Chapter 5

Silvia tapped on the photo. The necklace was a gift from Gregory for their tenth anniversary. It was a custom Chaumet piece, and the ruby set on top had a fiery glimmer in it that was visible even in photos.

When Silvia received the necklace, she had been stunned by the dazzling brilliance as well. However, the next second, Gregory's mother, Wendy Burton, called her.

"You're smart, aren't you? You know that if it's a transfer of funds, it'll be reclaimed, so you got my son to give you jewelry instead. I'm impressed that an orphan like you could come up with such tricks."

Gregory's expression shifted, but he could only look at Wendy helplessly and complain, "Mom…"

Silvia declined Gregory's offer to help her put it on. She just kept it in the safe and cherished it.

Sometimes, she would take it out and admire it.

But now, there was no reason to get it back anymore.

Silvia replied, "Just hold on to it for now."

After responding to the message, she fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she saw Gregory sitting by the bed.

Noticing that Silvia was awake, Gregory said in a hoarse voice, "You're up. I came to visit and also to drop off your necklace."

Silvia didn't get up. She took the necklace and placed it absentmindedly on the table. "Thanks. Actually, you don't have to come by this late just to deliver it."

Gregory shook his head. "This necklace is different."

He held her hands, continuing, "Whenever I see this necklace, I remember all the moments we've shared together. We've weathered so many storms, but now, because of a trivial matter, we're fighting and giving each other the silent treatment…"

As he spoke, his voice seemed to choke with emotion. "It's really not worth it."

Silvia recalled their past.

She had been down with a fever once. Gregory went out in the middle of the night to deliver the medicine, and he almost got himself in an accident.

Some fortune teller had told her that she would have a life of loneliness and hardship, so Gregory insisted on kneeling and praying every step of the way to a shrine on top of a mountain.

He was on his bleeding knees as he had closed his eyes in devotion and prayed, "May Silvia live a life of peace and happiness."

Silvia had been diagnosed with uterine cancer, so she couldn't give birth anymore. Gregory got a vasectomy just to make his stance clear to Wendy.

Their relationship had been much better back then.

Silvia pulled her hands out of Gregory's grasp. The bruises and needle marks on the back of her hand were clearly visible.

However, Gregory ignored all of that and said to her, "Ella has been having a hard time staying at the hotel. She even ate something bad and upset her stomach, and she's hospitalized now. Let's go to the hospital and take her home, alright?"

Silvia pointed out indifferently, "Where will she stay, then? Gregory, I told you I'm going to sell the house."

Gregory frowned a little. "Since when? Why would you sell a perfectly fine house?"

Silvia sighed. "I told you on Ella's birthday. I said I'm moving out."

Gregory pursed his lips tightly, and he didn't say another word.

Silence reigned between the two.

Some time later, Gregory got to his feet. "Rest up, then. I'm going to visit Ella at the hospital. She's sick, so she must have someone with her at all times."

After hearing the door click shut, Silvia waited for a moment. Then, she got up and deleted Gregory's fingerprint from the door lock.

She returned to her bed, lay down, and closed her eyes.

She didn't sleep a wink all night.

In the morning, when Silvia got up, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she bumped into the bedside table.

The necklace fell onto the floor.

Fearing that the necklace would be scratched, which would make it a pain to return, she picked it up and examined it in detail. It was then that she spotted some inscriptions on the inner side of the necklace that read, "LOVE E.R."

Silvia thought for a moment, then got up and opened her safe.

She realized that her necklace was lying perfectly fine inside. The only difference was that her necklace was inscribed with "S. R.", her initials.

So, "E.R." could only mean "Ella Robinson".

It was as clear as day who the owner of the necklace was.

Silvia stared at the necklaces for a moment. Then, she suddenly laughed.

She was supposed to be laughing, but her eyes had reddened.

As it turned out, her and Gregory's anniversary happened to be his and Ella's anniversary as well.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she wrapped the necklaces up and went to the hospital.

Once at the entrance of the hospital room, Silvia paused in her footsteps. She took several deep breaths before reaching up and opening the door.

Gregory's voice rang out from within, "I can only relax around you, Ella. Maybe it's because of the unfortunate circumstances in her childhood, but Silvia always has a lot on her mind. She's sensitive and distrustful, and she's also independent. Over time, it's only natural that she starts feeling stressed."

Silvia's hands trembled violently, but Gregory was still talking. "You're different from her. You're so lively and cheerful…"

Before Silvia could hear the rest of his sentence, she had already turned around and left in a hurry.