Chapter 3

The welcome party was held at Riverside Restaurant.

By the time I arrived, the private room was already packed.

Andrew was sitting next to the head of the table, with Emily right beside him. She was wearing a white dress, and on her wrist was a bracelet.

I recognized the bracelet right away.

Three years ago, Andrew said his company was strapped for cash and begged me to let him use the bracelet Grandma left me as collateral.

He later claimed he'd lost it.

But it was never really lost.

It ended up on Emily's wrist.

When Emily saw me, she immediately stood up. "Grace, you're finally here. I was worried you wouldn't want to see me after Andrew and I registered our marriage."

She didn't speak loudly, but everyone at the table heard her clearly.

Andrew's friend, Michael Carter, let out a low whistle. "Hey, Grace, lighten up. Emily only wanted to experience what applying for a marriage license would be like.

"In the end, it will still be you and Andrew standing on the wedding stage."

Another guy laughed and added, "Getting a marriage license doesn't mean much these days. The real deal is the wedding. That's when it really counts."

I stared at Andrew.

He didn't say a word.

Instead, he served Emily a piece of fish, making sure to remove all the bones. "Never mind her. Let's eat."

Emily set her hand on the table, and the bracelet tapped against the edge of her plate with a crisp sound. "Grace, don't stand there. Come sit down.

"Andrew says nobody takes care of people better than you. I just got back and barely know anyone here, so why don't you sit next to me?"

The only seat left was right next to her.

It was right by the serving station, so waiters were constantly passing by.

I walked over and sat down.

As soon as I sat down, Emily slid a cup toward me. "My throat's a bit sore. Can you get me some water? Andrew keeps saying you make the best coffee."

Andrew frowned. "Emily just got off the plane. What's so hard about taking care of her?"

I grabbed the carafe and poured her half a cup of water.

As Emily reached for the cup, her hand slipped, and water splashed onto her dress.

She shot to her feet, her eyes welling up with tears. "Grace, I know you're upset, but you don't have to do this."

Michael slammed his hand on the table. "Seriously, Grace, can you stop already? Emily just got back, and you're already spilling water on her?"

"She took the cup and spilled it," I said.

"Everyone saw it happen, and you're still making excuses?" Michael snapped.

Andrew grabbed Emily's wrist and started dabbing at her dress with a tissue. "Say you're sorry, Grace."

I watched as Andrew's hand brushed against the bracelet on Emily's wrist. "She's got my bracelet on her wrist, and you expect me to apologize?"

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Emily lowered her gaze and gently ran her fingers over the bracelet. "This one? Andrew gave it to me. He said it belonged to someone who meant a lot to him, and that it would keep me safe."

I laughed. "That's right. My grandma left it to me."

Andrew finally looked at me. "Grace, do you have to air all this out in front of everyone?"

"I want my bracelet back," I said.

Helen cut in, "It's merely an old bracelet, and Emily makes it look good. Quit acting like you're some kind of victim here."

"An old bracelet?" I pulled out the receipts from my bag and set them on the lazy Susan. "Here's the pawnshop record from back then, the IOU Andrew wrote me, and a printout of the text where he promised he'd get it back.

"So, who's going to pay him back for me?"

Michael reached for the receipts, but Andrew pressed his hand down on them.

Andrew's expression darkened. "Grace, don't make a scene."

Emily subtly tucked the bracelet into her sleeve. "Grace, I'm really sorry. I honestly had no idea. Here, let me give it back to you."

She tried to take it off, but halfway through she winced and stopped, clearly in pain. "It's stuck."

Andrew immediately reached out to steady her. "Don't try to take it off. What if you hurt yourself?"

He turned to me. "It's only a bracelet. Once the wedding's over, I'll buy you a new one."

"I don't want a new one," I said.

"What the hell do you want, Grace?"

"Take it off right now and give it back to me."

Emily's friend, Sophia Shaw, suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "Ms. Ashton, talk about timing.

"Emily just got back, and you're already giving her a hard time over a bracelet. Funny how you never had this much attitude when you were chasing after Andrew all those years."

Some people at the table started laughing along.

I waved over a waiter. "Bring me some soapy water."

The waiter glanced at Andrew, hesitating.

Andrew shot the waiter a cold look. "Don't bother."

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the doorway. "Go ahead and bring it."