When our eyes met, I saw a flicker of hesitation in his gaze.
But the moment Rosalie let out a soft whimper, he grew impatient.
"They're just a few useless weeds and they even pricked Rosalie's finger. They have to go."
My eyes red-rimmed, I watched as the servants uprooted each of the roses I had painstakingly cared for twelve years.
They threw them into the dirt, stomped on them and crushed them until their broken juices oozed out.
"Stop! All of you, stop it!"
I burst into tears and couldn't help rushing forward.
Before I could even reach them, Sawyer grabbed me and pulled me back. "That's enough! Rosalie is pregnant. Do you really want to see her and the baby get hurt before you're satisfied? When did you become so malicious and selfish?"
Furious, he strode forward, his leather shoes trampling over the withered roses, grinding them mercilessly beneath his heels.
His voice was icy as he issued his warning.
"This is just a small lesson. If you dare harm Rosalie again, I won't let you off so easily."
I stared at him in a daze as if someone had me by the throat. Every breath I took was thick with the metallic tang of pain.
The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over, streaming down my face.
Sawyer would never know that what he had trampled wasn't just a rose. It was twelve years of love between us.
Seeing me like this, his heart tightened and his expression involuntarily softened. "Christy."
Without waiting for him to get close, Rosalie raised her index finger with a mini band-aid on it, covered her chest and fell into his arms.
"Sawyer, I can't breathe. It's probably because I was pricked by the rose thorns just now and lost too much blood. If my Christy likes it, you should plant it back for her. It's okay for me to suffer a little. After all, she is your wife."
"Nonsense! You're the mother of my child! Who dares to make you suffer?"
With that, he yelled for the servants to call the family doctor.
Rosalie gave a pitiful sigh. "It's no use. I'm too frail. The priest said only a blessed safety amulet from the old church can keep me safe."
I suddenly looked up, my face pale, my trembling hands pressing down hard on the safety amulet around my neck.
It was the only keepsake my mother left me.
After she died, Sawyer, fearing I would be too heartbroken, found a professional restorer who, without damaging the amulet, placed a lock of my mother's ashes inside it.
He frowned, a flicker of struggle in his eyes, as Rosalie, putting on an act, started to sob.
"It's okay. I was never worthy of anything that belonged to your wife anyway. I'm just a nameless tool. It's just a pity for our poor baby, having to suffer along with me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the hesitation in Sawyer's eyes vanished instantly. His tone turned icy.
"Just let Rosalie borrow it for a while. Once she gives birth, she'll return it."
My eyes burned, my voice trembling uncontrollably. "Sawyer, that contains my mom's… "
He cut me off impatiently. "She's been dead for years. What's with all the melodrama? Besides, if your mom can protect Rosalie and the baby, it'll only bring you blessings."
"Christy, hand it over. I don't want to lay my hands on you."
I knew that if I didn't hand over the amulet today, Sawyer wouldn't stop.
He could destroy my most cherished roses for a small scratch on Rosalie.
Naturally, he could also destroy my mother's keepsake for her flimsy lie.
I helplessly lowered my gaze, took off the amulet and handed it over.
A blatant malice flashed in Rosalie's eyes.
"Oh! So, your mom's ashes are inside? I'll be sure to take good care of it."
Bang!
The moment our fingers touched, Rosalie suddenly let go.
The amulet fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces.
The ashes instantly scattered.
