Chapter 1
On our eighth anniversary, my husband, Andrew Rivers, brought a young girl home.
He held her hand, flashing a careless smile.
"Aren't you tired of seeing the same face day after day? Let's try something new," he said.
I kept my cool—no tears, no drama.
Without a word, I dropped my wedding ring in the trash and cut up our wedding photos.
Then I packed my bags and left without looking back.
A few months later, Andrew called me for the first time since I'd left.
He sounded cold and annoyed. "Alison, how long are you going to keep this up?"
Then, a man's lazy voice cut in from my side. "We had a wild night. She's still out cold."
Hearing that, Andrew lost it and slammed his fist right through the door.
*****
At our eighth anniversary party, Andrew showed up with a girl on his arm.
Her name was Carrie Yeats, a college student he had been sponsoring.
To show her "gratitude," she had ended up in his bed.
Carrie sat herself down confidently, completely ignoring the weird looks from everyone around.
"Mrs. Rivers, that necklace is so pretty. Since we're meeting for the first time, why not give it to me as a welcome gift?" she said, sounding completely entitled.
She spotted the pearl necklace I was wearing and reached out to grab it.
She yanked too hard, and the chain snapped, sending pearls scattering across the floor.
Carrie's face flashed with panic for a split second, but her smug attitude snapped right back into place.
She just shrugged. "Oops, my bad. It was just an accident. Guess the quality wasn't very good."
I stared at the pearls scattered across the floor, my heart twisting with mixed emotions.
That necklace was my mother's keepsake, something truly precious to me.
I grabbed the glass ashtray off the table and flung it at her. "Pick them up. Now!"
The ashtray shot past Carrie's hair, crashed into the wall, and left a jagged crack.
Andrew jumped in front of her, and a piece of glass cut his hand open.
He yelled, "Alison, have you lost your mind?
"You're seriously going to hurt someone over a broken necklace?"
I couldn't help but let out a cold, mocking laugh.
I said, "Andrew, this necklace was my mother's keepsake. And you're defending this shameless girl and blaming me?"
Carrie ducked behind Andrew, but her eyes were still full of smug defiance as she muttered under her breath.
She said, "It's just some old necklace. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
I was shaking with rage. I grabbed her by the collar and smacked her twice across the face.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I shouted.
Carrie covered her face and burst into tears.
She whimpered, "How could you think that of me?
"Just because I'm not as well-off as you doesn't mean I'd stoop that low."
Andrew saw me slap her and just blew up. He shoved me aside so hard that I almost fell.
He shot Carrie a worried, protective look, his eyes full of blame and fury aimed right at me.
"Alison, you're out of line! Carrie already said it was an accident, and you're still making a scene," he snapped.
Carrie clung to Andrew, crying her eyes out, her voice shaking as she put on a show.
"Mrs. Rivers, I swear I didn't mean it. I know how much that necklace means to you. Let me pay you back, okay?" she whimpered.
She fished out her wallet from her bag, pretending to be all generous, like she was doing me some huge favor.
I slapped the wallet right out of her hand, shooting her a death glare.
"I don't want your money. What I want is an apology for what you did," I snapped.
Andrew's face darkened when he saw I wasn't backing down.
"Alison, can you stop making a scene? Carrie already apologized. What more do you want from her?" he snapped.
I looked at Andrew, disappointment flooding my chest. "Andrew, you're not the man I used to know. Now you're hurting me again and again for someone else."
He turned away, dodging my gaze. "Just take a breather, Alison. We'll talk when you're thinking straight."
With that, he walked out with Carrie, leaving me behind.
I watched their figures fade into the distance. Finally, I couldn't hold back the tears any longer.