Evelyn's POV:
James didn’t come home that entire night.
I didn’t text.
Didn't call as well.
I heard enough lies for a lifetime.
Silently, I dumped all the food into the trash.
Anything is no longer whole.
Anything spoiled.
Anything reeked.
I no longer needed.
Including James, and his love.
In truth, our marriage hadn’t always been this distant.
We had once shared genuinely happy times.
After Lena left, James pursued me obsessively. He kept saying I was the destiny of his life, and the one he loved the most.
Late at night, just because I casually mentioned wanting milk tea from a popular brand, he spent two full hours lining up, just to bring it to my door.
Under the scorching sun, I joked that I wanted to go to Iceland, and he dropped all his work and took me there, to see white snow and the aurora.
The love I had once drowned myself in, now dragged me down into the depths of the sea.
And the one who did this to me, was the very person I loved the most.
My tears had long since dried up. All I felt was an overwhelming exhaustion.
And, anger.
James knew how much my late grandmother meant to me, as well as how much I cherished that bracelet.
And yet, he gave it to Lena.
But no matter what, I would take it back.
Anything that belonged to me, as long as I did not let go, Lena would never be able to have.
...
I barely slept at night.
The next morning, dark circles were clearly visible.
Just as expected.
Wearily, I requested a day off work.
"James didn’t come to the company today either.”
“You sweet couple, where did the two of you go on a date this time?”, the head of human resources joked.
“No, I just have some personal matters to deal with”, I replied coldly.
After a passionate night with Lena, the two of them were probably still wrapped up in each other.
By evening, a friend told me that Lena would attend a dinner party with James.
I decided to go immediately.
Put on a white evening gown, I applied heavier makeup to conceal the pallor on my face.
I drove to the luxury hotel where the dinner party was held.
It wasn’t hard to find Lena.
She was sitting with a group of other women, chatting cheerfully, blending in perfectly.
My gaze fell on the bracelet on her wrist. A sense of disgust flicked.
“Give the bracelet back.”
Those were the first words I spoke upon arriving.
Everyone instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned toward me.
Perhaps my words caught Lena off guard. She looked up at me, and when she recognized who I was, the surprise in her eyes shifted into mockery.
“Which bracelet?”, she asked deliberately, the corner of her lips curling into a provocative smile.
I had no intention of arguing or playing along, just replied flatly.
“The jade bracelet on your wrist.”
“It’s a keepsake my grandmother left to me.”
“You have no right to wear it.”
My hands clenched tightly as I struggled to stay calm. Otherwise, I feared I might snatch it away on the spot.
It was unbearable.
Just the thought of my grandmother’s keepsake being worn on Lena’s wrist made me feel sick.
Lena let out a cold laugh and deliberately raised her wrist.
“This one?”
“Are you illiterate? I texted you yesterday that James gave this to me."
"So, that means it's mine. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
Lena deliberately glanced around.
Mocking laughter immediately erupted.
“If James gave it to Lena, then it’s hers. What right do you have to come here and say it to her?”
"It's just a worn-out bracelet. Why so serious?"
“Don’t tell me you’re just jealous because you’re poor and have never seen anything valuable, so you came here to make a scene?”
The barrage of harsh mockery made my scalp go numb. The smug curve of Lena’s lips only deepened, fueling my anger further.
The angrier I felt, the calmer I became.
I swept my gaze around and spoke coldly.
"Why are you guys defending a mistress like Lena? Don’t tell me it’s because you see yourselves in her?”
Silence.
Faces flushed red, then pale, like a chaotic palette of colors. Yet every gaze fixed on me with undisguised resentment.
But I didn’t care, I just coldly shifted my eyes toward Lena.
“Lena, that bracelet belongs to me. So James had no right to give it to you.”
“I’ll say this one last time, give it back to me.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame me for calling the police”, I emphasized each word with an icy voice.
“This is a natural jade bracelet, custom-carved at my grandmother’s request.”
“The market value of this jade bracelet exceeds six hundred thousand dollars.”
“If I report it as stolen, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Lena’s expression changed instantly because she knew I meant every word, and I would do exactly as I said.
She bit her lip in anger, yet didn’t dare provoke me any further.
Reluctantly, Lena removed the bracelet.
I finally let out a breath of relief, and reached out to take it. But the moment it came off, a flash of malice lit up in Lena’s eyes.
She suddenly hurled it hard into the swimming pool beside us.
Splash.
Water burst upward. The bracelet sank instantly, disappearing into the depths.
My face turned deathly pale at once, and my heart skipped a beat.
How dare she?
