“Hailey, the new necklace is ready. I just never found the right time to give it to you,” he said quietly.
He was so careful that it nearly made me laugh. There was a time when I was the one tiptoeing around him, trying to keep him happy, begging him to come back. But how had he repaid me?
I flipped the lid open with one hand and saw it had the exact same design. It was an older piece, and I could tell it must’ve been difficult to find the original maker.
I noticed the scratches on the back of Carl’s hand, and he instinctively pulled it back.
I chuckled. “Give it to Wendy. It suits her well.”
Why would I go down that same dead–end road again? Once I made up my mind not to look back,
2/4
Chapter 10
that was it—no turning back, not even if the memories were wonderful.
left the city where I had spent six years of my life and set off with my best friend to start over. I used my savings to invest in a publicly traded company, and the returns were way better than expected.
I bought a new place, traveled to the cities I’d always dreamed of visiting, and took in the views I’d dreamed about for years.
I stood in the middle of the prairie, soaking in the beauty of nature.
Then, out of nowhere, my best friend said, “I heard Wendy and Carl got divorced.”
I actually heard about it a while ago. Carl and I had a bunch of mutual friends on Instagram, and they were the ones who told me the day it happened.
Apparently, when Wendy got pregnant, Carl started abusing her. She couldn’t handle it anymore, so they ended up getting a divorce.
Her parents showed up at Carl’s work and made a scene every day until he had no choice but to quit.
Everyone said Carl brought it all on himself. I simply smiled and kept my opinions to myself. A marriage built on lies was never going to last, but
3/4
Chapter 10
honestly, none of it was my concern anymore.
I’d rather stay out of other people’s drama and just enjoy the peace of nature.
Love wasn’t a must, and I’d decided to focus on living in the moment.
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