Chapter 3

I was looking for a necklace when I got a call from Wright Manor. It was a necklace with a cross pendant that I'd worn up until my surgery. The chain was fairly thin and came undone quite easily.

When my stomach had been killing me, I'd clutched the necklace tightly in my hand. Once I woke up from surgery, I found that it was gone.

Calista said a nurse might have thrown it away by accident, and I believed her.

Owen said over the phone, "My mother wants to see you. Come home for dinner tonight."

I wanted to refuse, but Annette Tate, Calista's grandma, was the only person in the Wright family who had been genuinely kind toward me. She even had someone send me a replacement cross necklace after the surgery.

In the end, I went over.

When I showed up at Wright Manor, I saw Tyler in the living room. He was sitting beside Annette, pouring her a cup of tea. I spotted the cross necklace hanging from his neck, and my body instantly turned cold.

There was no way I would ever fail to recognize that pendant.

Tyler tracked my gaze and lifted the necklace, as if he'd only just remembered it.

"Does it look good on me, Joel?" he asked with a careful smile. "Calista gave it to me. She said she got it for me, hoping that it would keep me safe."

Calista, who'd just come over with a tray of snacks, stiffened slightly.

I marched right up to Tyler and said, "Take it off."

Tyler froze. "What?"

"I told you to take it off."

Tyler immediately looked hurt. "I had no idea it belonged to you, Joel."

Calista set the tray down and said, "Joel."

Looking at her, I asked, "Did you give it to him?"

She didn't answer, but the silence seemed to crush the last of my barely existent hope.

"I had that necklace with me right up until my surgery," I said.

Annette's expression changed at once, and even Owen looked stunned.

Brows creasing slightly, Calista said, "I didn't know that."

"You didn't know that, huh?" I kept my eyes fixed on her. "I left it on the bedside table before I was taken into surgery. When I woke up and found that it was gone, you told me the nurse must've tossed it by mistake."

Looking as if she finally remembered that detail, she stiffened a little. "I thought you'd be reminded of your surgery and feel bad if you saw it."

"So you gave it to him?"

Joel started tugging on the necklace. "Here. I'll give it back to you, Joel. I swear I had no idea!"

He moved so frantically that red marks appeared on his neck. Calista immediately grabbed his hands to stop him.

"Stop trying to take it off. You'll hurt yourself."

I watched as she held his hands in concern. That hurt me more than seeing the necklace around his neck.

"Tell him to return it to me."

Calista glanced at me and lowered her voice a little. "It's just a necklace, Joel."

"Just a necklace," I repeated with a laugh, my fists curling. "It's also just a surgery, right?"

Calista's expression changed once more, and Annette became so furious that she started coughing. "I can't believe you, Calista!"

Tyler called out tearfully, "Don't blame Calista, Joel. She only gave it to me because I've been having trouble sleeping lately. She just thought it'd help me feel safe."

It was for him to feel safe, huh?

I'd just come out of surgery, but the cross necklace I'd held onto for a sense of security and protection was handed over to Tyler so that he would feel safe instead.

I reached out to take the necklace off myself, but Calista grabbed my wrist. "That's enough!"

I looked at her. "You're stopping me?"

She said, "Tyler just got divorced. He doesn't need to suffer any more emotional distress right now."

I snorted. "So that's why the moment he even hints at feeling sad, you guys act like you're scared he's going to jump out a window? I just came out of surgery. I just found out my family sold me off to you.

"This whole time, every single one of you has taken me for a fool, and yet you all expect me to be thoughtful and understanding still. What did I ever do to deserve such treatment, Calista?"

She had no answer for that.

Suddenly, Tyler gave a violent tug, and the necklace broke. The cross pendant fell onto the floor, and I bent down to pick it up.

When my fingers touched the chipped pendant, my tears finally started to fall. I wasn't crying because of Calista. I was crying because I couldn't even hold on to a simple necklace.

Grabbing the pendant and the chain, I turned to leave.

Calista followed me out onto the driveway. "I'll take you home."

"Don't bother."

"You're in no state to be alone right now. It's not safe."

I turned back to look at her. "Calista, did you, for even a single second, fear that I would die on that operating table?"

When she said nothing, I nodded. "Got it."

…

That night, I didn't go back to the master bedroom. Instead, I stayed in the guest bedroom. I put my hospital wristband, the cross pendant, and the broken chain together in a box.

After wiping away my tears, I started packing. I had pitifully few belongings—just a few old clothes, several books, and a photo of my grandpa and me.

I didn't pack a single watch or cufflink Calista got me. Before leaving, I took off my wedding ring and placed it on the nightstand. The barely audible clink it made reminded me of the love I'd had for Calista for the past three years—so quiet and insignificant that it'd never mattered to her.

Before leaving, I went back to the Manning residence, but it wasn't to say my goodbyes. I was just picking up my copy of the marriage certificate that they'd kept here, ostensibly for safekeeping.

When Peter opened the door, the first thing he did was glance behind me.

"Calista didn't come with you?"

"I came by myself," I said.

Peter's expression instantly darkened. "What are you making a fuss about this time? A man shouldn't be so petty, Joel."

I walked right past him and headed for the study. "Give me the marriage certificate."

Gloria, sipping a cup of coffee, looked up. "Why do you want the marriage certificate?"

"I'm filing for divorce."

She slammed the cup down on the table. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Peter hastily closed the door. "Tyler just got a divorce! What if people think of our family if you get one as well?"

I looked at him. "So the Manning family's reputation matters more than my happiness and well-being?"

Peter frowned. "Don't make things sound so awful."

Gloria took out a document from a drawer and threw it at me. "Go on. Read this properly before you carry on with your temper tantrum."