Chapter 3
I decided not to continue the argument.
Just like Max Pierce had said, I had no proof that Hanna King was the one who broke it. So, I carefully crouched down to clean up the fragments, gathering up the two toppled towers as well.
Outside the door, Hanna’s pitiful voice carried in. She hobbled inside, feigning innocence.
“Max, please don’t argue with Emmeline!”
“Even though I didn’t do it, if she wants to blame me, then let her. Nobody ever liked me since I was little. It’s normal for her not to like me either.”
As she spoke, she deliberately took a few steps forward and crouched down in front of me. Her foot landed on one of the broken pieces, and she twisted it intentionally, a sly smile on her lips.
“It was me. So what?” she whispered quietly.
A wave of anger surged through me, and I instinctively moved to push her away. But before I even touched her, she dramatically fell to the ground, her bandaged foot hitting the bedside table perfectly.
The next moment, Hanna’s whiny voice emerged.
“I just wanted to help you, sis.”
Before I could react, Max was already yanking at my hair. I’d never seen him like this before—his face twisted with rage, glaring at me with such intensity that he seemed ready to explode.
“Even if you don’t like Hanna, you didn’t have to hurt her like that, especially when she’s still recovering!”
With my hair being pulled, I had no choice but to look up at them. A bitter taste spread in my mouth, my heart feeling like it was full of holes.
“I didn’t even touch her!”
But Max slapped me across the face, leaving a red mark that instantly appeared on my cheek.
“You’re still lying? Emmeline Jenkins, do you think I’m blind? I was right behind you—I saw everything with my own eyes!”
“First, you accuse Hanna, then you push her down. How could I have been so blind not to see just how heartless and cruel you are? You’re a monster!”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe, left speechless. In this situation, no matter what I said, Max wouldn’t believe me.
He let me go, looking down at me with icy disdain.
“Can’t find an excuse now, can you, Emmeline? You’re truly a venomous woman.”
Max looked at me in disappointment. But I felt strangely relieved, as if a weight had been lifted. Any last shred of hope I had for him was now completely gone.
I stopped trying to defend myself and stopped struggling to explain.
As Max picked up Hanna, she shot me a triumphant look, mouthing a message I understood all too well.
“Do you really think you can compete with me for Max?”
Fine, if you want him, you can have him.
With Hanna’s twisted ankle just further aggravated, Max worriedly carried her to the hospital.
Shakily, I stood up. The reflection in the mirror showed my reddened, burning cheek, the handprint still starkly visible. It was easy to see just how angry Max had been, how much force he’d used.
I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly, wiping away the blood slowly seeping from my mouth.
That slap shattered all my past illusions.
Taking advantage of the moment, I packed up all my clothes and belongings into a suitcase, taking everything I could and throwing the rest in the trash.
Before leaving, I contacted a real estate agent to list the apartment online.
This place was mine, a home my grandfather, Leif Morrison, had bought with his pension, intended as my marital home. But now, there was no reason to keep it.
With everything tainted, I had no choice but to let it go.