“Are you alright, young lady?”
The brooch shaped like a heart on her chest shone so bright it almost stung my eyes, matching perfectly with the key-shaped cufflinks on the man’s sleeve.
Like someone who had lost control, I grabbed that brooch and dragged it across the painting on the wall.
The sound of tearing canvas spread through the entire hall, and people around let out shocked gasps.
Everything turned chaotic at once, and the guards shoved me down to the ground.
My cheek pressed against the cold floor, and the man, holding the sobbing woman, met my eyes.
It was the look one gives to a rat crawling out of the gutter.
“Call the police,” he said.
I started laughing, louder and louder, so loud that everyone nearby backed away.
Because the damage amount went over ten thousand dollars, I was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay for property loss and emotional distress.
During my time there, I tried to take my own life several times, yet somehow I was always rescued by chance.
Later, for good behavior, I, Paisley, was released early, completely broke.
But I had already made up my mind.
When the car stopped at the destination, Leah went to the restroom to fix her makeup.
Standing beside me, Evren spoke in a low voice, apologizing.
“I’m sorry.”
“What happened back then was our fault. I’ll tell Leah to be more careful next time.”
I lifted an eyebrow. The Evren I knew before would never have lowered his pride to me.
Now he was the one choosing to apologize first.
Puzzled, I looked at him.
“No need. You’re husband and wife. Seeing you two just reminded me of the past, that’s all.”
A brief sadness appeared in his eyes. I couldn’t make sense of it, nor did I want to.
Luckily, Leah returned. She seemed to have completely brushed off everything that had happened in the car.
“We three used to love pitching in for barbecue. Let’s eat until we can’t anymore today.”
Evren didn’t quite agree.
“Back then, Paisley only ate barbecue because of us. Her stomach’s sensitive, she can’t handle too much spice. How could you forget that?”
“It’s okay. My stomach’s fine now.”
Years of proper care had already brought both my body and mind back to their best condition.
My phone suddenly rang.
On the screen, the large words “Husband” showed.
I answered.
The man’s clear, pleasant voice came with a playful complaint.
“Wife, taking that little rascal on TV tired me out more than working ten straight days. When you see me later, you’ll definitely say I’ve lost weight.”
From the background came a young boy’s soft, childish voice complaining, “No way! Mommy, Daddy got hit on by an auntie today, and they talked so happily…”
“You brat, setting me up for your Dad again! That was the host!”
Listening to their noisy chatter on the other end, I couldn’t stop smiling.
When I lifted my head, the big screen in the mall showed the man’s handsome face as he spoke seriously during an interview.
Beside him, a round, pink-cheeked child turned his head curiously, his wide eyes shining with innocence, looking almost too cute to be real.
After a bit more talking, I ended the call and snapped a picture of the screen.
Right as I sent it over, I noticed the two people beside me had frozen completely.
“Paisley, you’re married?”
