My Second Chance at Love

My hands froze in the middle of folding my clothes.

I did not understand why Brandon had to speak like that just to hurt me.

So what if I liked him? Was that some unforgivable sin?

Why did I have to endure that kind of humiliation from him?

"Get out! Leave my room... Now!"

Even my voice was trembling.

Brandon refused to move, so I pushed him toward the door with all my strength.

Just before the door shut, Brandon's gaze sharpened.

"Cheryl, I want you to treat Melissa better from now on. You must treat her like your own sister. Otherwise, I'll never forgive you."

...

The immigration interview went smoothly, and my visa was approved on the spot.

"Book me a flight for tomorrow morning," I requested.

"Is it that urgent, Ms. Swanson?" my lawyer asked.

"The sooner, the better."

When I got home and tried to unlock the door, I realized the lock had been changed.

"Don't bother. I've already replaced all the locks."

Melissa stepped out from the door.

"Who gave you the right to do that?" I retorted.

It was the house my father bought for me. What gave her the right to do that?

"My future husband, of course. He's the man of this household. It isn't just this room, but this entire house and everything in it belongs to me now," she huffed confidently.

"You don't actually think this is still your home, do you?"

Brandon could not wait to drive me out.

Melissa pulled out a jewelry box from behind her and opened it.

"Ms. Swanson, your things really do look expensive," she commented.

"Give it back!"

"That won't do. Brandon already gave it to me."

"Brandon doesn't have the right to give it away," I growled as I rushed forward to grab it from her.

"You can have everything else in there, but that bracelet belonged to my mother… Give it back!"

That bracelet was the last birthday gift my mother gave me before she passed away. It meant everything to me.

"It looks pretty fragile."

Melissa made a motion as if to throw it.

"Don't!"

My heart nearly leapt out of my throat.

In the struggle, the malachite bracelet slipped from our hands and fell down the stairs.

A sharp crack echoed.

The sound of the bracelet shattering was crisp and unbearable.

I stumbled down the stairs, almost crawling.

The bracelet had broken into several pieces. My hands trembled uncontrollably as I picked them up.

The shards cut into my fingers, leaving countless tiny wounds.

The pain in my chest hurt just as much.

"What happened here?"

Brandon had returned.

"Brandon… The bracelet my mother left me… It's broken."

I knelt on the floor, tears quickly soaking into the carpet.

The year my mother died, it was Brandon who stayed by my side, helping me through the darkest days.

He knew how much that bracelet meant to me.

Brandon crouched down beside me.

"How did this happen? I know a very skilled craftsman. We can send it to him and have it repaired, okay?"

I looked up at him immediately. "Really? Can it be fixed?"

As long as my mother's keepsake could be restored, nothing else mattered.

"Of course it can. Stop crying. You don't look good like this."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came running down the stairs.

"Brandon! Cheryl said that I didn't deserve you and tried to drive me out. She said if she couldn't have you, she'd rather destroy everything, and then she threw the bracelet down the stairs."

"I didn't!" I denied immediately.

Brandon slowly stood up from beside me, his doubtful gaze cutting into me.

Melissa rolled up her sleeve.

"She… She even hit me."

Tears instantly welled up and fell from her eyes.

The mark from my custom ring was clearly imprinted on her arm. It was left there during my scuffle with her over the bracelet.