Chapter 3

The day after I had decided to leave, my soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law, Vicky Pryde, called to get me to help with Asher and Cora's wedding.

I still had things to attend to, so I refused her outright.

Unexpectedly, Vicky, who had always been so gentle before, was an entirely different person as she started yelling, "Your family's bankrupt now, and you're completely barren! Why shouldn't my son remarry?"

I didn't argue. Instead, I just calmly said, "He can. It's just that I've been a little busy lately."

Asher hadn't even discussed it with me before deciding to divorce me and marry someone else. So, why should I help with their wedding?

Not wanting to hear more from her, I abruptly hung up the phone.

When I reached home, I found Asher in the front yard. He was wearing a light-gray casual outfit as he kept Cora company, looking relaxed. Smiling, he poured her a glass of fruit punch.

A pair of beautiful pearl earrings adorned Cora's ears, and they sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.

The bouquet of flowers on the table swayed gently in the breeze, making their gazes seem even more tender.

By our second year of marriage, Asher had already left Dad's company and started his own business. He had been busy ever since. He was so busy that he had never had a proper conversation with me or had time to sit with me under the sun.

I froze for a moment, then quickly turned away and fled to my room, but their image stayed with me. I shook my head desperately, trying to fling it all from my mind.

That fateful glance so many years ago had kept me trapped ever since.

Only now did I realize that he had never loved me. There had only been one person in his heart all along, and that was Cora Singer.

I ran to the bathroom and splashed my face with water, forcing myself to remain clear-headed. When I finally returned to my senses, I started going through the things Dad had gifted me when I got married. But no matter how many times I counted, one item was missing.

I dug out the list Dad had given me previously and matched each item to it until I found the missing item. It was a pair of pearl earrings—the same pair that I had just seen Cora wearing.

I immediately burst into Cora's bedroom. She had just returned and was holding a diamond tiara, a smile still lingering on her lips.

Their wedding was in three days. I figured Asher would've had everything sorted by now, but I never expected him to just hand my tiara over to Cora!

Furious, I snatched it from her hands. When I saw the earrings on her ears, I pinned her down on the table with one hand and used the other to remove them.

Her ears became red and scratched due to my rough treatment, and she started crying in pain. "Let me go! I'll take the earrings off if you want them!"

I clutched the tiara and the earrings to me tightly as I glared at her coldly.

Cora stood up straight, looking disheveled and aggrieved. "You could've just told me you wanted them. Why'd you have to treat me like this?"

Unbothered, I let out a cold snort. "You stole my things, and you expect me to be nice to you? In your dreams!"

She widened her innocent-looking eyes as her lips trembled. "I didn't steal them…"

I heard footsteps coming from behind before Asher pushed me aside and ran forward to pull Cora into his arms.

I hit the wall with a loud thud, my hand let go, and the tiara fell to the floor, cracking the diamond in the center.

Asher glared at me, his eyes dripping with disgust.

"It's just a piece of jewelry. I was the one who gave it to her to wear. You'd rather break it than let her wear it? Your family is already bankrupt. If you continue to cause trouble, I'll just throw you out!"

Cora wailed pitifully in his arms. When her gaze flickered toward the tiara on the floor, her forehead creased, and the disdain was visible in her eyes.

Asher held her in his arms as he comforted her. "Don't cry. I'll have someone custom-make a new one for you right away. It'll definitely be in time for the wedding."

Wiping away my own tears, I calmly bent down and grabbed my tiara and earrings again. But my heart felt like it had been split into two, and the pain that came with it spread through every limb.

I just needed to wait for a few more days for the divorce to be finalized. Once the plane took off, I'd finally be able to leave this place behind me.