Letting Go of What Was Never Ours

The young woman started to explain, "My dad owed money in Martin's casino and was beaten half-dead by his men.

"Meanwhile, my older sister was cornered by the debt collectors in an alley on her way home from work. She was good-looking, so they wanted to sell her to a club to work as a hostess.

"Martin met her in the club and learned that she worked as a nurse at the hospital downtown, so he asked her to…"

Everything fell into place now.

Florence, who took a fancy to Martin, was jealous of me and got some thugs to corner me in an alley. At that time, Henry rushed to my rescue, but he was stabbed by the thugs and had a relapse of aplastic anemia.

He was actively receiving treatment at the hospital. Despite his vision being blurry from a retinal hemorrhage, he still personally designed my wedding dress.

"Drey, I can't wait to see you wearing it."

I held his hand and replied with a faint smile, "Sure, then you must recover soon."

"Yes. We'll have our wedding in your favorite city, Lunaris in Sylvoria."

I turned my head and silently shed tears because I had already promised to marry Martin. In the end, he still couldn't see me in my wedding dress. The nurse who did the morning rounds didn't disinfect properly, which caused Henry's wound to worsen. He passed away five hours later.

It was even Valentine's Day that day, and the red roses I had planned to give him were replaced by white ones at his funeral. I initially thought it was medical malpractice, but it turned out to be Martin's long-planned scheme. My nails dug into my flesh, and my palms were already soaked with blood.

The young woman grew more and more sorrowful as she spoke. "Mr. Steinfeld promised to let us off once the task was done, but… but my older sister and father are both gone."

She covered her face and started crying. I grabbed her arm harshly and suggested, "I have a plan, and I need your help. After all, you're left with no way out, too, aren't you?"

It sounded like a plea, but it was actually a threat. I would never let anyone who had harmed Henry get away with it.

I acted like I had forgiven Martin for his infidelity, and he also treated me with more care and attention out of guilt. Life seemed as calm as ever on the surface, but underneath, tension was quietly building.

That night, the Lynch and Steinfeld families jointly hosted a charity dinner. I was helping Martin with his tie when he lowered his head and kissed my forehead.

"Honey, you're pregnant now, so don't wear high heels tonight. Go back and rest earlier if you're tired. I'll take care of everything here."

I responded half-heartedly, but then something caught my eye. "Martin, where's your ring?"

His expression changed, and he took a step back, trying to cover it up. "Why did you ask? I'm wearing it."

No, the ring I gave him had a one-of-a-kind blue topaz. It took me a lot of effort to find it, so there was no way I would mistake it.

The one he was wearing now obviously wasn't the one I gave him. It just looked similar. Where did he put the wedding ring?

At the banquet, I held his arm and watched him exchange pleasantries with the guests. Dressed in a tailored black suit, he was poised and confident. Everyone praised him as a promising young man.

When he finished the glass of champagne in his hand, he gestured for a waitress. But the young waitress was clumsy and knocked over the wine glasses on the tray, causing the alcohol to splash onto his shirt.

Before he could say a word, a sharp female voice rang out first. "What's wrong with you? Are you blind?"

It was Florence—her family was here tonight, too.

With everyone watching, Martin didn't wish to interact with her too much. He let go of my hand and said, "Honey, I'll go change my clothes first. Find a seat and wait for me."

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Steinfeld. Let me take you to the lounge, " the waitress apologized.

Martin left with the waitress, but Florence still wanted to say something. "Martin…"

"Martin is my husband, Florence. Are you that eager to be the mistress?" I mocked.

Florence shot me a glare. "Don't get too smug, Audrey. You saw what happened last time. How long do you think you can keep him?"

I replied provocatively, "It's actually thanks to you that Martin and I ended up getting married."

My words hit her nerves, so she raised her finger in anger. "You!"