The Christmas Prank That Ended Us Chapter 05
Five hours after the engagement party ended, the plane landed at Santorini Airport.
The moment the cabin announcement finished, my phone was flooded with countless calls.
The four numbers flashing on the screen belonged to my father, my mother, Serena, and Garrett.
I didn’t rush to answer.
Instead, I dragged my suitcase out of the arrival gate, found a spot at a convenience store outside the airport, and let the phone ring again and again.
Each call automatically ended. Then the screen lit up again.
It wasn’t true that I didn’t feel hurt. Of course I did.
But there wasn’t a single trace of longing left in my heart.
The only thing I regretted was not being there in person to see their expressions when they watched what appeared on the big screen.
A few minutes later, I composed myself and answered my mother’s call first.
The moment the call connected, her sharp scream exploded through the phone.
“Jasmine, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you crazy? Did you ever think about the consequences of showing those things to everyone?”
—
I looked at the unfamiliar streets outside the window.
Her voice pierced my ears.
Thankfully, the distance between us and the six-hour time difference slowly calmed me down.
I replied in a flat tone, using the exact excuse my mother always used when defending Serena.
“It was just a game. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
I didn’t expect those words to completely ignite her anger.
Her voice suddenly rose.
“A game? Is this how you play a game?”
“Don’t you know that family matters shouldn’t be exposed to outsiders?”
“We are your family. Serena is your sister. How could you do this to us?!”
My heart didn’t move at all.
I even almost laughed.
“When you and Serena pranked me all those years, you always said it was just a game.”
“How come you were allowed to play, but I wasn’t?”
My mother went silent for a second.
Clearly, she never expected the daughter who had always obeyed her
—
to argue back.
I didn’t give her time to recover.
I simply hung up. The next second, my father’s call came through.
His voice was low, filled with the commanding pressure of an elder.
“Where are you right now? Come back immediately.”
“I’m not coming back.”
I rejected him without hesitation.
“Do you know what kind of trouble you’ve caused? All our relatives and friends are laughing at us now.”
“Come back and apologize publicly to the entire pack. Clear Serena’s name. Otherwise, don’t ever call yourself part of this family again.”
He didn’t know that his words no longer intimidated me.
In fact, they were exactly what I wanted.
Then Serena’s furious voice came from the other end of the call.
“Jasmine, how am I supposed to face people after you released those things?!”
The next moment, she started crying and grabbing onto my parents.
“Jasmine has never been able to take a joke since she was little. She did this on purpose just to get revenge on me.”
“Mom, Dad, you have to get justice for me!”
—
The Serena who used to casually say everything was just a joke was completely gone.
She was no longer calm or confident.
It seemed that a person only understood how much something hurt when the pain finally fell on them.
I was lost in thought when Garrett’s call suddenly cut off Serena’s crying.
I answered.
Garrett only asked one question, “You’re in Santorini?”
“Yes.”
I answered calmly.
During the five years I had been with Garrett, every decision I made about my future had revolved around him.
So when the transfer opportunity to Santorini came up, he naturally assumed I would reject it.
But now, I had left without saying a word.
I could almost imagine how furious he was on the other end of the phone.
“Jasmine, I’ll assume you’re just throwing a tantrum right now.”
“Buy a ticket and come back immediately.”
“Apologize to Serena, and we’ll let this matter go.”
—
“Otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?” I interrupted.
“Otherwise, our engagement is over. Don’t blame me when I reject you then.”
Garrett’s voice was filled with suppressed anger.
Every word sounded like it was forced out through clenched teeth.
I only let out a quiet laugh.
“Alpha Garrett, haven’t you realized it yet?”
“When I came to Santorini, I never planned to have a future with you.”
“Before I left the pack, I had already severed our mate bond on my own.”