Chapter 3

Rachel burst into tears first. "Sonia, don't look at me like that. I'm scared."

She shrank behind Declan, as if I were the thief.

Declan frowned and stood in front of her. "Sonia, you might have misplaced it. Don't scare people off so abruptly."

I stared at him. "It was from my mom."

His tone was as indifferent as if he were talking about an old piece of clothing. "I know. So you really should think it over and see if you've misplaced it."

Rachel bit her lip, tears falling. "Declan, forget it. Let me explain."

She looked up at me, carefully saying, "Sonia, that bracelet is too old. I noticed the patterns have worn away, so I thought I'd take it to be cleaned for you."

My heart sank to the bottom. "Where did you take it?"

Rachel gave the name of a jewelry store.

I turned and left.

Declan caught up to me, his tone impatient. "Sonia, can you please stop being so fussy? Rachel did it out of kindness."

The jewelry store was not far from the Fletcher family's residence.

When I arrived, the craftsman behind the counter was using his tools to polish the inside of the bracelet.

The harsh metal sound was like a knife scraping against bone.

I rushed over. "Don't move!"

The craftsman was startled.

Rachel followed close behind, explaining tearfully, "I just wanted to make it look a bit more youthful. Sonia is usually so plain; I thought she wouldn't like such an old-fashioned style."

I picked up the bracelet.

The name 'Sonia' had originally been engraved on the inside.

My mother had chosen it herself while she was still alive. She had said that once she was gone and there was no one left to back me up, this bracelet would keep me company in her place.

Now, half of that name had been polished away. It felt as if the last trace of my mother's voice, left just for me, had been forcibly erased.

Declan glanced at it and frowned. "If it's ruined, I'll buy you a new one."

I looked up at him.

He was still wearing that old shirt, yet there was not a trace of a poor man's insecurity in his eyes or expression; only the irritation of being disturbed.

"Sonia, don't scare Rachel. It's just an old bracelet; is it really worth making such a fuss?"

I smiled. "How much is my mother's keepsake worth to you?"

Declan paused, looking at me as if I were being unreasonable. "Do you have to talk like that?"

Rachel sobbed even harder. "Sonia, I'm sorry. Can I pay you for it? Don't blame Declan. It's all my fault."

As she spoke, she surreptitiously clutched Declan's sleeve. "I only did it because Declan said you hated old things."

I looked at Declan.

His eyes flickered before his expression hardened. "Enough. Don't drag me into this."

I took out my phone. "I'm calling the police."

Declan's expression finally shifted. He grabbed my hand. "Sonia! Don't involve the police. Rachel is still young; do you want her to end up with a criminal record?"

I asked him, "What about me? My suitcase was pried open, and my mother's keepsake was ruined. Am I just supposed to endure it?"

Declan lowered his voice, his tone softening just as it always did in the past. "Nia."

He rarely called me that. He only ever did so when he knew I was at my breaking point.

"I know you feel wronged. How about I make it up to you with 100 performance points later? Let's just leave it at this."

Looking at his face, inches from mine, I was suddenly reminded of three years ago.

Back then, he had stood in the rain waiting for me to get off work, telling me his family was struggling, and he was afraid I would suffer if I stayed with him. My heart ached for him, and I told him it did not matter; as long as we worked hard together, a little hardship was nothing.

In the end, he really did make me suffer for three years.

I called the police.

When the officers arrived, Declan looked grim enough to kill. Ultimately, he had no choice but to admit he had taken the bracelet from my suitcase.

He said, "I thought you wouldn't mind. Didn't you use to say you'd give me anything I needed?"

I tucked the ruined bracelet into my bag and did not answer. I had suddenly realized that he would not understand, no matter what I said.

As I stepped out of the jewelry store, a text message from the hospital popped up on my phone: [Abnormal results from your gastric follow-up examination; please be admitted for further testing as soon as possible.]

Declan saw it too and sneered. "Again? If you were really in pain, take a clear photo of the test report. But you just had to be in pain today. What a coincidence."

I gripped the bracelet inside my bag; the hard edges dug painfully into my fingertips.

For the first time, I did not explain. I simply looked at him and retorted, "Declan, you'd better remember what you just said."

He turned his head away in annoyance. "Don't act like I'm mistreating you."

I turned and walked away.

Behind me, I heard Rachel whisper, "Declan, is Sonia angry again?"

Declan replied, "Let her be. She'll be mad for a few days and then come crawling back."

I did not slow down. This time, I did not look back.