Chapter 8

After his shower, Skyler found himself walking to the window. Under the dim garden lights, a small figure was kneeling on the ground, searching bit by bit for pieces of the broken bracelet.

Something seemed to have pierced his chest, and for a moment, he felt suffocated.

Seeing Jeanette so obsessed with this bracelet, he wondered if it was really something Katherine had left behind.

Skyler tossed his towel aside and was about to go downstairs when Kimberly and Isadora came up to meet him.

"Skye, you're not going down to check on that woman, are you? She's just putting on a show for attention right now. Don't let her fool you!"

Kimberly looked down nervously. "Skye, Ms. Schafer told me herself it was something she didn't want. I only borrowed it because I thought it was okay. It's my fault she got upset."

Skyler suddenly felt clarity wash over him.

Right, she had said that she did not want those things. However, she changed her mind when she heard Kimmy wanted them. If that was not targeting Kimmy, what was it?

It finally made sense why she was making a scene in the garden now. If he went out there, she would just get bolder.

With that thought, Skyler dismissed the idea of going to Jeanette.

…

When dawn broke, Jeanette had finally found all the fragments in the garden. After being rained on all night, she felt dizzy and lightheaded. Even so, she did not dare rest. She was leaving soon and had to repair the bracelet, or she would never have peace of mind.

Jeanette ran to many places and finally found a craftsman who could repair the bracelet at the city's largest jewelry auction house.

Tears welled in her eyes as she thanked him over and over again.

It took three full days before the repair was complete. The craftsman handed her the bracelet and said, "Something that's broken is broken. No matter how you fix it, there will always be cracks. I did my best."

Jeanette looked at the faint lines running across the bracelet, a pang of sadness filling her heart. Still, she was immensely grateful for the craftsman's help. "I understand, sir. You did everything you could. Thank you."

Jeanette carefully carried the box out of the workshop, but she ran into the person she least wanted to see while going downstairs.

"Ms. Schafer, what a coincidence! Are you here to buy jewelry too?" Kimberly asked with a smile.

Jeanette did not want to talk to her and turned to go downstairs. However, as she passed by, she was suddenly shoved hard.

Then, two screams echoed throughout the entire jewelry store.

By the time Skyler arrived, both women were lying on the floor. Jeanette's face was covered in bruises, and blood was streaming down her knees.

Meanwhile, Kimberly looked relatively unharmed, but she was crying uncontrollably. "Ms. Schafer, I know you hate me. I felt terrible about breaking your bracelet, so I came here specifically to buy you a gift to apologize. But how could you push me down the stairs? Were you trying to kill me?"

Jeanette's head buzzed. Before she could speak, Skyler was already glaring at her with hatred. "Jeanette, how can you be so vicious? If anything happens to Kimmy, I'll make you pay the price!"

Skyler's warning rang in her ears like thunder as he stepped over Jeanette with disgust, picked up Kimberly, and rushed straight to the hospital.

Jeanette looked at her wounded body. Strangely, she felt nothing anymore. She laughed through her tears, mocking herself in an attempt at comfort.

She thought, 'Maybe it's better this way. When the heart aches badly enough, perhaps the body's pain can no longer be felt.'

Maybe this battered, broken body of hers was not worth cherishing anymore.