09
When I first landed this job, Hayley wasn’t pleased at all.
Despite pulling strings, I had only managed to secure a position as a receptionist, which felt disappointing
But I could accept it.
I knew my work history had a tamished past, and I would never be able to return to the finance field I loved. For now, having a stable job to make ends meet was enough. I could only take things one step at a time. Ayden didn’t know what to say. He leaned against the door, and his expression was surprisingly pleading. “Patricia, I promise I won’t see Laverne again. Once our family pays her back, that will be the end of it between us.
From now on, her business has nothing to do with me. Can we just live our lives well together?
I’ve already talked it over with Laverne. She may have been inconsiderate before and caused you trouble, even deceiving us for vanity, but she had her reasons. She’s just a recent graduate, alone in the world, looking for some security. You don’t have to divorce me.”
Ayden rambled on, his eyes beginning to glisten with tears.
I thought this was probably the first time in all the time we’d known each other that he’d humbled himself before me. When I remained silent, Ayden seemed to see a glimmer of hope and grew even more animated, reminiscing about our
shared past.
“Do you remember? You made chocolate for me once, saying it was for your one true love.”
“Yeah, but you were too busy texting Laverne to even look at it.”
Ayden continued, “I’ve booked a table at a rooftop restaurant. Tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary. How about we go. for a candlelight dinner? I have a surprise for you.”
I paused for a moment.
I hadn’t expected Ayden to bring up our anniversary.
After all, he had never celebrated any milestones with me.
He claimed such things were just for the rich and I didn’t deserve them.
So, I had settled into a monotonous life at home, never imagining that my concessions would lead to this outcome.
I didn’t want to hear any more from Ayden.
Ignoring his leg blocking the door, I slammed it shut.
He let out a cry as I trapped him outside.
I called the property management to have Ayden removed and made sure he wouldn’t be allowed back in.
The next day, I contacted my lawyer and decided to proceed with the divorce legally.
When I met with my lawyer at the café, they brought me some shocking news.
After Ayden helped Laverne pay that one million dollars in compensation, he had decided to sever ties with her.
That night, Laverne committed suicide at home by slitting her wrists.
When Ayden found out, he rushed over but ended up in a car accident while taking Laverne to the hospital.
She died on the spot.
Ayden fractured both legs and had just undergone surgery.
When Serena and Fernando arrived, they were furious about the compensation money and stubbornly refused to claim Laverne’s body.
Laverne’s remains were still lying in the morgue.
Her classmates abroad revealed that during her studies, Laverne had a chaotic sex life, surrounded by various boys. She
changed boyfriends every few days.
Ayden was just one of her many flings.
She had meticulously planned the car crash and forged medical documents, but in the end, she truly experienced a fatal
accident.
On the day Ayden was discharged from the hospital, our divorce application was approved by the court.
He sent me a lengthy apology message.
In the text, he confessed to his neglect and coldness towards me over the past three years, regretting that he had been deceived by Laverne’s façade.
He said he had been foolish to let someone as good as me slip away.
He even thought I might still want to be with him.
I didn’t respond and blocked all his contact information.
One summer afternoon, while tidying up my house, I unexpectedly found a small red velvet box in the corner of my closet.
When I opened it, I discovered the diamond necklace my mother had left me quietly resting inside.
That was when I remembered. The necklace was so precious, so I wore a fake one to gatherings.
Over time, I had even forgotten that one was a fake.
In other words, the glass bead necklace Laverne had retrieved after staging the accident was indeed the one Ayden had taken from my drawer.
But that no longer mattered.
Clutching the diamond necklace tightly, I felt my previously calm heart was once again stirred.
Perhaps this was a fated connection, after all.
The End
