Chapter 4

The air in the car seemed to freeze.

Eric's Adam's apple bobbed, as though he were trying to suppress his anger.

Moments later, he abruptly turned his head and glared at me viciously.

"Because you asked for it! To be honest, when I first met you, I had a pretty good impression of you. However, had you not insisted that it was me or no one else back then, my mom would never have used her own life to blackmail me into marrying you!

"I've truly had enough! I'm sick of having her control and arranging every little thing in my life. I want to be free. I told you that, but you said you didn't care; you were dead set on marrying me. So, don't blame me for treating you this poorly…

"Because you brought this on yourself!" he bellowed in a single breath. Then, he slumped heavily back into his seat, panting.

I took it all in quietly. I wasn't particularly surprised. I just found the whole thing absurd.

I drank in his furious expression and sincerely apologized. "I'm sorry for wasting your time all these years. We're about to get divorced, so I'll get out of your hair soon."

Eric ignored me. His brows knitted together.

He didn't make a sound through the divorce filing and the drive back to the villa. I didn't want to get on his nerves either. I went back to the guest bedroom and kept to myself.

When it was time for dinner, it was still the four of us around the table—me, Mrs. Grant, Eric, and Sabrina. The only difference was that the couple weren't all over each other this time.

The warm light caught on the bracelet on Sabrina's wrist, and I vaguely felt like I'd seen it before. That… was the emerald bracelet Mom had left me!

Startled, I shot to my feet and reached out to seize her wrist. "Give it back to me! This is the bracelet Mom left me. Who gave you permission to go through the jewelry box in the master bedroom?"

Sabrina cried out when I suddenly grabbed her wrist. In a heartbeat, a triumphant look flashed across her face before she demanded, "What do you mean, your bracelet? What on earth are you on about, Sylvia? I bought this a couple of days ago. Eric, she's hurting me! Hurry up and ask her to unhand me!"

Eric had bolted to his feet the moment I grasped Sabrina. After hearing that, he swatted my hand away without a second thought. "Sylvia Wright, what the hell is wrong with you? Let go of her! I knew you weren't going to let this go that easily.

"It's just a bracelet. Sabrina said she bought it, so it must be true. Cut it out already!"

I stared at Eric long and hard and shrieked, "You want me to cut it out? Open your damn eyes and look closely, Eric! This is the exact bracelet I wore on our wedding day!"

Eric took a hasty look at the bracelet. It did look a little familiar. It probably was mine.

He was about to part his lips and ask Sabrina to give it back to me when Mrs. Grant abruptly slammed her fist on the table and rose to her feet, berating Sabrina. "I've seen that bracelet before, you bitch. It clearly belongs to Sylvia. Give it back to her, you thief!

"Listen here, Eric. If you take this bitch's side one more time, I'll disown you!"

Eric's rebellious streak immediately flared up. He pulled Sabrina behind him to shield her. "I told you it's Sabrina's, so it belongs to Sabrina! It's just a stupid bracelet. I'll bid on an even better one at an auction tomorrow and give it to Sylvia. Stop using this as an excuse to make things difficult for Sabrina!"

Bullshit. This was the last thing Mom had left me. He could buy me a thousand, ten thousand bracelets, and none of them would be the one Mom gave me.

I couldn't care less anymore. I lunged at Sabrina, intending to snatch my bracelet back. Eric shielded her.

Before long, Mrs. Grant threw herself into the fray as well.

When I lunged at Sabrina again, Eric shoved me away, striking my shoulder. I hadn't expected him to use so much force.

My ankle twisted, and I lost my balance, toppling backward. The very next second, a dull thud reverberated through the room.

My lower back slammed hard into the protruding corner of the solid mahogany dining table. In an instant, excruciating pain exploded from the point of impact, robbing me of all strength and even my voice.

Seizing advantage of the moment, Eric grabbed Sabrina and bolted for the door.

"Hold it right there, you bastard! Get back here! Stop them!" Mabel shrieked, ordering the housekeepers who had rushed over to stop them. However, he still managed to leave with Sabrina.

Mabel had no choice but to turn back around to comfort me. Yet, she found a figure lying beside the dining table.

I was lying in a pool of blood, my face as pale as a sheet. "Sylvia—" Mabel almost passed out from sheer terror.

I was rushed into the emergency room, and the red light above the operating doors remained on for a day and a night.

…

Eric knew full well that he was in the wrong.

The following day, he took Sabrina to an auction, intending to buy me an even better bracelet to replace the original one. He was in a private VIP room, watching the attendant present the items, when a commotion broke out behind him.

It was Mabel. Disregarding all decorum and dignity, she shoved past the bodyguards stationed at the door and charged inside with a gift box.

Mabel stormed in and slapped Eric hard across the face. "Open it!"

He took the slap squarely. Eric took in the grim expression on her face, and for a moment, he was bewildered.

Noticing him hesitate, she repeated herself. "I told you to open it!"

He had no choice but to lift the lid off the box. As soon as his gaze landed, his pupils contracted sharply, and a horrified scream escaped his throat.

The tears Mabel had desperately been keeping at bay finally spilled over, and she wailed, "Take a good look, Eric. This is your and Sylvia's four-month-old daughter. You're the one who didn't want her!"