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585words
Instinctively,I yanked my hand back.
"No way—this can't happen!"
She missed,furious.
"No?How stingy!Ryan,look at this girl—what can I expect from her next time?"
Ryan pulled me aside,hissing,"It's just a bracelet.How much could it cost—a few grand?Mom wants it—why not give it to her?Three years of us together,and that's worth less than jewelry to you?"
The last bit of hope for him shattered completely inside me.
Why was he guilt-tripping me when his mom was the one who was wrong?
I had told him multiple times over three years:this bracelet was my mom's heirloom and to me it held deep meanings and precious memories.
"Since my mom died,I've worn it for ten years.And you want me to give it to your mom?Ryan,are you nuts?"
I choked,nearly crying,then turned to Linda,pointing at my wrist.
"I've worn this since I was a kid.It's too tight now—only a professional could remove it."
She ignored me,lunging,pinning my wrist to the wall,yanking hard.
"Can't take it off?You think I'll buy that nonsense?"
"Your mom's dead.Once you marry my son,I'm your new mom.What's wrong with giving it to me now?"
In the struggle,she scraped my hand against the wall.
The bracelet cracked,shattering.
Memories of my mom gone with it.
But she kept pulling.
My wrist was cut open,jade shards slicing deep into my flesh,blood pouring oujt.
I screamed in pain.
She stopped,guilty but still talking tough.
"Don't blame me—I didn't mean it!If you'd handed it over,this wouldn't have happened.You deserved it!"
She sounded like a bratty kid,not a woman in her sixties.
I shoved her away,sobbing,gathering the broken pieces.
But she dove in,snatching them away.
Ryan,worried she'd cut herself,tried to stop her.
She snapped,"Broken jade's bad luck.But look at her, she's so attached to it—it must be valuable!"
She clawed and grabbed like a rabid dog fighting for scraps,even spitting on the shards when she couldn't keep up,the stench unbearable.
I cursed,"Are you insane?Don't ruin the only thing my mom left me!"
She smirked."Ruin?It's just spit—wash it off.You city folks are always making a fuss over nothing!Your blood's already on it—my spit's probably cleaner!"
She spat again and again.
I nearly slapped her,desperate to stop her madness.
Ryan and Tom pulled us apart.
Linda clutched the pieces stolen and snatched from me,shrieking for me to leave.
Tom yelled,"You can go,but you can’t take away the gifts you’ve already given up!"clutching the whiskey.
I sneered,wrapping the largest jade piece in my sleeve,and left.
Outside,I called my dad to send our driver here to pick me up.
At I was about to leave the village,Ryan caught up.
"Was that really necessary?Mom didn't mean to break it—she was just excited because she liked it.Why couldn't you just give it to her?"
I shot back,"If she liked it,why didn't you buy her one?"
He waved dismissively."You're rich.Mom's right—you deserved it.If you weren't so cheap,this wouldn't have happened in the first place."
Fine.Nothing reasonable could ever come out of the mouth of a filthy monster.
"You're right—it's my fault."
I slapped him twice,hard.
No one stopped me.
Tiny shards of jade dust flew into his mouth.
He clutched his face,stunned.
"What?"
"You're actually wanting more?"
I got in the car,slamming the door behind me."I'm done wasting words on you—you're not worth it!"
Villagers around us gawked,thrilled at his humiliation.
Why?
The driver pointed to the rearview mirror.
Ryan glared after us,venom in his eyes.
"He doesn't seem ready to let this go,"the driver said.
I smirked."Good.I'm not letting his family getting away either."
