Chapter 4
Bits of broken mother-of-pearl scattered across the floor, rolling right up to my feet.
The banquet hall lights were almost blinding, turning the iridescent luster of the shattered pieces into something stark, pale, and razor-sharp.
Sophia clutched her wrist, tears streaming down her face.
"Charlotte, I didn't mean to," she sobbed.
Edward immediately reached for her hand.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice anxious.
I knelt down to gather the shards.
As soon as my finger touched the shell edge, blood instantly welled up.
No one saw.
Linda was the first to raise her voice.
"Charlotte, will you stop already? Sophia's terrified because of you!" she snapped.
Richard's face was grim.
"You're making a fuss over nothing at the company anniversary. How embarrassing," he said.
Michael bent down to help me.
Edward pushed his hand aside.
"Don't touch her," Edward snapped.
I looked up at him.
"Then you pick them up," I said.
He froze for a moment.
Sophia grabbed his sleeve, crying.
"Edward, my hand hurts so much," she sobbed.
Edward looked down at her, his eyes instantly softening.
When he turned back to me, all that was left was exhaustion.
"Charlotte, don't make this harder for me," he said.
He'd said that to me so many times before.
When Sophia moved into my place, he told me not to make things difficult for him.
When Linda took the card with my salary on it, he told me not to make things difficult for him.
When Richard's debts came knocking and I covered for him, he told me not to make things difficult for him.
All this time, the one who kept telling me to step back never realized I was already at the edge of the cliff.
I gathered the shattered pieces in my hand, one by one.
My palm was sliced up, thin lines of blood seeping from the tiny cuts.
Michael offered me a tissue.
I didn't take it.
Edward suddenly raised his voice.
"Charlotte, that's enough!" he snapped.
Everyone turned to look at us.
He looked furious.
"Why do you have to make a scene and mess up such an important company event for everyone?" he demanded.
I slowly got to my feet.
"My mother's heirloom is broken," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I'll compensate you," Edward said quickly.
He said it so fast, like he couldn't wait to get it over with and as if money could just erase all the pain I was feeling.
Sophia kept choking back tears.
"Edward, please don't blame Charlotte. She just cares about you so much—she's afraid I'll take you away from her," Sophia said, her voice trembling.
Edward's expression softened slightly.
Linda immediately chimed in.
"She's just jealous. How has Sophia ever gotten in her way?" Linda scoffed.
The gossip started up again.
Some people shot me looks of obvious disdain.
"Seven years and she's still embarrassing herself."
"Mr. Bennett sure puts up with a lot."
"If it were me, I would've kicked her to the curb ages ago."
Edward heard every word.
He didn't defend me.
He simply took off his suit jacket and draped it over Sophia's shoulders.
I'd spent half an hour ironing that jacket last night.
Sophia lowered her head, breathed in the scent, and shot me a defiant look.
Edward didn't notice.
Or maybe he saw it, but just didn't care.
The host awkwardly reminded everyone that the event wasn't over yet.
Edward returned to the stage.
He stood under the lights, his voice steady once more.
"That was just a little hiccup. Sorry for the embarrassment," he said.
A few scattered laughs echoed through the room.
After talking about the company's future, he raised his glass to thank everyone who'd stuck by him.
"And a special thanks to my family," he said.
The big screen changed, flashing up a new photo.
Linda, Richard, and Sophia appeared on the screen.
I was nowhere to be seen.
The old photo of me sleeping on a fold-out bed during those tough startup days had been swapped out—now it was Sophia, smiling at the company entrance.
I stared at the screen.
Seven years, gone in a blink—like I never even existed.
My phone buzzed in my bag.
It was a text from an unknown number.
[Miss Evans, your father's old shares are still valid. If you're interested, let's meet at nine tomorrow morning.]
Signed: James Quinn.
I clenched my fist, full of broken shards.
Blood seeped through my fingers, dripping onto the carpet.
Edward looked over from the stage, his eyes cold with warning.
Sophia stood at his side, wrapped in his jacket, giving the camera her best innocent smile.
The host raised the microphone.
"Mr. Bennett, on such an important day, would you like to say something to the most important person in your life?" the host asked.
Edward turned his head toward Sophia.
The spotlight shone down on them.
I lowered my head, burying the last shard of the bangle in a tissue.
As the applause broke out, I turned and walked out of the banquet hall.
Edward's voice came through the speakers behind me.
"Sophia, welcome home," he said.
Welcome home.
A laugh slipped out before I could stop myself.
Turns out, the place I'd held onto for seven years was nothing more than a pit stop for someone else to come back to.
Rain was pouring down outside the hotel.
Michael came running out and handed me an umbrella.
"You need to get your hand looked at," he said.
I stared at my palm.
Blood and rainwater mixed together, staining the white shards a deep red.
"I'm fine," I said.
He shoved the umbrella into my hand.
"Miss Evans, enduring pain isn't dignified," he said.
That made me pause for a second.
Edward used to say, "Charlotte, you're the most graceful one. Don't stoop to their level."
I opened the umbrella.
"Thanks," I said.
At the hospital's ER, the doctor picked the shards out of my palm.
When the tweezers pulled out the last piece, I couldn't help but shudder from the pain.
My phone lit up seventeen times with missed calls from Edward, Linda, and Sophia, but I didn't answer any of them.
When the last call came in, the doctor was wrapping up my hand.
Michael glanced at the screen.
"Want me to get that?" he asked.