A Promise He'll Never Keep

Karli's POV

I threw everything in the apartment that had anything to do with Douglas straight into the trash. The photos of us, the matching trinkets, the gifts he'd given me…

As it turned out, clearing out six years' worth of memories was remarkably easy. But the instant I threw everything out, my heart felt painfully empty.

I opened the safe. In it were a few sets of jewelry given to me by Douglas's mother, Kate Osborne. Every item was actually worth a fortune.

This was actually a symbol of the acknowledgement I had received from the elders. Yet, everything just looked so ridiculous now.

I didn't want to leave these items here, but I didn't want to keep them either.

I took the jewelry boxes with me as I headed toward Sullivan Manor. My fingerprint was still stored in the fingerprint lock system, so the door lock simply clicked open.

Initially, I wanted to leave right after dropping the items off. However, the conversation in the living room made me freeze in place.

I could hear Kate saying in a helpless voice, "Doug, be honest with me. You gave the brooch to Belle at the party. Does that mean you're planning to break up with Karli?"

Douglas fell silent for a while before answering in a firm tone, "No. I love her so much. Why would I break up with her?"

"Then why did you do that the other day? The family gathering was clearly organized for the two of you. Yet, you decided to let Belle have her way. Did you even show Karli any respect?"

I held my breath, leaning to the side outside the door that was slightly ajar.

The thing Douglas said next made my hit sink. "Mom, Karli's just was too possessiveness. She starts throwing a tantrum the moment she sees me with Belle.

"How could I possibly comply with everything she asks? I just want to teach her a bit of a lesson to get her to tame that temper of hers."

Right at this moment, through the gap in the door, Isabelle noticed me standing outside. A strong sense of spite and envy flared in her eyes.

Immediately following that, she chimed in in a grievous tone, "It was all my fault, Kate. I was thoughtless because I liked brooches. I'll apologize to Karli later. Please stop telling Dougie off…"

Kate let out a helpless sigh. "That's enough. You should quit siding with Belle all the time too. It won't do any good if you keep giving Karli the cold shoulder. Just give in for now and cheer her up a little."

Nonetheless, Douglas remained firm. "It's not about cheering her up. Belle is right. No one is allowed to push my younger sister around.

"Karli is just stubborn. Once she reflects on her own issues and comes back to me, asking for us to get back together, I will, of course, return to her."

He thought I couldn't bring myself to leave him. He was convinced that I'd be the first to give in to him, just like I always did after every fight in the last six years.

My heart went cold as I leaned against the wall.

Just then, Kate spoke again. "Karli is a wonderful woman. I'm just worried you'd break her heart and regret it in the future!

"I bumped into Clara at a jewelry exhibition yesterday. She picked out an extremely pricey set of jewelry, saying she wanted to give it to her best friend as a wedding gift. Isn't Karli her best friend?"

Instantly, silence lingered in the air for a few seconds.

All of a sudden, Douglas's tone turned icy. In a slightly mocking voice, he said, "She's just playing tricks to force my hand into marriage. What I hate most is when others force me into making decisions. Since she can't take a hint, I'll just leave her hanging."

At this moment, my heart died completely. Absolutely nothing stirred within me, and there were no lingering feelings at all.

I set down the jewelry boxes in my hands gently, then turned around and left.

That night, I boarded the private plane that came to pick me up. Was Douglas waiting for me to ask to reconcile with him?

There was absolutely no way this would happen again in this life.