chapter 5
His words cut deep. My hands trembled.
I took a deep breath. “Do you think you’re some kind of saint? Still playing that sickening big-brother act? Don’t you find it disgusting?”
Then I poured the entire glass of wine over Daniel’s head.
“You said I was petty? Fine. Today, I’ll show you what true pettiness looks like.”
Daniel wiped his face, stunned. I grabbed Ashley and ripped the pendant from her neck.
“If I’m not mistaken, this pendant was mine—the one I got for you. You almost died in that car accident years ago, and I prayed for days to get this for you. Then you told me you lost it. Turns out you gave it to Ashley. Is this how you trample on my sincerity?”
My voice cracked. All the grievances of the past few days poured out of me.
Everyone was silent. Daniel’s anger faded to panic. “Chloe, it’s not what you think. Ashley had a heart attack. I was afraid she wouldn’t make it, so I gave it to her.”
“Enough,” I snapped.
Painful memories surged back—every time Ashley came between us.
On my birthday, one call from Ashley pulled him away. During our vacation, she claimed her heart hurt, and he left me to fly to her side. When my mother passed away, he stayed with Ashley at the hospital instead.
“She’s already gone,” he’d said. “What good would it do if I went there? But Ashley only has me.”
That was the moment I realized it had always been her, not me.
I picked up the pendant, tracing its surface, then threw it to the ground. Daniel tried to grab it, but too late—the jade shattered instantly.
Just like our relationship.
I wiped my tears and smiled brightly. “Everyone, Daniel’s and my wedding is canceled. From now on, we’re done. Separate paths, no looking back.”
The room exhaled with me. Chairs scraped. Someone coughed. A waiter froze mid-step with a tray of sparkling water. The band that Ashley had insisted on—two guitars and a cajón for “warm vibes”—stopped tapping entirely. Daniel’s hair dripped wine into his collar. Ashley clutched her throat, eyes round, as if the pendant had been the last string keeping her heart from falling out of her chest.