The Heart That Was Never Mine

Freya flinched. The guests scattered in panic. Nathaniel told Freya to leave first. She shot a bitter look at me before storming off. Nathanie kept his gaze locked on me. "What did your answer mean?" "Are you still angry about me standing you up during the dive?" "Weather's been bad lately. Next time, I'll go diving with you," There would be no next time. Nathaniel, instinctively, reached out to embrace me, but once again, I pushed him away. His face darkened instantly. "Get changed. We're having a family dinner soon. You're coming with me." I finally looked up at him. Five years of marriage, and Nathaniel had never once brought me to one of these dinners. At night,we arrive at his parents. When I went to the bathroom, I heard his mother "Nathaniel," "you've been married for a year now.You really don't think it's time to let go of Freya?" "I tried. I can't forget her." I fell silent. Then I saw her. Freya. Aria, Nathaniel's mother, laughing as she draped a golden necklace around Freya's neck. I could feel Nathaniel's gaze flick to Freya, but the instant he saw my face, his eyes faltered. He waved me over. "Come, join us." Without waiting for my response, he turned and followed Aria, leaving me and Freya alone in the room. Freya's smile sliced through the silence, her voice sweet but laced with malice. "So, Antasia, you've been awfully quiet. Don't tell me you're still upset?" I met her cold gaze, a smirk playing on my lips. "I'm not upset. Just. exhausted." Her laugh was sharp, mocking. "Sister-in-law, guess what? If I say I'm willing to be with him, do you think he'll immediately divorce you and throw you away like trash?" I barely muttered, "Oh," before turning to leave, but she couldn't stand being ignored. I felt her hand lunge for me, but I was faster-her fingers missed, yet in her fury, she tore the necklace from my neck. She tossed it aside with a cruel sneer. "This worthless thing. so embarrassing." The necklace soared through the air, cutting a sharp arc before falling straight into a violently spinning shredder with a sickening crack. My face drained of color. I lunged toward it, my hands reaching for the necklace, ignoring the sharp blades and the deafening hum. "Madam! No!" The servant's voice rang out in panic. "Are you insane?!" Freya's voice shrieked, but it barely reached me. Pain shot through my hand as I brushed against the machine's jagged edge. I didn't care. The necklace... it was all I had left of Ronan. My heart beat erratically as I gripped it, my blood staining the metal. With trembling, bloody hands, I pulled it free. But when I looked at the pendant, my world collapsed. The once gleaming jewel... shattered into pieces. My breath caught. "No... no, no!" I carefully placed the damaged necklace into my pocket, my heart heavy with loss I grabbed a glass of water from the table and, in one swift motion, threw it directly in her face! She froze, caught off guard. I grabbed the wine glass, slamming it into her with all my rage. The glass shattered, the shards spraying across the room, the sharp sound echoing like a final warning. Freya was almost on the verge of exploding. She stood up abruptly, ready to strike back, but I swiftly grabbed a plate and smashed it at her feet, the sharp crack echoing through the room. She glared at me, her lips trembling with words she was about to say, but I didn't give her the chance. I smirked coldly, preparing for another round of retaliation, when Nathaniel finally burst through the door. He shoved me aside, his voice thick with restrained fury. "Are you out of your mind?!" He quickly turned to check on Freya, entirely oblivious to the fact that his shove had caused me to lose my balance. My foot slipped, and I crashed into the glass railing. "Ahh-!" I screamed as I tumbled over the railing, crashing into the garden below. The world spun as my head collided with the stone steps, sending a shock through my body. Blood poured from the gash on my forehead, streaking down my cheek. "Help... help..." My voice barely made it past my lips, swallowed by the wind. I tried to lift my arm, but it wouldn't move, and the world started to fade. From above, the servant's panicked voice echoed. "Young... Young Master, the lady fell! She's bleeding so much!" Nathaniel's eyes flicked over me, his expression hardening. "Don't bother with her. Let her be, until she admits her mistakes," Freya, her lips curling into a smug smile, pressed closer to him. "Nathaniel, you're so ruthless with her," she purred. Nathaniel merely pulled Freya closer. My vision blurred as my body grew colder, and everything around me seemed to slip into darkness. I could barely hear the frantic calls of the servants, the distant wind whipping through the air. As the world closed in on me, Ronan's face appeared before my eyes. No, I couldn't die here. I hadn't even seen the person who had received his heart yet.