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Seeing me,Nathan smirked coldly,lifting his chin in greeting.
I demanded the paintbrush back.
He looked surprised,mocking my pettiness.
“It's just a cheap trinket, not worth anything. Emily gave it to me, and now you want it back? How pathetic.”
To reclaim it,I swallowed my anger.
“Nathan,if you like it,I’ll buy you a hundred from the mall.Just give me this one.”
His eyes were filled with scorn.
“Sorry,my dog loves it.”
“You—”I started,but he cut me off.
“Why are you so attached to it? You're just an armless painter, a cripple now.”
“Maybe this junk’s cursed.Let my dog wear it to ward off your bad luck!”
My last shred of reason snapped.Furious,I punched him.
Ignoring his yelp of pain,I grabbed the dog’s collar,trying to yank the necklace off.
The startled dog bit my hand,blood gushing,but I held on.
“James,are you insane?!”
The sound of rapid high - heel clicks echoed behind me.
Emily shielded Nathan,her face full of concern.
Nathan leaned against her,flaunting a slightly scraped elbow.
“Sorry,James,I didn’t know the paintbrush meant so much.If you’re still mad,hit me again—I won’t dodge.”
Any trace of concern that might have been in Emily's eyes for me disappeared completely.
“I gave it to Nathan.He didn’t know.If you’re angry,take it out on me!”
I finally tore the necklace free,staring at its broken chain.
Emily thought I was still sulking.
“James,enough.It’s been five years—how long will you play the victim?”
“Apologize to Nathan!He’s kind enough to let it slide,but anyone else would’ve called the cops for assault!”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“Jail?Someone else deserves that.”
Emily’s brows furrowed,a flicker of panic crossing her face.
“It was just a drunk driver.He’s already been sentenced.”
Nathan quickly tried to sooth her,telling her to just let it go.
“James always hated how close we are.He’s got nothing to do,so it’s normal he feels insecure.”
“Go cheer him up.I’m fine.”
Emily’s face hardened.She said she’d take Nathan to the hospital.
“Have I not coddled him enough all these years? He needs a few days to reflect on his behavior, or he'll keep pushing his luck.”
She walked off with Nathan,not looking back.
I was done.
On Nathan's social media, a team of specialists that Emily had summoned was fussing over his minor scrape.
Meanwhile,I got my mangled wrist patched up at a nearby clinic.
Back home,I gathered all my old paintings.
Out of a hundred paintings, ninety of them were of Emily.
I piled them in the garden and burned them.
For two days,Emily didn’t come home,just sent messages.
“You hit Nathan,so I’m taking care of him to make up for it.”
“You’re hurt too—have you been to the hospital?”
“Still mad?Fine,honey,I’m sorry.If you’re still upset about the paintbrush, I’ll get the world’s best designer to make a new one.”
I didn’t reply.
On the third morning,Emily rushed back to the villa.
In the security footage,the housekeeper spotted the divorce agreement I’d left behind.
Emily clutched it tightly,her face turning grim.
My phone rang incessantly,but I kept hanging up.
“Honey,cut it out. I’m home now. I’m really sorry—don’t joke about divorce like that!”
“You wanted to go to Italy for that exhibition,right?I’ll ditch my clients and go with you.”
Messages poured in,but I stayed unmoved.
In the footage,Emily paced,visibly anxious.
Soon,she answered a call on speaker.
Her friend’s frantic voice came through.“Bad news,Emily!A nurse mentioned that the day we talked,she saw your husband outside!”
“Did he overhear something?”
Emily asked, her shoulders trembling as her phone slipped from her hand and crashed onto the marble table.
“No…it must be a mistake!”
Her voice lost its calm for the first time.
But her friend crushed her hope.
“I checked the footage.It was him,and the timing…matches.”
