Chapter 4

"Give me back my bracelet!"

I lunged at Vanessa, trying to snatch back the bracelet.

This was the only keepsake my mother left me. I'd carefully preserved it all these years.

I couldn't even bear to touch it more than necessary.

I never thought Vanessa would steal this too!

Before I could get close, my son suddenly pushed me down.

He spread his arms wide, firmly blocking Vanessa.

"I gave it to Auntie!"

"Name your price. I'll transfer the money now!"

My son raised his phone watch, making a show of scanning my QR code to pay.

I was so shocked I couldn't even feel the pain. Looking at my son, I felt my hands and feet go numb.

"Ryan, what did you just say?"

My son impatiently repeated:

"I asked you how much. Isn't everything for sale if the price is right?"

"Just name your price already."

I felt like someone had suddenly squeezed my heart tight. I couldn't even breathe.

When my son was still at the age where he could barely speak clearly, I had shown him this bracelet.

I told him that this bracelet was a symbol of his grandmother.

That my mother was gone forever, and I could only think of her through this object.

Back then, his small body had buried itself in my arms as he consoled me in his baby voice: "Mommy still has Ryan."

And now, wearing the phone watch I bought him, he wanted to buy my most treasured possession to give away.

Vanessa pretended to take it off.

"I'm sorry, Isabelle. Ryan said you never wore it, so I thought you didn't want it anymore."

Ethan, who had been negotiating with the wedding staff, heard the commotion and hurried over.

Seeing Vanessa's motion to remove the bracelet, he immediately looked at me with displeasure. "Isabelle, what are you making a fuss about now?"

"It's just a bracelet. Your hands are too thick to wear it anyway. It would just sit there unused. What's wrong with letting Vanessa wear it?"

I finally couldn't hold back and shouted, "That's my mother's keepsake!"

"Vanessa, you even want to steal this? Aren't you afraid my mother will come find you at night?"

Hearing my words, Ethan's face showed some embarrassment.

"It's fine, Vanessa. Give it back to her. I'll buy you a new one."

"Wearing a dead person's things is unlucky."

My son immediately chimed in, "Right! Let Dad buy you a bigger, prettier one!"

With that, he took the bracelet Vanessa had removed and threw it directly at me.

"Don't throw it!"

I reached out in shock to catch it, but could only watch helplessly as the bracelet fell heavily to the ground.

Shattered into pieces.

In that instant, I felt like a part of me shattered with it.

I knelt on the ground, desperately picking up the fragments, tears falling heavily on the floor.

"Stop picking them up."

Catching sight of the bloody cuts on my hand, Ethan frowned and reached out to pull me up.

"It's just an object. Is it really worth it?"

I swatted away his hand, my eyes bloodshot.

I slapped the divorce agreement I'd prepared long ago onto his face.

"No need, Ethan. Let's get div—"

Ethan misunderstood, thinking the divorce agreement was a stock transfer agreement.

He gripped the document, his face cold.

"Isabelle, asking for money isn't enough for you now? You're even setting your sights on the company?"

"I bet you deliberately let our son take the bracelet, using my guilt to get company shares, right?"

He sneered and signed his name without even looking.

"What great scheming. I won't hold it against you this time."

"But I won't tolerate you using the same tricks a second time!"

He flung the documents at me and walked away without looking back.

I sat on the ground, watching the papers scatter everywhere, and laughed bitterly.

He didn't know there wouldn't be a next time.

I didn't want him or our son anymore.

In the following days, I spent every day at the hospital.

The money Ethan compensated me with was not only enough for my surgery but also covered all the subsequent follow-up examinations and care.

After successfully getting the heart transplant, I could completely rewrite the tragedy of my past life and begin anew.

Finally, on the day of surgery, as I waited for anesthesia, the doctor suddenly took off his gloves. "I'm sorry, Ms. Sullivan. Your surgery can't be performed today..."