<
“Let me guess,” she said with a smug grin. “You’re just using that as an excuse to worm your way back into Isaac’s life, aren’t you?”
She covered her mouth, pretending to stifle a laugh. “Did you know that the moment you moved out, he couldn’t wait to have me move in? If it weren’t for you, I’d have been Mrs. Carter a long time ago.”
As she spoke, she held up her hand, showing off a ring that sparkled far too brightly.
The same ring Isaac had used to propose to me.
“Some people,” she sneered, “are only good enough for cheap knockoffs. Pathetic, isn’t it?”
I clenched my teeth, my nails digging into my palms. Without thinking, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.
“You are not in any position to mock me!”
At this point, I had nothing left to lose. If she wanted a fight, I was ready to give her one.
Lola let out a sharp scream, clutching her cheek in disbelief. “You hit me?! Do you have any idea what Isaac will do to you when he finds out?”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something hilarious, her expression twisted into something malicious.
“Oh wait,” she said, her voice dripping with mockery. “Didn’t you say your mom’s dead now? Good riddance. Too bad you didn’t die with her.”
That was it.
I snapped. Grabbing her perfectly styled hair, I yanked her forward and slammed her head against the wall.
Her shrieks were ear–piercing, but I didn’t care.
“What the hell are you doing, Mia?!” Isaac’s voice roared through the room as he stormed in, grabbing my arm and shoving me to the ground.
He immediately knelt down to cradle Lola, whispering softly to her as if she were made of glass. His face was full of tenderness, but when he turned to me, his eyes were filled with disgust.
“Mia, I’ve been way too patient with you!” he shouted.
Lola, ever the actress, sobbed quietly into his chest. “Isaac, it’s my fault. I upset her… I deserved to be hit. Don’t blame her anymore, okay? I’ll just leave so she won’t be mad anymore.”
Her performance was Oscar–worthy. Even I wanted to applaud her dedication.
Isaac, of course, fell for it.
“From now on,” he snarled at me, “you’re not getting another dime from me. Let’s see how you like watching your mom rot in the hospital without my money.”
I laughed bitterly, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through my leg. Blood was already seeping through the bandages, staining my jeans.
Isaac noticed, pausing for a moment. “What’s wrong with your leg?” he asked, his voice softer for a second.
“None of your business,” I spat, swatting away the hand he reached out.
Without another word, I limped toward the bedroom, grabbed the necklace, and headed back out.
But before I could leave, Isaac snatched it from my hand.
“Give it back!” I demanded, trying to grab it, but he held it out of reach.
“Everything you have–your clothes, your jewelry, even your mom’s hospital bills–was paid for with my money. If you’re so high and mighty, why don’t you take off everything I’ve ever given you and walk out naked?”
“You bastard!” I snapped, biting down on my trembling lip to keep the tears at bay.
3:08 PM
<
Isaac just smirked. “Go ahead. Strip. Do it, and I’ll let you leave.”
I stared at him, his mocking smile twisting the knife deeper into my chest.
Fine.
If this was what he wanted, I’d give
it to him.
I started with my jacket, then my shirt. Soon, I was standing there in just a tank top.
As I reached for the hem of it, Isaac suddenly shouted, “Enough!”
“Have you lost all self–respect, Mia?”
He threw my clothes and the necklace at me, the chain hitting
me square in the face.
“Fine. Get out. But don’t you ever come crawling back to me, begging for help.”
With that, he wrapped his arm around Lola and walked away, not even bothering
to
look back.
7
I stood there, clutching my clothes and the necklace, watching his retreating figure.
What was he so angry about?
This was what he wanted, wasn’t it?
To see me humiliated. To see me crushed under the weight of everything I’d lost. To see me as nothing more than a broken shell of the person
I used to be.
He should’ve been happy.
Shouldn’t he?
The little money I had left was just enough to rent a tiny studio apartment.
Sitting on a second–hand futon, I nibbled on a piece of stale bread while sending out resumes on a job site.
Then, my phone rang.
“Hello, is this Mia Adams?”
E
“This is to inform you that your mother purchased an insurance policy in your name. After her passing, you are entitled to a lump sum payout of $1.2 million.”
For a moment, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
I used that money to pay back every cent I owed Isaac, transferring it all to his account in one go. Then, I deactivated my phone number.
I never wanted to hear from him again–for the rest of my life.
I just couldn’t afford to lose anymore.
At some point, you have to move on, don’t you?
On my way back from a job interview, I unexpectedly ran into Logan–the man who had hit me with his car.
“Why did you check yourself out of the hospital early?” he asked, his tone tinged with frustration. His eyes scanned me briefly, landing on my leg, as if to make sure it was healing properly.
I gave him a polite smile. “It’s nothing serious anymore. Besides, it was my fault for not paying attention that day.”
But Logan refused to let it go.
3:08 PM
“Let me make it up to you. At least let me take you out for dinner.”
I tried to decline, but he was so insistent that I eventually gave in. He brought me to a French restaurant, the kind of place I’d only ever seen in magazines.
We’d just ordered when Logan got up, apologizing that he had to step away to take care of something.
Left alone at the table, I decided to use the restroom.
And that’s when I heard her voice–the one I never wanted to hear again.
“Mia? What, are you stalking us now?”
Turning around, I saw Lola clinging to Isaac’s arm. Her expression was smug, exuding a kind of triumph that made my stomach turn.
What was laughable was that Isaac actually looked like he believed her acc
He looked down at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
“I told you,” he said coldly, his voice dripping with condescension, “even if you begged
등
me on your knees, I’d never forgive you.”
“We’re even now, aren’t we?” I shot back.
Something about those words must’ve hit a nerve, because his face twisted with rage.
“Even?” he spat, his voice rising. “Mià, let me tell you something–you’ll never pay back everything you owe me, not in this lifetime!”
“Crazy…” I murmured under my breath, staring at him like he was a stranger.
Lola, not one to miss her chance, leaned into Isaac and smirked.
“By the way, Mia, she said in a mocking tone, “how’d you even get in here? This
Don’t tell me you snuck in.”
I glared at her but refused to stoop to her level by engaging.
“Move,” I said firmly. “Otherwise, I’ll call the staff.”
Lola laughed like I’d just told the funniest joke in the world.
“Oh, please do. I’d love to see who they throw out–you or us!”
Taking her up on her challenge, I waved over a server.
requires a membership to make a reservation.
After listening to both sides, the server hesitated awkwardly before saying, “I’ll need to see membership credentials from both parties.”
And that’s when I froze.
Logan had made the reservation, not me. I didn’t have any credentials to show.
Lola’s smirk widened as she noticed my hesitation.
“Go ahead, throw her out,” she said to the server, her voice dripping with entitlement. “We pay a fortune every year for our membership, and you’re just letting random nobodies waltz in here? Do your job!”
Isaac stepped forward; his eyes fixed on me.
“Mia,” he said, his tone softening just enough to make my skin crawl. “If you beg me, I might consider forgiving you.”
I stared at him, the man I had once loved so deeply it hurt, and now couldn’t stand the sight of.
“Keep dreaming,” I said coldly, barely able to suppress the wave of disgust rising in my chest.
I turned on my heel, ready to leave, when another server came rushing over.
3:08 PM
<
“Ms. Adams,” he said, slightly out of breath, “our boss asked me to come find you. He was worried you might have trouble finding your way
back and sent me to escort you.”
