Parting With No Regrets

Jared blatantly loved Naomi without me noticing.

He carefully gathered the broken pieces from the floor, treating them like precious treasures before entering the study.

Meanwhile, I shakily took out the first aid kit.

The bleeding on my hand stopped, but the pain in my heart wouldn't.

Jared stayed in the study all night.

I stayed in the living room, thinking about everything for hours.

I had hoped that remembering the good times we'd had together would convince me to stay with him. But the more I thought, the sadder I felt.

I started to doubt his feelings for me.

Was his love and kindness really directed at me, or was I just a shell he used to love Naomi?

As that thought sank in, I realized it was time to end this. I couldn't accept being a stand-in for someone else.

Just as I was about to be honest with Jared, the doorbell rang. Jared quickly came out of the study and opened the door.

A group of men in black suits entered, looking like bodyguards.

Was Jared in some kind of danger?

I quickly asked, "What's going on, Jared? Is something wrong?"

The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

I had already decided to leave him, yet I still couldn't stop worrying. I hated myself for being so weak.

The next moment, the leader of the group stepped in front of me.

Before I could react, he grabbed my arm.

Confused, I heard him say, "Don't worry, Mr. Lockwood. We at Hawthorn Academy are professionals. We'll make sure Ms. Sloan gets the proper education."

I froze at his words.

I had heard of Hawthorn Academy before through Jared.

Though the name sounded like a school, it was really a place where the upper crust sent their playthings to be trained.

The term "training" was really a nice way of saying "tortured".

People went in alive but came out feeling dead inside.

The people inside would use all sorts of cruel methods to tame the "students", forcing them to learn their place.

At the time, I had laughed when I asked Jared, "If I don't listen to you, you wouldn't really send me there, would you?"

He had looked at me seriously and said, "First of all, you're my wife, not a plaything. Second, there must be a reason you don't listen to me. I could never let you go through that kind of suffering."

Who knew that all I had to do was break Naomi's gift—the glass—for him to actually consider sending me to Hawthorn Academy?

I resisted, saying, "Are you kidding, Jared? I'm not going. I'm fine."

Jared glanced at me and sneered. "If you were really fine, why would you break Naomi's glass? You're just jealous of her and trying to replace her. Too bad. It's not going to work!"

That was the moment I truly realized he wasn't kidding.

At once, I started struggling.

But the difference in strength was too much. I was no match for the man. The harder I fought, the tighter his grip became.

In the end, it was only me who suffered.

The man, hearing our exchange, turned to Jared and smiled obsequiously. "We'll show her the ropes, Mr. Lockwood. You won't be disappointed."

Jared nodded with satisfaction.

A wave of panic washed over me. Desperate, I tried to explain, "Jared, please believe me. It was an accident! I didn't mean to break it. I wasn't trying to replace Naomi. I don't want to go to Hawthorn Academy. You—"

As he looked at my terrified face, a cruel smile tugged at his lips.

"Winter, don't blame me for this. This is your debt to Naomi. You broke her glass, and now you need to make it right. How can I face her otherwise? Don't worry. Just listen to them. I'll love you again when you come back."