Now,standing on the brink of death,that necklace lay shattered.
My brother died a month after giving it to me.He was a firefighter who sacrificed himself to save a little girl.
That girl was Chelsea.
She survived that night because of my brother’s sacrifice,yet her family never thanked him.Her mother even said,“It’s his duty as a firefighter.I won’t be guilt-tripped into gratitude.”
Now,the same girl whose life my brother saved was living in my house,destroying his last gift to me.
That necklace could never be repaired—just like my brother could never be brought back.Just like how I couldn’t escape my fate of dying before 27.
“I didn’t mean it…I’m really sorry…”Chelsea whimpered.
"Get out!"
Hearing her fake sobs,I finally lost control.I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.
“Ugh!”
“Madeline!”
Chelsea was sobbing uncontrollably,feeling like the whole world was against her.
Alexander,clearly worried I might hurt Chelsea again,instinctively pushed me away.
I hadn’t eaten;my stomach and back were in such agony that I could barely stand.The weakness overwhelmed me,and with his strong shove,I stumbled and fell to the ground.
“Madeline…”
Seeing me fall,Alexander finally panicked.
He sent Chelsea out of the room and quickly bent down,wrapping his arms around me gently.
“It’s just a necklace.If it’s broken,we can buy another.Why did you have to hit Chelsea?”He paused,searching my eyes.“Can you just stop?Chelsea helped me when I needed it.Now she’s sick,and I can’t just ignore her.”
I felt more and more like a stranger to Alexander.
My husband seemed to have truly moved on.
He knew that necklace meant everything to me,yet he brushed it off so casually for Chelsea’s sake.
Suddenly,I regretted loving him so much back then.Noticing my silence,he thought I was still angry about what happened that night in the private room.
He tightened his grip and softened his tone,trying to calm me.“That night…I just wanted to help Chelsea.She reminds me so much of you when you were younger.Seeing her with those same beautiful eyes,I couldn’t bear to watch her suffer.”
Sure,Chelsea had a vibrant,youthful face that mirrored mine at seventeen.
But hearing Alexander say that didn’t touch me at all;I couldn’t understand.
I used to laugh when I heard about someone looking for a replacement,but now that it was happening to me,it just felt tragic.
I was still alive—why was he looking for someone else?