Chapter 7
“All you want is money, right? Well, I’ve got money now. I can have more than that
bastard!”
The irony was almost laughable.
“When you told me to get an abortion alone and took that girl on a trip–what did those nine years mean to you?”
Gerard froze, unable to say a word.
Gwyneth opened her mouth to speak, but I slapped her hard across the face before she could.
“Is there anyone more shameless than you?” I said, my voice ice cold.
Her face turned pale, her tears falling freely,
Chapter 7
and Gerard instinctively let go of my hand.
“Yvaine, she’s just like a sister to me…” he mumbled, his voice growing weaker with each word.
And I couldn’t bear to look at him anymore.
Thank goodness I heard Glenn call my name from a distance.
I smiled and walked toward him.
“You know him?” he asked.
“You do too?” I asked back.
“No, I just know he’s the Morgenthals‘ long–lost son. They brought him back a few days ago,” he explained.
The wedding was only a few days away, and I still had some shopping to do.
Glenn, despite his busy schedule, insisted on
Chapter 7
coming with me.
We didn’t know each other well, so I couldn’t really tell him what to do, and I ended up agreeing.
As we passed a custom jewelry shop, a clerk eagerly pulled me inside. Her enthusiasm was hard to turn down. Besides, the shop was warm and romantic.
I walked past the glass displays until one ring caught my eye.
Before Glenn could make a move to buy it, I stopped him.
My mood suddenly soured, and I turned to leave.
But a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Babe!”
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The clerks around us began to cheer, and I turned to see Gerard holding the ring I had just been looking at.
He looked nervous, almost unsure of himself.
“Do you remember this ring?” he asked.
How could I not?
We’d been together for three years. In the first year, he had designed a ring for me–a simple sapphire piece with initials engraved inside. It wasn‘ t extravagant, but it had been enough to make my heart race.
But for one reason or another, it was never made.
Now, he was walking toward me, reaching for my hand.
The clerks next to him were even louder now.
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Everyone, except Glenn, was chanting for us to “get back together.”
I couldn’t take the noise. I shoved him away, and the ring went flying, landing perfectly in the trash can.
That made the room silent.
“Mr. Morgenthal, show some self–respect,” I said coldly.
Gerard flinched, his expression crumbling.
“Babe, isn’t this what you wanted? We can get married right now. We can be together forever!”
But he was far, far too late.
If he proposed before–before I caught him in bed with Gwyneth, before I lost our third baby–I would’ve cried tears of joy and taken
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the ring I had waited years for.
Gerard looked like he’d just woken up from a bad dream.
“You don’t like this one anymore? That‘ s fine. I can design it again. You can have as many as you want.” He added, “I get it— you‘ re jealous of Gwyneth, but don’t worry, she‘ s…”
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“Gerard,” I cut him off. “There’s nothing left for us anymore.”
I reached for Glenn‘ s hand, and he took it
without hesitation.
Gerard tried to stop me, but I brushed past him.
Behind us, the noise picked up again.
I didn’t look back, but I could hear him
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frantically digging through the trash for the
ring.
What I didn’t expect was for Gwyneth to try to force her way inside my place.
The servants stopped her at the door.
Her face was pale, her once–fake fragility now real. She looked genuinely desperate.
“Yvaine, please, don‘ t let Gerard leave me!” she begged.
I glanced at my phone. I had 10 minutes before I had to leave for an appointment.
“He has nothing to do with me anymore,” I said simply.
That seemed to hit a nerve.
Her calm shattered as she started thrashing, her eyes wild with fury.
