“Snake? You think I wanted you to take me
in? I wondered what you’d do when you found
out! And this is great to watch!”
Alex finally snapped.
“Enough! They did so much for you. Don’t you
have a heart?”
く
“Heart?” Jenny laughed.
“You want to talk about heart? Did you forget
you forced Riley to donate her liver to me?”
Alex turned white and looked at me.
Jenny didn’t stop.
“Tell you what, I did not even need the liver.
The doctors were on my side, they made sure
you gave me the liver. And I threw it away.
HAHAHAHAHA.”
She laughed like a knife cutting us all.
Alex turned even paler and tried to charge
her.
<
“You Bitch!”
The guards stopped him.
Jenny wiped her eyes and looked at me.
“Riley, I lost this time. But If I could be reborn
I hope to get you next time.”
I stared at her and left.
She wanted to tell me all that.
I lost my life with her once.
After that, my parents closed themselves off
and stopped going to work.
Our family started falling apart.
At the same time, Sam was having trouble.
He had sent out wedding invitations.
Now, his family was losing money.
People were calling it off, not investing in his
family business.
His family was broken.
Sam was desperate to fix things.
I was at the airport, waiting for my flight.
The sun was shining, and I was drinking
coffee.
Then, I saw shiny black shoes.
く
I looked up and saw Alex, looking guilty.
“Riley, are you really leaving?”
I nodded.
He looked sad.
He handed me a folder.
“This is from Mom, Dad, and me.”
I took it, glanced at it, and handed it back.
I got over it eventually, escaping home with
the trauma it had put me through.
I looked at him.
く
“I don’t want it. I don’t need your money, and I
don’t need your guilt. I just want you to leave
me alone.”
Alex turned white.
“Riley, I’m sorry. Can’t you give me another
chance? We’re family!”
I stared at him.
“Alex, some things can’t be fixed. You
messed everything up, every time you chose,
and it broke us. It shattered us.”
The flight was boarding.
I stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and said, “I
have to go.”
<
ļ
Alex stayed where he was.
“Riley, are you really going? Can’t we fix
this?”
I turned back.
“Don’t tell Sam where I went. From now on, I
don’t want anything to do with you.”
He nodded.
“Okay. I promise.”
I left.
Alex faded away.
Five years later I had a restaurant in a small
town.
I was happy, and all the bad stuff felt like a
dream.
It was my birthday, and my husband and son
made dinner.
I sat outside, enjoying the sun.
Then, I heard something fall.
I looked down and saw a pearl hairpin.
It was worn, and the pearl was faded.
Someone had been holding it for a long time.
It was the one I’d dropped on the rocks.
L
I felt weird.
Then, I saw someone I knew disappear around
the corner.
I looked, but no one was there.
“Mom, dinner’s ready!”
I smiled.
I threw the hairpin in the trash and went
inside.
All the pain was gone.
I had a good life.
