A Handbag and a Heart

Brad smashed his glass against the floor. The sharp shatter of glass instantly silenced the room."I don't want to hear this again. If these words reach Kathy's ears, I'll make you pay dearly."His voice carried a low, cutting edge. "Are you trying to insult Kathy by comparing her to Wendy?"The words fell like a relentless downpour, breaking apart every sweet memory I had of Brad and me. A lie—everything had been a lie.The person he had risked his life to save during the earthquake wasn't me. It was his first love.It felt as if I'd been plunged into freezing water, the chill seeping through my veins, hardening into icy shards that tore me apart from within. I wanted to grab the whiskey from the table and smash it over his head.Why? What gave them, these people born into privilege, the right to trample on others? What had I done to deserve this?But I couldn't act recklessly. If I had no one, I might have risked everything, my life included. But I had Grandma. She scavenged

Brad clutched his face and shoved me away with a force that sent me staggering. Even soaked in the relentless rain, his furious expression remained unnervingly striking, his features so perfect they bordered on unreal."You followed me?" he snapped, his voice razor-sharp. "Wendy, I never imagined you could be so calculating." His lips curled into a mocking sneer. "So, what now? How much are you trying to squeeze out of me?"My entire body trembled with rage. The sheer agony of seeing someone I once loved transform into a stranger was more excruciating than any physical torment. I'd thought the pain of swallowing those pills, of losing a child, was the worst I could endure. But I was wrong. This—this was worse.I broke, my voice cracking into a desperate wail. "Brad, are you even human? After everything, you still have the gall to turn this around on me?""Do you remember the bartender you kicked down at the club today? That was me!" I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and fo

He quickly turned red-eyed, his expression bordering on madness as he dragged me toward the hospital's exit."Wendy, I know you hate me right now, but you'll forgive me."His voice trembled, a strange desperation weaving through it. "I have money, lots of it. I'll buy you a big house. You can't leave me."The implication was clear—he wanted to lock me away, like some kind of possession. Had Kathy's betrayal driven him completely insane?He tried to shove me into his car, but I grabbed onto the door with one hand, refusing to budge. "Brad, have you lost your mind? You don't even love me. Let me go!"His eyes, red and hollow, filled with sorrow as his delicate, handsome features twisted. "Wendy, how could I not love you? I never wanted us to part." His voice softened into something unhinged. "You belong to me. It doesn't matter if you don't love me, as long as you're mine."Those deranged words didn't evoke any joy in me—only fear and anger."You lied about being poor, pretended t

Brad brought me back to the Landon family estate."Wendy, look," he said, his voice light, almost eager. "This is the room I prepared for you."The room was luxurious, almost ostentatious. Even the curtains would cost thousands. The Persian carpet that covered the floor—something I had seen in an online auction once—was worth tens of thousands.Brad's eyes sparkled as he stared at me. "Do you like it? All of this is yours."He took my hand. "Wendy, as long as you come back to me, the entire Landon family is yours."A lump formed in my throat, stuck somewhere between rising and falling."Brad," I said, my voice tinged with bitterness, "why don't you understand? When I loved you, I would have stayed by your side even if you had nothing. When I don't love you, even if you possess endless wealth, I still won't.""Money," I added quietly, "has never been omnipotent."Brad's face turned ashen, like someone had stolen half the life out of him in a single breath.After that day, we st