I gently moved my hand, causing the silver ring to slip off. It then landed with a soft clink. After that, it quickly spun on the floor, revealing the engraved words inside.
‘C&G’
In silence, I finally remembered that awful wedding.
No friends, no family, no wedding dress. Just a ten-dollar veil from a factory outlet and a ring that wasn’t even mine. In fact, Clayton never looked me in the eye during the vows.
Even in the few times we were intimate, he insisted the lights be off.
Every visit after marriage came with a reason, either for the children or for money.
“I’m short on cash lately. I’ll sell a few things and get by.”
Clayton believed it, picking up the fallen ring again.
This time, he placed it in the glove compartment.
“These are your things. You decide.”
Money didn’t seem to matter to him anymore. He stayed a moment longer, then hurried off. Meanwhile, I kept packing.
My parents’ belongings filled twenty suitcases. My own filled barely half. I thought for a moment, then threw most of it away, slipping just one photo into my chest pocket.
As I stepped outside, two bodyguards grabbed me and pulled me into a car.
“Miss Moran, Mr. Barnett wants to see you.”
At the hospital entrance, Clayton stood with a serious face.
“You can cancel my card, but why would you stop Regina’s extracurriculars? Her heart condition came back after she got kicked out.”
“Come apologize to her and promise to pay for her classes again.”
I stepped back, voice firm.
“No. I’ll spend my money on who I choose, not someone trying to take my place.”
Clayton’s brows furrowed. He grabbed my arm, trying to pull me into the hospital. In the struggle, the family photo I had protected for years slipped from my pocket.
I lunged to pick it up, but a pair of polished leather shoes stomped on it first. They were the shoes I had picked out for Clayton after weeks of searching, custom-made by a master shoemaker. The moment the photo was crushed into the muddy ground, something inside me snapped.
In my mind, the young and ambitious Clayton, the older Clayton, the businessman, the gentle husband, all of them, shattered at once.
Then, I heard his cold, disappointed voice.
“Hazel, you’ve lost children and family before. How can you not understand Gloria’s love for her daughter?”
“If that’s how you feel, then kneel here and remember what loss feels like.”
He left two bodyguards behind to force me to kneel. I didn’t look at him. With shaking hands, I picked up the rain-soaked photo. The sky poured rain mixed with hail, slicing my skin and drawing blood.
In the hospital’s high-rise window, I saw the reflection of Clayton and Gloria kissing tenderly. As I lost consciousness, I used my last ounce of strength to block all contact with Clayton, erasing whatever feelings I had left.
In the hospital room, Gloria played on her phone. When she saw Clayton, she quickly hid it.
He hesitated, then asked, “Does Hazel know something? What if she runs away? What happens to Regina’s heart then?”
“I’ll take her on the Petra Island trip tomorrow, try to calm her down…”
Gloria’s eyes welled with tears, her voice soft with fake sorrow.
“Okay. If it’s for Regina, I’m willing to share you with another woman…”
Her ‘sacrifice’ stirred something in Clayton. His face darkened as he hardened his tone.
“Don’t cry. I’ll take you, too. I planned to have her apologize to you anyway.”
He took out his phone and typed a message.
[Hazel, meet me at the dock tomorrow at 8 a.m.]
***
Inside the speeding car, a butler in a tailored suit handed me a thermos.
“Miss Moran, please drink this herbal tea to warm up.”
I trembled under the towel. The heat helped melt the cold that had settled deep inside. The butler smiled kindly.
“Get some rest, Miss. You’ll be on your island when you wake.”
“Your credit card has been frozen. Both estates have been handed over to the real estate agent. Just wait for the sale.”
I nodded, took out my SIM card and flung it out the window.
It disappeared into the wind, just like my fake marriage.
Goodbye, Clayton. I hoped to never see you again.
