CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE – A GOOD SUPPORT SYSTEM

"Jazz, you've got to stop letting those trolls get to you," Claire pleaded one afternoon, her brow furrowed with worry as she watched her sister-in-law hunched over her laptop, her fingers tapping out a furious response to yet another scathing comment. Jasmine barely looked up, her eyes narrowed in determination. "I can't just let them spew their vitriol unchecked, Claire. Don't you see? If I don't stand up for myself, for my art, then who will?" But Claire shook her head, her expression a mixture of sadness and frustration. "This isn't standing up for yourself, Jasmine. This is self-destruction, plain and simple. You're letting these people control you, dictate your sense of self-worth – and for what? A few nasty comments on the internet?" Jasmine flinched as if struck, her shoulders tensing defensively. "You don't understand," she muttered, her voice laced with a weary resignation. "You can't possibly understand what it's like to have your every move, your every creative choice, p