The Illusion of Happiness
While she smiled dazzlingly, I brushed my fingers against the single tiny gold bead on my necklace and laughed bitterly.
Then, I pulled it violently, feeling no sentiment as I threw the necklace into a nearby trash can.
Even so, the endless cheers and applause seemed to hammer ear drums, at once shrill and deafening.
At the backstage, Sean's mother couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she carried her grandson everywhere, before turning toward Sean and scoffing, "That Rachel Stone really embarrassed us, getting pregnant even before you got married. I refuse to have such an immoral daughter-in-law like her.