Olivia had thrown the pendant away that morning. There was a chance it hadn’t been collected yet. Ethan drove me to the landfill, speeding recklessly. He helped me search, a man who valued cleanliness now covered in grime, sifting through the refuse. We searched from dusk till dawn, finding nothing. As the sun rose, despair washed over me. The golden light stung my eyes. I bit my lip, fighting back the tears. An elderly couple who worked at the landfill, taking pity on me, joined the search. Just as I was about to give up, the woman called out, “Dear, is this it?” I scrambled
towards her, the world tilting around me. She
held a sandalwood box, containing fragments of
jade. It was my pendant, broken. I should have
been relieved. I’d found it. I tried to smile, but
tears overflowed. Mom, you said as long as I
had the pendant, you’d be with me. But it’s
broken now. Are you still here? Ethan pulled me
close. “Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I’ll have it
repaired.” I pushed him away, shaking my head.
It’s okay. Don’t bother. Ethan’s voice hardened.
“Sophia,” he said, his words tight with barely
suppressed anger, “every time you say ‘it’s
okay,‘ I want to strangle you. Is it so hard to rely on me, just once?” His phone rang. It was Olivia. He hesitated, then answered. Olivia’s voice was choked with sobs. “Ethan, I wanted to come find you, apologize to Sophia. But I got lost, and some man is following me. I’m so scared…” Ethan didn’t hesitate. He turned and left. My phone buzzed. A text message from the hospital. It was time for my appointment. On
Olivia’s birthday, I lost my mother and my
unborn child.
- 10.
As the anesthesia took hold, I drifted into a
memory. I was sixteen, having clawed my way
into an elite high school, the same one as
Olivia, Ethan, and the boy I loved. That’s when
my nightmare began. Olivia’s relentless bullying
was baffling. She and her clique stuck chewed
gum in my hair, stuffed used sanitary pads in
my backpack, tripped me in the hallways, and
dumped dirty water on my head in the
bathroom. I fought back, of course, and the
teachers knew, but they did nothing. One day, I
was doubled over with period cramps. I’d just
found some painkillers when Olivia snatched
them away, a sugary smile on her face. “Beg,”
she’d said. I gritted my teeth, waves of pain
washing over me. I was terrified I’d break, that
I’d beg. The other students placed bets on how
long I could hold out. Looking at the hundred-
dollar bills on the desk, tears welled in my eyes. Suddenly, a shadow fell over me. Someone
leaned against my desk, scooping up the
o smirk plavina on hic ling “Not had “!
<
0900
944
money, a smirk playing on his lips. “Not bad,” he’d said, pocketing the cash. “Consider this a donation to your grandpa.” No one dared
protest as he took the money. He beckoned Olivia, his smile turning cold. “Give me the pills,” he’d demanded. “This little sick chick is mine now. Anyone touches her, deals with me. Got it?” He was Ethan’s older brother, Julian, the school’s resident bad boy. I hadn’t liked him much. But today, he was my rescuer. I figured he understood. He was always getting into fights, coming home bruised and battered, only to be met with scoldings and punishments, never questions. Only my mother had cared enough to tend his wounds. He was returning the favor. From that day on, this little sick chick had a fiercely loyal protector. … I woke to Sarah holding my hand, her face streaked with tears. “Why are you crying?” I asked, groggy. She told me I’d been talking in my sleep. “The boy you loved,” she asked, her voice soft, “where did he go?” I looked out the window, at the rooftops against the sky, and closed my
<
3:11
eyes. “He…” I whispered, “he flew away with
the wind.”
944
- 11.
I disappeared for two weeks, turning off my
phone. Sarah said Ethan was frantic. My first
act upon leaving the hospital was to serve him
with divorce papers. Ethan stared at the
document on the coffee table, then looked at
my stomach, his voice flat. “Before we discuss
this, isn’t there something else we need to talk
about?” I met his gaze, a small smile playing on
my lips. “There was. Not anymore. I terminated
the pregnancy. You’re free.” Ethan’s eyes
flickered, his face paling. He looked down, a
strange laugh escaping his lips. “You
disappeared for two weeks… to do that?” “I
searched the entire country for a jade
specialist, worried sick about you, and this is
how you repay me?” He pulled me onto the
couch, pinning me beneath him, his voice laced
with fury. “Why are you doing this to me? How
could you? How could you be so cruel?” I’d
been too compliant. Everyone, including Ethan,
assumed I was hopelessly in love with him. I
looked up at him, my hand gently tracing his
features. “Ethan,” I said, my voice calm, “I never
loved you. You look so ugly when you’re angry.
You’re nothing like him.” Finding a substitute
had brought fleeting comfort. But over time, the
illusion faded. His smile wasn’t his smile, his
laughter wasn’t his laughter. Even his embrace
lacked his warmth. I was done. Ethan knew who
I meant. Tears streamed down his face, landing on my cheek. The mighty Ethan Hale, who hadn’t cried even when Olivia left, was crying for me. It was both strange and repulsive. I wiped away his tears, my voice cold. “Don’t feel wronged. Our marriage was a transaction,
wasn’t it? You used me to get back at Olivia, and I used you as a stand–in. We’re even…” He cut me off, his eyes red–rimmed, his expression like a lost puppy. “We’re not even, Sophia. Don’t you dare say that. I wasn’t happy giving Olivia that ring. I tried to love her like I used to, but all I could think about was you.” “When you
<
disappeared, I woke up in the middle of the
night, panicked.” “You made me fall in love with
you, and now you say we’re even? Screw that!”
He gripped my face, his voice a low growl. “You
want a divorce? Dream on.” Olivia, who’d been
eavesdropping, stumbled out of the bedroom,
her face pale. “Ethan,” she whispered, “what
are you saying?”
- 12.
As Ethan moved to get up, I grabbed his tie,
pulling him closer. Olivia clenched her fists. I
smiled. “Ethan,” I asked, “you knew how Olivia bullied me in high school, didn’t you? You can try to convince me to stay, but first, I want you to get back every penny you spent paying off her debts. And I want her out of this house. Now.” Olivia panicked, tears streaming down her face. “Ethan, everyone does stupid things when they’re young! Besides, you know I was just joking with Sophia! If she’s upset, I’ll apologize!” She fell to her knees, begging, “Sophia, please! Ethan’s all I have left! Please
<
don’t take him away from me! Ethan, you’ve
seen how terrifying those loan sharks are. If you leave me, if you demand your money back, they’ll…” Ethan frowned, his eyes searching mine. After a long pause, he said, “I’m sorry.” He was always like this. He claimed to love me, yet always chose Olivia. A hypocrite. I slapped him, my voice dripping with scorn. “What was all that fake affection about, then? Don’t apologize. I was just messing with you, too. Who you love is none of my business.” The hurt in Ethan’s eyes flickered, replaced by icy coldness. He pushed me away, went to Olivia, and pulled her into his arms, murmuring, “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. It was my fault, I shouldn’t have said those things. I won’t leave you, I promise.” Olivia clung to him, sobbing, her grip tight. Seeing her fear filled me with a strange satisfaction.
