Chapter 3

"Give me back my bracelet!" I lunged at Hailey and tried to snatch the bracelet back.

It was the only keepsake my mother had left me. I'd treasured it all these years, barely daring to touch it for fear of damaging it.

And now Hailey had taken it too!

Before I could reach her, Owen suddenly shoved me to the ground. He spread his arms and planted himself firmly in front of Hailey. "I gave it to her! Just tell me how much it costs. I'll transfer the money to you right now!"

Owen raised the smartwatch I'd bought him and pretended to scan a payment code to send me the money.

I was so shocked that I couldn't even feel the pain. As I stared at my own son, my hands and feet went numb. "Owen, what did you just say?"

Owen repeated himself impatiently, "I asked how much it costs. You'll sell anything as long as someone pays you, won't you? Hurry up and name your price."

I felt as though an invisible hand had suddenly gripped my heart so tightly that I couldn't breathe.

Back when Owen was so little he could barely speak, I'd once shown him this bracelet. I'd told him it was a symbol of his grandmother.

My mother was gone forever, and this bracelet was all I had left to remember her by.

Back then, he'd buried his little face in my arms and comforted me in his childish voice, "Mommy, you still have me."

And now, with the smartwatch I'd bought him on his wrist, he wanted to buy my most precious possession just to give it to someone else.

Hailey pretended to remove the bracelet. "I'm sorry, Edith. Owen told me you never wore it, so I thought you didn't want it anymore."

Benjamin, who'd been discussing the wedding arrangements with the event planners, heard the commotion and hurried over.

When he saw Hailey removing the bracelet, he immediately turned to me in irritation. "Edith, what are you making a fuss about now? It's just a bracelet. Your wrists are too thick for it anyway, so it's just sitting around unused. What's wrong with letting Hailey wear it for a while?"

I could no longer contain my anger. "It's my mother's keepsake! Hailey Franklin, do you have to steal even this from me? Aren't you afraid my mother will come looking for you tonight?"

At my words, Benjamin's expression grew uncomfortable. "It's fine, Hailey. Give it back to her. I'll buy you a new one. Wearing something that belonged to a dead person brings bad luck."

Owen immediately chimed in with a promise of his own. "That's right! Daddy will buy you an even bigger, prettier one!"

As he spoke, he snatched the bracelet from Hailey's hand and hurled it straight at me.

"Don't throw it!" I instinctively reached out to catch it, but could only watch helplessly as the bracelet crashed onto the floor.

It shattered into pieces.

In that instant, I felt as though a part of me had shattered along with it.

I dropped to my knees and frantically gathered the fragments as tears fell in heavy drops onto the floor.

Benjamin noticed the bloody scratches on my hands, frowned, and reached out to pull me up. "Stop picking those up. It's just an inanimate object. Is it really worth all this?"

I knocked his hand away, my eyes bloodshot. Then I grabbed the divorce papers I'd prepared long ago and flung them at his face. "Forget it, Benjamin Olsen. We're getting a divo—"

Benjamin mistook the document for a share transfer agreement.

He clutched the divorce papers and looked at me coldly. "Edith, so asking for money isn't enough for you anymore? Now you've set your sights on my company?

"You probably arranged for our son to take the bracelet on purpose, didn't you? You're using my guilt to get your hands on my shares!"

He sneered and signed his name without even reading the document. "What a devious scheme. I'll let it slide this time, but don't think I'll put up with the same tricks from you twice!"

He flung the signed papers at me and walked away without looking back.

I sat on the floor, watched the pages flutter around me, and let out a bitter laugh.

He had no idea there wouldn't be another time. I was done with both him and our son.

…

In the days that followed, I spent every day at the hospital.

The money Benjamin had paid me was enough to cover not only my surgery but also all my follow-up appointments and aftercare.

Once I received my new heart, I'd finally be able to escape the tragedy of my previous life and start anew.

At long last, the day of my surgery arrived.

I was waiting to receive anesthesia when my doctor, David Griffin, suddenly pulled off his gloves.

"I'm sorry, Miss Dawson, but we can't perform your surgery today..." he said.