Chapter 2

2

His expression froze for a second before twisting into disbelief and mockery.

“Just because I lost your stupid bangle?”

“Sierra, are you out of your mind? Aside from that carving, your jade piece was totally worthless. It wouldn’t even pass an appraisal!”

“Didn’t I just buy you pure gold? Why are you being so dramatic? This gold is worth ten times more than your junk!”

A sharp pang stabbed through my chest, like a blade twisting in my heart.

The jade might not have been museum grade, and it certainly wasn’t flashy like gold.

However, it was an heirloom passed down through generations of women in my family.

From my great-grandmother to my grandmother, then to my mother, and finally to me.

How could its worth ever be measured in dollars?

Guilt overwhelmed me at the thought that such a sacred legacy had been destroyed in my hands.

I hated myself for being so utterly blind to fall for a man like him.

I pulled out my phone, pulled up the saved photo, and shoved the screen right in his face.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize it just because you ground it into a pendant?”

“This is the heirloom you claimed you lost. Why is it hanging around Mindy Shaw’s dog’s neck?”

Seeing my family treasure turned into a pet accessory was the ultimate slap in the face.

Faced with undeniable proof, Colton deflated like a punctured balloon, unable to mutter a single defense.

Yet he quickly recovered, putting on a defiant, shameless sneer.

“So what if I turned it into a pendant for Mindy?”

“She rarely asks me for anything. How could I say no? You have so much jewelry, what’s the big deal if you lose one piece?”

“Besides, didn’t I compensate you with something better?”

“Why are you still holding a grudge?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

The very first time I wore that bangle around Mindy, she had stared at it with greedy eyes.

She had claimed she was fascinated by the butterfly pattern and begged to touch it.

Back then, I thought she simply admired the craft, even explaining to her how to spot authentic jade.

I never imagined she would covet it so badly that she would ask Colton to steal it for her.

And my boyfriend of five years actually stole my family heirloom just to please his childhood sweetheart.

Colton kept rambling on with self-righteous arrogance.

Seeing my prolonged silence, he pulled out a black credit card and tossed it at my chest.

“Isn’t it just about money? There’s fifty grand in here. Take it and stop throwing a tantrum.”

The pain in my chest deepened into cold amusement.

I was the sole heiress of the Cole Corporation, one of the wealthiest families in the state. Did he truly think I lacked money?

I had only hidden my wealth and declined my family’s support because I didn’t want to bruise his delicate pride.

Did he honestly believe I was with him for his nonexistent fortune?

What an absolute joke.

To stop me from leaving, Colton grabbed my suitcase and hurled it onto the top of the tall wardrobe, looking at me with smug satisfaction.

He stood there confidently, convinced he had me completely trapped.

I let out a cold smirk.

Did he really think high ceilings could keep me from walking away?