Chapter 4

Nicole surveyed the wreckage scattered across the floor and said in a calm, flat voice, "Fine."

"You're so generous." Harriet's smile widened, and she grew even bolder as she rummaged through the jewelry.

A strand of deep-sea pearls snapped in her grip. The peanut-sized golden pearls scattered across the floor, one by one.

Nicole's expression remained blank. She got out of bed and began to dress.

Harriet let out a small cry of dismay. "Ced said tonight's charity gala is important. I actually liked that strand. Such a shame it's ruined. I heard it belonged to your late mother. I'm so sorry."

Nicole's sharp nails dug into her palm, sending a sharp sting through her skin.

"It's fine. It's just an object." Her voice was low. "Things don't matter more than people. If there's anything in this house you like, take your pick."

Harriet froze for a moment. Then something vicious flickered in her eyes. She stepped closer and seized Nicole's wrist.

"Nico, this bracelet is beautiful." Harriet smiled at her. "Three years ago, Ced said he'd bought me one just like it. Unfortunately, he lost it. It was identical to yours."

Nicole lowered her gaze to the flash of green around her wrist, and something inside her trembled.

Cedric had bought the bracelet at an auction after he made his first fortune in Brookton. She had spotted it in his office and, delighted by its beauty, slipped it onto her wrist without a second thought.

Three years had passed, and she had never once taken it off. Nicole had always believed it was his wedding gift to her. Now she realized how wrong she had been.

Harriet gave the bracelet a rough, forceful yank in an attempt to wrench it off her wrist.

Nicole flinched at the pain and stepped back.

Harriet used the movement as an excuse to fall to the floor. She clutched her chest and began to gasp for breath.

Cedric appeared before Nicole even realized he had arrived. He helped Harriet to her feet, his brow furrowed. "What happened?"

Harriet bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the bracelet on Nico's wrist.

"But I was clumsy. I think I hurt her, so she pushed me... It's fine, though. Don't be angry with her, Ced."

"You don't need to apologize. It was always meant for you." Cedric's voice softened as he comforted her, but his eyes turned cold when they settled on Nicole.

Before he could speak, Nicole interrupted in a hoarse voice, "If Miss Jennings likes it, I'll take it off."

Her tone remained completely flat.

The ghost, who had wept and grieved without pause until now, fell silent. She stared at Nicole's calm face in stunned disbelief. Her hands, twisted at unnatural angles, seemed to be slowly straightening back into shape.

Nicole walked slowly toward Cedric. Then, without warning, she wrenched at the bracelet with all her strength.

A sharp crack split the air, like the sound of a bone breaking.

Nicole's delicate hand instantly swelled and turned red and purple. She did not so much as flinch. Instead, she pressed the bracelet directly into Harriet's hand. "Here."

Harriet was unprepared. The bracelet slipped from her grasp and rolled across the floor.

An emotion Cedric could not name burned in his chest. The heat seemed to spread to his face, and his expression darkened. "Nicole!"

Before he could say another word, Nicole bent down, retrieved the bracelet from the floor, and pressed it back into Harriet's hand. "Don't worry, Mr. Grisborne. It isn't damaged. If there's nothing else, would you both mind leaving?"

Cedric's anger lodged in his throat, with nowhere to go.

After a long, strained silence, he dragged Harriet out of the room and slammed the door behind him. "I hope you really mean all this generosity."

Silence settled over the room once more.

Nicole reached through the empty air and gently stroked the ghost's hand, now restored to its proper shape, to comfort her.

"In my previous life, did you refuse to give it up? Is that why they broke your hands?

"Don't be afraid. Not this time. We're going to get better, little by little. It won't hurt much longer.

"Five more days, and we can get Father onto a medical flight. Can we just hold on a little longer?"

…

As night fell, the city's elite mingled at the Portanova charity gala.

At Cedric's instruction, Nicole stood beside Harriet before the press cameras.

When reporters asked about the slap at the celebration banquet, Nicole answered in a calm, even voice, "That was all a misunderstanding. Mr. Grisborne was right. I was the one being unreasonable."

Once the questioning was over, Harriet followed Nicole like a shadow she could not shake.

Even when a group of Nicole's childhood friends gathered around to ask how she was doing, Harriet forced her way into their circle. "Nico just tries too hard to put on a brave face. But thank you all for caring about her."