Chapter 32 You Should Leave
I picked up the earrings she had thrown at me. They were beautiful heart-shaped diamond studs, a style I used to love. I had bought from this brand after getting married, but after catching Leonard at the same store shopping with some model, I stopped going there.
I glanced at her ears. As I suspected, they were newly pierced.
I remembered how she used to say that only women with questionable reputations pierced their ears in her hometown, which is why she never did it.
Yet now, she had gone and pierced hers and even wore oversized earrings before the piercings
had healed.
Because I used to like these kinds of earrings-slightly exaggerated and super sparkly.
She probably didn’t know that I’d stopped wearing earrings altogether, and I certainly wouldn’t touch anything from that brand anymore.
I placed the earrings aside gently, and she let out a bitter laugh.
“I heard you sold your wedding ring for money. Why are you still pretending:
“You’re not fighting for this marriage because you love him. It’s for the money, isn’t it? Leonard will pay you off, so why don’t you just stay out of our way!
“You’ve only ever cared about his money. I’m telling you now, back off while you still can.
I looked at her, smiling at the arrogance in her voice. She was so confident as if she’d already
won.
“Are you sure it’s me who came between you two?” I asked calmly. “Are you sure I’m the one who’s only ever cared about his money?”
We both knew the truth. There was no need to play this game of
pretense.
If I had been after money, I wouldn’t have chosen Leonard. I could have been with someone like Zack, who was my equal and could have offered me a comfortable life. I could have taken over my family’s business without drama or heartbreak. But life didn’t come with “what ifs.”
I stared at her silently, watching as a flicker of doubt crossed her face. She glared at me, but it was clear she was faltering
“What else could it be? He loves me now,” she shot back defensively.
“Are you sure?” I asked, my tone steady.
Her bravado cracked.
She knew, deep down, that Leonard didn’t love her.
I continued, “What’ll happen when he remembers? Have you thought about that?”
I could see the tremor in her body as my words hit home. Fear flickered in her eyes.
I knew exactly why. Leonard had told me before about how clingy some women could be and how harshly he would turn them away. He was never one to tolerate being pursued if he wasn’t interested.
If Leonard remembered everything, if he realized what she had done, he wouldn’t forgive her. The man was known for being unforgiving when it came to betrayal. His disdain would be merciless.
I shuddered at the thought of what he might do to Amelia and me. The truth was if Leonard woke up and knew everything, neither of us would walk away unscathed.
We both fell silent, the weight of the conversation pressing down on us. Amelia sat back down beside me, her defiance crumbling.
“You’ve always had everything, Eva. Even Leonard fell in love with you. But I’ve never had anything.” Her voice was quieter now, tinged with bitterness. “This is the first chance I’ve ever had, and I won’t let it slip away.
She turned to face me, the resentment still lingering in her eyes, though not as harsh as before. Now, it was mixed with something deeper-despair, maybe.
I didn’t understand what she was truly angry about. Was it that I had taken someone who never belonged to her? Or was it because my life, from the outside, seemed so much easier?
Would she still hate me if she knew I was a woman on borrowed time, living without a real home, without a future?
“Eva, you should leave. He doesn’t remember you anymore. He’s in love with me now. He loves me,” she repeated, almost as if she was trying to convince herself.
I wasn’t even sure anymore if I cared who Leonard loved. Maybe he loved a version of me-that never really existed. But in the present, I knew one thing: I wasn’t the woman in his heart right now.
Lowering my gaze, I thought about what Julian had told me.
“Amelia, would you ever hurt Leonard?”