Chapter 4

"Don't cry. I'll buy you another one. Oliver didn't do it on purpose."

Yvonne gently stroked my head to comfort me, but every word she said was really an excuse for Oliver.

My whole body shook like a leaf as I clutched the shattered bracelet. Blood oozed out of my palm and dripped onto the floor, blooming into glaring crimson flowers.

Yvonne's pupils contracted, and she immediately pried my hand open. Her expression darkened as she took in my bloodied, mangled palm, and she was about to snap at me when everything went black, and I fainted.

…

I slept particularly fitfully that night. When I woke up, my head was pounding, and my throat felt as though it had been scraped raw. Thus, I dragged my heavy body outside to get some water.

As soon as I reached the corner, I spotted a couple at the end of the dimly lit hallway.

Oliver's voice sounded pitiful, as if he still hadn't recovered from the earlier confrontation. "If I crash here, will Mason be upset?"

"I call the shots in this house." Yvonne's voice was soft but domineering.

Oliver was thrilled to be fiercely protected. All of a sudden, he recalled the past again and exclaimed, "Thank you, Vonne. If you hadn't come up with the excuse of repaying my dad's debt back then, I would've been the one suffering for six years."

Yvonne's expression stiffened slightly before she let out a quiet sigh. "I did him dirty, but I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to him. That should be enough." Her tone was flat, yet if one listened closely, it carried a trace of sadness.

Oliver's ego swelled. He wrapped his arms around Yvonne and lowered his head, kissing her fervently. She froze for a moment, but she didn't push him away.

As I watched the two of them embrace, a bone-deep chill swept over me, and my legs almost gave out. Yvonne had told me that Oliver's father had once saved her life. She told me she had to repay him. Consequently, I had willingly taken the fall for Oliver.

In the end, it was all a lie she'd pulled out of thin air. My heart rate abruptly skyrocketed.

My gaze was hazy and unfocused as Oliver panted, "What if he finds out?"

Yvonne's expression froze for a split second before she slowly shook her head. "He won't. Even if he does, what can he do about it? Look at the state he's in now. I'm his best option. More importantly, I have no intention of letting him go."

Oliver's hands balled into fists. When he didn't hear the answer he wanted, a flicker of resentment crossed his eyes. "My heart goes out for you, Vonne. He seriously doesn't deserve you anymore. People are going to laugh at you—"

"That's enough," she cut him off.

Yvonne clearly didn't want to continue with this topic of conversation. She pulled away from him and said apathetically, "Go to bed. I'm going to check if Mason has come to."

My limbs were cold as ice as I slipped back into bed. Yvonne stood behind me for what felt like an eternity.

Noticing that I had no signs of coming to, she reached out and felt my forehead. After letting out a heavy sigh, she turned on her heel and left.

Silent tears soaked my pillow. The moment the door clicked shut, I couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears.

…

When I woke up the next morning, a delicate emerald bracelet and a glass of room-temperature milk were sitting on my nightstand.

I'd always had milk in the mornings before I went to prison. We'd been together for five years, and she had never forgotten it.

I stared at it for a couple of seconds before shifting my gaze to the emerald bracelet. I picked it up and headed straight to a jewelry auction house.

The bracelet was a rare collectible. Ultimately, it fetched a million dollars. After leaving the auction house, I clutched my debit card and got into a car bound for the airport.

All these years, the only people who had ever truly cared about me were Grandma and Grandpa. I snapped back to reality, and before I knew it, the car had arrived at the airport.

Right before boarding the plane, my phone started ringing incessantly. I gazed at Yvonne's name on the screen and calmly declined her call.

Since Oliver was so fond of framing others, I decided to give him a little gift of my own. After exhaling, I boarded the plane with a sense of relief.