Michael, who had once been Jasmine’s confidant, stood nearby, his jaw tightening. He had been the one to tell Jasmine about Nathan’s accident, about his memory loss. And now Jasmine saw her chance—an opportunity not just to reclaim Nathan, but to reshape him, to mold him, to keep him under her thumb.

Nathan’s arms hung awkwardly at his sides, his discomfort clear as Jasmine’s grip tightened on his hand.

“Do you know how much I suffered after you were gone?” she murmured, tears ...