prison only led her to another hell.

To survive among these devils, she had to fight tooth and nail to rise above them.

In all of San Francisco, the only man who could protect her was Ethan, CEO of Stellar Enterprises and Daniel's own brother.

The world turned black before her eyes as Jasmine was shoved into a car, curling up trembling and hopeless in the corner.

She couldn't donate a kidney; she would die.

And she couldn't die yet.

"Jasmine, how was prison life for the past five years?" Daniel asked, peering at her shrunken figure in the corner, a far cry from the proud woman she once was. He felt a complicated emotion deep within.

Jasmine flinched, perhaps a conditioned reflex from being bullied in prison; she wrapped her arms protectively around her head in fear.

"Have you gone mute?" Daniel asked with disgust while pinching her chin. The fresh,

dark red blood on her forehead stark against her pale face.

"Fine..." Jasmine's voice trembled, filled with as much hatred as despair.

Thanks to Daniel, her prison life had been a living hell.

On the day of her release, another inmate who had been bullying her incessantly finally broke down and revealed the truth-she had been paid by Daniel's men to 'look after' Jasmine during those five years.

Daniel's Adam's apple bobbed as he looked at the wounds on Jasmine's face and then pushed her away in repulsion.

Disgusting.

Jasmine numbly watched the man she had once loved her entire youth. He now failed to stir anything inside her.

She had stopped loving him a long time ago.

...

San Francisco General Hospital.

Daniel dragged Jasmine out of the car unceremoniously.

Begging for mercy, she knelt before him, pleading.

Years in prison had taught her the hard lesson of fear.

"Daniel, please, I can't donate my kidney. I don't qualify... I'll make amends, I'll do anything you ask."

Jasmine pleaded relentlessly.

Right now, with no significant family background to her name, she was painfully aware that Daniel and the Wilsons could squash her as easily as an ant.

They wanted her life to be miserable. Sadly, she had to live an even more wretched existence than they could imagine just to cling to life, if only to buy time for her next

move.

It was crystal clear to Jasmine that neither Daniel nor the Wilson family would let her off the hook.

She had to survive... she had reasons she must survive for.

Daniel stepped back subconsciously. There was a tumult of emotions in his gaze, seemingly taken aback by the sight of the once high-and-mighty Wilson family heiress reduced to such a base and abject state.

"Bro, please, with the Wilson's influence, there must be a line of people willing to donate a kidney to Serena, right? Evan, I'm begging you... you, Dad, and Mom know that my body can't take it."

Jasmine had a congenital heart condition, and even after surgery as a child, her body couldn't withstand the damage from donating a kidney.

Evan knew that, yet he watched her with chilling indifference. "This is your debt to Serena. If it wasn't for your mom swapping you with my sister, you should have been dead long ago."

Jasmine's body went rigid for a long time, eventually collapsing weakly onto the ground. "Can't I atone in some other way?"

"Do you think you deserve that chance?" Daniel sneered. "Jasmine, do you think a five- year stint in prison wipes clean the slate of your mistakes? Have you forgotten what you did to me? When you betrayed me and slept with that man? Did you ever consider you'd end up like this?"

Jasmine dared not recall the hell from five years ago, nor did she have the strength to explain.

The brother who had once vowed to protect her forever, Evan, after discovering the truth, personally delivered her to another man's bed, all to ruin her.

In Evan's eyes, Jasmine was an imposter, and by extension, her fiancé Daniel rightfully belonged to Serena.

So, Serena, with Daniel in tow, went out to catch Jasmine in the act.

It had all been orchestrated by Serena and Evan.

Everything Serena, the true victim and rightful heiress, was taken as gospel.

But the words of a thief's daughter like her carried no weight.

Hospital Room.

Serena was still in a coma, her complexion deathly pale.

Jasmine shivered as she bowed her head, not daring to look up.

At Serena's bedside were the patriarch, Benjamin Wilson, and his wife, Karen Wilson,

the ones Jasmine had called Dad and Mom for twenty-one years.

"Slap!" The moment Jasmine entered the room, she was greeted by Karen's slap, her emotion high and fierce.

Benjamin remained composed, a stark contrast to Karen. "Has she agreed?"

"She doesn't have the right to disagree." Daniel had already made the decision for Jasmine, forcibly bringing her to her knees beside the bed.

Trembling, Jasmine looked up at Benjamin. "Dad... Mr. Wilson, I don't meet the donor criteria, please spare me. I can make amends in other ways; I can repay my debt to the Wilson family..."

Benjamin's expression darkened with displeasure.

To Jasmine, the faces around her were alien. In her five years in prison, she even doubted if the past twenty-one years of her life had been a dream.

"Jasmine, have you forgotten? Five years ago, you shamefully got into bed with that man, had his bastard child, and then sent it away. The kid must be about five years old now." Daniel knew exactly how to strike at Jasmine's vulnerabilities.

Jasmine suddenly looked up; her eyes fixed on Daniel. He was pressuring her...

Mention of the child only deepened the disgust in Daniel's eyes; he wished nothing more than for Jasmine to just disappear.

Back then, Jasmine's affair with another man at a hotel brought disgrace to the Douglas family. And to make matters worse, she got pregnant and gave birth to that child right before her imprisonment.

Jasmine looked at Daniel with a sense of hopelessness, as if she never truly knew him. "The child... the child is innocent."

"Innocent? Just like Serena was innocent when she was switched at birth to live a lesser life in your family?" Karen's voice was sharp, and with a couple more slaps, Jasmine's cheeks swelled with the sting.

If it weren't for Benjamin holding her back, Karen seemed like she might not have stopped until her rage was fully spent.

Jasmine, with ringing in her ears and a lowered gaze, absorbed the blows silently.

It was a debt she owed for twenty-one years of care.

Taking a deep breath, with red-rimmed eyes, Jasmine looked up at Daniel, her voice weak yet resolute. "I'll donate..."

She'd do anything as long as they didn't hurt her child.

"You're really pathetic." While watching Jasmine in her abject misery, Daniel felt a pang in his chest but didn't relent. "Take her for a checkup, hand her over to the doctor, and make her sign."

"Don't touch me..." Jasmine's voice trembled, but it lacked the earlier timidity and pleas for mercy. She pulled herself up to stand, disheveled but with defiant eyes fixed on Benjamin. "You know what I'm going through... Giving a kidney will clear my debt to you. After that, please, just let it all go and leave me alone."

She had been born with a congenital heart defect. She'd been frail since childhood, giving birth five years ago had nearly cost her her life. Now, with full knowledge of her condition, the Wilsons still demanded her kidney. It was as if they were gunning for her life.

Benjamin's brow furrowed as a glint of emotion flashed in his eyes.

After all, they had raised her for twenty-one years.

And in the Wilson household, Jasmine had indeed been well-behaved and sensible.

"You will continue to atone, even in death!" But Karen was relentless.

"Enough." Benjamin exhaled heavily. "If you agree to the donation, then your five years behind bars will suffice as your punishment. From now on, live a good life and the Wilsons will not make your life difficult anymore."

Jasmine laughed, and her hands went limp.

Live a good life...

With the state she was in, she doubted she'd survive the surgery.

"A kidney to make up for your mistakes? Serena's life has been stolen from her for twenty-one years, along with nearly half her lifespan!" Yet even that didn't seem enough for Daniel, it was as if he wished to crush her into dust.

Every single person who had ever loved her now belonged to Serena. Wasn't that enough? What more did they want from her? What had she done to deserve this? "Daniel..." Jasmine's voice was weak, and she chuckled bitterly. "If you hate me so much, after I die, go ahead and scatter my ashes to the wind."

Her lips were pale, and her appearance pitiful. "Leave my child out of this." Daniel glared with malevolence. Even now, she was protecting that bastard child!

"You think we wouldn't dare?" Evan answered for Daniel, his gaze dripping with scorn. "You're just as vile to the core, a chip off the old block from your despicable mother! That bastard child should be dead, a complete disgrace!"

Jasmine said nothing. The world spun into darkness, and before she could leave the hospital room, she collapsed to the floor, passing out.

"Jasmine!"

Before losing consciousness, she thought she heard someone call out her name. Was it Daniel? Such irony...

"Don't bother with her! All she's good for is putting on an act. With her mouth full of promises, you'd think she hadn't learned a thing from those five years in prison," Evan fumed, marching over to the sink to fill a basin with cold water, aiming to douse Jasmine back to consciousness.

Jasmine tried to open her eyes, but she didn't have the strength anymore.

She knew exactly why Evan was so worked up; he feared Daniel learning about her congenital heart condition, that a kidney donation would be the end of her.

"Evan..." Just as Evan was about to douse her, Daniel grabbed his wrist. "That's enough."

"Feeling sorry for her, Daniel?" Evan sneered as he locked eyes with him. "Let's not forget who you are. You're Serena's fiancé, and it's because of you that my sister ended up in this accident."

Daniel was taken aback momentarily and slowly released Evan's wrist.

And so, the cold water was mercilessly splashed onto Jasmine's face.

The basin of water didn't wake Jasmine; it only caused her to spike a high fever.

"What the hell happened here? We need to act fast!" Shouted the doctor, who was just making rounds when he noticed Jasmine's pallid complexion and bluish lips. "Get her to the ER, now!"

Frozen in place, Daniel's fingers tingled with both shock and anger as he grabbed onto Evan's collar. "I thought you said she was faking it?"

Evan, clearly panicked, shook off Daniel's grip. "How was I supposed to know? She's quite the actress. Ever heard of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?"

"Don't worry, she's not going to die," Karen said confidently, her heels clicking on the floor, exuding the air of a wealthy matriarch. "Doctor, she agreed to donate a kidney to our Serena. While you're at it, check if her kidney's a match, would you?"

The doctor frowned. "Let's focus on the emergency at hand."

"Dr. Ryan, remember your father and Benjamin are good friends. I'd rather not spell everything out," Karen insinuated, hinting for the doctor to prioritize the transplant since there was consent and all the paperwork would be handled. Any complications wouldn't fall heavily on the doctor or the hospital.

Jasmine was whisked away by the emergency team. Dr. Ryan stood up, straightened his white coat, and gave Daniel and Evan a glance. "Mrs. Olivia, I am a physician. My duty is to treat and save patients. As for anything else, that's beyond my purview."

Evan, visibly irritated, started to retort but was stopped by Karen.

"What's the rush? We'll just have your father give his father a call. Doctors have their pride; some matters shouldn't be discussed so openly." Karen turned to Daniel. "Remember, Daniel, Serena is your fiancée. It's your responsibility to take care of her."

Daniel nodded. "Aunt Karen, I will."

...

In the ER.

"Jasmine, you have to hold on, just hold on. I am right outside; don't be afraid of anything; I'm here for you."

"Jasmine, I won't leave you behind."

Under the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights, Jasmine's consciousness wavered unsteadily.

Five years ago, her child came into this world prematurely amid a life-threatening hemorrhage.

No one seemed to care whether she lived or died. Ironically, the brother who had been a constant source of comfort outside her hospital room wasn't Evan, as one might expect, but Richard, the sibling she'd never met before - her biological brother of over two decades.

"Dr. Ryan, take a look at the patient. She's malnourished, covered in old scars, and has fresh wounds... Should we call the cops?" The nurse asked anxiously in the exam room.

The woman appeared to have suffered from long-term abuse.

"No need," Dr. William Ryan furrowed his brow, dismissing the idea.

He was aware of the faux heiress of the Wilson family, whose scandal had shocked San Francisco five years prior. Jasmine was likely fresh out of prison, so her malnourishment was hardly surprising.

"Where's the patient's family?" William glanced up, observing Daniel leaning nonchalantly by the smokers' area entrance with a cigarette in hand.

"She doesn't have any family here," Daniel said with solemnity.

"The patient is weak, with bradycardia that might stem from her extended malnutrition; she's certainly not a viable candidate for kidney donation," William stated, ignoring Daniel's presence and delivering his verdict.

"William, right?" Daniel flicked his cigarette butt as his cold gaze settled on the doctor. "She agreed to the donation. As a doctor, don't overstep your bounds."

William snapped the file shut; his aura not ceding an inch to Daniel, perhaps even more commanding. "You've got two choices: take her home, ensure she's well-fed and her weight is back to normal before you come back for an assessment, or pick a suitable match from the volunteer list I provided and proceed with the transplant as soon as possible."

Daniel's brow creased in irritation. "I choose the first option."

With that, Daniel walked away.

"Dr. Ryan, does this woman have a grudge against them? Why insist on her kidney?" The nurse murmured, puzzled.

William said nothing and merely shook his head.

He had no interest in meddling in the longstanding feud between the Douglas and Wilson families.

...

In the hospital room, Jasmine leaned back against the pillows, an IV drip feeding into her vein. Once the doctors had all cleared out, seizing the moment of solitude, she quickly removed the IV and clambered out the restroom window.

She knew the Wilson family and Daniel would never let her be; she had to find a way to save herself.

For her son, born against all odds five years prior, she had to survive.

Even though she was clueless about who the boy's biological father was, her child was innocent.

Jasmine never blamed the child, nor did she ever harbor any resentment.

All she knew was that the child was her legacy; the only reason she managed to survive those grueling five years behind bars.

Bolting from the hospital, Jasmine dialed a number from a phone booth.

"You finally decided to call?" The man's voice was deep and carried across the line. "I've told you, if you want to make it out here, there's only one way - by working with me. Without my protection, you wouldn't have lasted a day in prison."

"I promised to get close to Ethan..." Jasmine's voice wavered. "But I... I'm not sure he'll even take an interest in someone like me."

Who was Ethan? The crown jewel of the Douglas family, a business prodigy at the pinnacle of the corporate food chain.

He was out of Jasmine's league.

"Don't worry, Daniel won't let you off the hook easily. You'll have plenty of chances to approach Ethan. Just make sure you're ready when they come."

Jasmine had fled the hospital, infuriating both the Wilson family and Daniel.

"I knew it," Serena's choked voice filled the hospital room as she awoke. "She'd never voluntarily give me her kidney."

Her words made it clear; she believed Jasmine owed her everything.

When Serena returned to the Wilsons, she didn't adopt their surname but kept calling herself Serena Avery, a nod to the fact that, despite everything, the Averys had raised her for twenty-one years.

The irony was stark. Serena was painted as the saintly princess to the bone, while Jasmine was labeled the venomous impostor.

Serena was clever, though. She clung to her name to constantly prick at the Wilsons' guilt, ensuring they'd compensate her for the years they were absent without limit.

"Serena, don't cry; she owes you," Evan said with furrowed brows, his voice full of sympathy. "She won't get far!"

"Brother..." Serena wept, clinging to Evan. "I'm so scared. Now that Jasmine is out, what if Daniel doesn't want me anymore?"

"Serena, what are you talking about? Jasmine tarnished the Douglases' name in San Francisco and brought shame on Daniel. Do you really think he'd choose her over you?" Evan soothed her, gently rubbing her head.

"But, Evan... what if Jasmine blabs? If she tells Daniel it was us back then..." Serena peered at Evan, fishing for reassurance.

They were the masterminds who arranged for Jasmine to spend a night in a stranger's

room.

"Nobody knows who the guy was that Jasmine ended up with that night. You think anyone's going to believe her word over ours? Relax, her dark secret is her Achilles' heel; she wouldn't dare expose us," Evan's gaze darkened with resolve. He had to make sure Jasmine got the message, loud and clear.

"It boggles my mind, though. Jasmine never ended up with the guy we lined up. I've no idea who the other man was." Serena had been trying to get to the bottom of it for five years with no luck.

"Who he was doesn't matter. What does is that her reputation is trashed, and Daniel's now with you," Evan said, patting Serena on the back. "Get some rest."

Serena nodded, a smug smile curling her lips.

That wretch Jasmine had hogged the best twenty-one years of her life - why should she get to have Daniel's love?

Serena was hellbent on ruining her, on making Jasmine pay back everything she owed.

...

Demolition Zone.

Jasmine, wearing a found baseball cap, scanned the surroundings before ducking into an alleyway.

"Jasmine!" A voice called out eagerly while running towards her.

"Jasmine, I came to pick you up yesterday. Where were you?" Richard's eyes reddened with concern and his voice wavered with emotion. "Jasmine, you've suffered so much in these five years."

Richard knew that she had been wronged.

But at the trial five years ago, Jasmine pleaded guilty to protect him and her child.

"Brother..." Jasmine leaned against a wall, her voice breaking.

She was left with no family, nothing.

Now all she had were Richard and her child.

"It's okay now; you're out. We'll start over and live a good life," Richard soothed, embracing Jasmine and comforting her with gentle pats on the back. "Justin's waiting at home. The little guy's a smart cookie. He knew this morning that you'd be released and dragged me to pick you up yesterday."

Hearing about her child broke Jasmine's last ounce of composure, and she wept uncontrollably in Richard's arms.

For five years, she endured a living nightmare. To survive, she suppressed all her emotions and lived a wretched existence. Now, she cried with abandon for the first time.

Richard sighed, letting her cry it out.

He knew the hardships she must have faced behind bars.

When her sobs subsided, he steadied her. "Jasmine, let's go home."

Home.

Did she even have a home anymore?

Five years ago, Richard had promised Jasmine that as long as he was there, she'd have

a home.

It was a relief that he was still willing to acknowledge her.

"Mom!" At the end of the alley, a young voice called out. A little guy stood there in clothes that were old yet immaculately clean.

In contrast, Richard's attire was patched up; his mechanic's overalls reeked of grease. It was clear that despite his meager means, Richard gave his all to the little guy.

"Justin..." Jasmine's voice trembled as she stood nervously and rubbed her hands on her clothes. She feared soiling her son with her own dirtiness.

"Mom." Justin broke into tears, sprinting towards her and diving into her embrace. "Mom, Uncle and I came to get you."

She hugged her son tight as tears quietly streamed down her face. This was her life – her destiny.

"I promise, Mom will never leave you again."

But even as she said it, she didn't believe it herself. How much longer could she live after donating her kidney to Serena?

"Ha! Jasmine, I knew I'd find you here. What a touching mother-son reunion..." a cold, mocking voice came from behind her.