Chapter2
I stayed in the hospital for a week, but Xavier never visited.]]
Instead, I saw Chloe and him flaunting their relationship on social media every day.
“Xavier is so sweet. He made me a heart–shaped lunch again!”
“I just got a little scratch on my forehead, and Xavier is so worried. He’s the best.”
At first, I checked every day to see what new ways they would show off.[]
But the more I saw, the more it hurt, so I stopped looking.
I quietly checked myself out of the hospital and took a cab home.
The house was covered in dust, proof that Xavier hadn’t been home all week.]
I didn’t have the energy to clean up, so I just threw a sheet over the couch and lay down.
On the way home, I bought a new phone and got a replacement SIM card.
My previous phone had fallen off the cliff, and I didn’t think I’d ever get it back.[]
As soon as I inserted the new SIM card, Xavier’s call came through, his voice angry and demanding.
“Ariella, what the hell are you doing? I’ve called you a thousand times, and you didn’t answer!”
Xavier had a quick temper, exploding at the slightest inconvenience.
I had endured his outbursts for eight years, and I couldn’t count how many times I had been hurt.
In the past, whenever he got angry, I would panic and try everything to appease him.
But this time, I felt a strange calm.
Maybe this was what they meant by “nothing hurts more than a dead heart.“]
“My previous phone fell off the cliff. I just got a new one today.“]
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
Maybe he was surprised by how calm I was. I asked him again, “What do you want?“]
Xavier’s voice was full of surprise and discomfort.
“You checked out without telling me, and I went to the hospital for nothing.“[
“I bought you a limited–edition diamond necklace before. Where did you put it? Chloe wants to wear it to the jewelry show tomorrow. I’m going with her.”
My heart clenched.
That necklace was a token of our relationship when we first got together.
It didn’t cost much eight years ago, but now it was worth a lot since it was a one–of–a–kind piece by a famous designer.
But to me,
it was priceless.
It symbolized my unique love for Xavier.
It was my whole youth and my dreams.
But now, with just a few words, he wanted to give it to another woman.
