A slow heat rose in my chest, burning with unspoken fury. My voice turned sharp.
"If you like it so much, buy one yourself. It’s not as if it’s a one-of-a-kind piece."
Without waiting for a response, I reached out to take it back.
Sensing my intent, Ava swiftly pulled her arm away, her lips curling into a sneer.
"At your age, this bracelet would only make you look old-fashioned..."
A sharp sound cut through the room.
The bracelet struck the door lock, shattering into several pieces. The crisp, metallic echo rang out as the fragments scattered across the floor.
The noise was loud enough to draw Hugo and Jasper over.
Hugo’s face drained of color the moment his gaze landed on the shattered bracelet. Without so much as a question, his voice lashed out coldly. “Mom gave you this heirloom as a symbol of trust, and yet you couldn’t even take care of it?”
Jasper folded his arms, his tone laced with disapproval. “Mom, you don’t even work, and now you’ve smashed a bracelet worth tens of thousands? At this rate, you’re going to ruin our family.”
He was only five, yet the way he looked at me, filled with nothing but contempt, was like a knife twisting in my chest.
Not a single inquiry. No hesitation. Father and son had already passed judgment, pinning the blame on me without a second thought. My heart sank beneath the weight of disappointment, a feeling I had grown far too accustomed to.
I let out a slow breath, my voice turning ice-cold. “There were two people in this room. What makes you so sure I was the one who broke it? She stole my bracelet and refused to return it. When I tried to take it back, she shattered it. She should be the one compensating me.”
Just as the last word left my lips, Ava’s eyes welled up with tears.
“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Audrey’s bracelet was just so beautiful; I couldn’t help but admire it. I only tried it on because I couldn’t resist…”
Her tears slipped down like pearls rolling off a broken string, her delicate face painted with remorse.
The moment Hugo saw Ava’s pitiful expression, his entire demeanor shifted. The harshness from earlier vanished as if it had never existed.
With a tenderness I had never once received, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently handed it to her. His voice, now warm and soothing, carried none of the sharpness he had used on me.
“Don’t say that. You deserve everything beautiful in this world.”
Jasper, too, lost his earlier arrogance. He eagerly leaned closer to Ava, his eyes brimming with admiration.
“Aunt Ava, you’re way too kind. It’s just a bracelet. If you like it, my dad can buy you another one.”
Ava’s tears shimmered under the soft glow of their affection. With such gentle reassurance, she finally let a smile break through the sorrow on her face.
She sniffled, her voice trembling. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay it back. I may not be able to afford it now, but if you don’t mind, I can pay in installments.”
Hugo dismissed her words with a chuckle, his tone indulgent. “Don’t say such distant things. Jasper just learned how to make your favorite braised pork. Come try it.”
Father and son encircled Ava like devoted knights escorting their princess, leading her toward the dining room without so much as a glance in my direction.
I stood frozen, watching my husband and son shower another woman with the warmth I had long since been deprived of.
My heart, already numbed by their indifference, felt as if it had been sealed in ice for a thousand years. Any lingering attachment I had to this place shattered into dust.
I glanced at the clock on the wall. Four in the afternoon.
At this hour on any other day, I would have been out buying groceries.
Hugo loved beef, so every day, without fail, I bought a pound of beef shank, slow-cooked it until tender, sliced it with precision, and arranged it neatly on a delicate porcelain plate.
Jasper had a taste for sweet and sour dishes, sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour ribs, and squirrel fish; he loved them all.
He despised green onions, ginger, and garlic, so before serving his meals, I meticulously picked out every trace of them.
Father and son were both impossibly particular about their food. To prepare a single meal, I spent over two hours standing in the kitchen, ensuring everything was just right.
But now, I was leaving.
No longer would I exhaust myself catering to their every whim.
For the next two days, I had only one goal: learning how to please myself.
