Percy was stunned by the slap. He clutched his face and stared at me in disbelief.

Since the day we met, I had never lost my temper. Especially with Percy, I had always gone along with whatever he wanted. So when I hit him, he froze.

"Are you insane? You actually hit me?"

He snapped back to himself and glared at me, rage written all over his face.

I was already done. I crouched down and went back to packing my suitcase.

When Percy saw that I wasn't responding, he grew even madder. He grabbed me, hauled me up, and slammed me against the wall, pinning me there with his stare.

"Stop dodging the issue. Sabrina was kind enough to bring my stuff over, and what did you do? You hit her without even asking what happened. She's just a college student.

"How's she supposed to face her classmates after this? You're going to her campus right now and apologize to her in front of everyone. If you don't, I'll never talk to you again."

"Fine. Then don't talk to me. That's exactly what I want."

Percy tightened his grip on my collar, as if I were the one making a scene. He stared at me for a long time before finally letting go, disappointment plain on his face.

"Maisie, you've really let me down. Being obedient and sensible is one of the few good qualities you have. If you keep acting like this, you're going to regret it!"

I couldn't have cared less. "Yeah? I'd love to see how you plan to make me regret it."

The veins on his forehead stood out, his teeth grinding. He spat out one last threat before storming off and slamming the door.

The second the door shut, I slid down and sat on the floor, tears streaming down my face.

Seven years together had turned out to be nothing but a ridiculous farce. From start to finish, I had been the only one who ever caught feelings.

I even began to wonder whether all of Percy's past kindness had been nothing more than an act. The home we'd shared for seven years suddenly felt unfamiliar.

I packed up everything in the house that belonged to me, including the gifts Percy had bought and our shared photo albums. I stuffed it all into a large bag and threw it into the trash bin downstairs.

By the time I was done, it was already past midnight. Percy still hadn't come home. I didn't need to think to know where he was.

I went back to the small apartment I'd bought two years earlier. It was small, but it felt like home.

It was late. I set my luggage in the living room, took a hot shower, and got ready for bed. Just as I lay down, my phone rang.

It was Julian Ripley.

"Maisie, what did that message you sent me mean? Are you messing with me?"

He sounded urgent, but I could hear the excitement underneath it.

"I'm not messing with you. Percy cheated. I'm not marrying him. I just want to ask you one thing. You said you'd wait for me. Does that still count?"

Julian said without hesitation, "It counts. Of course, it counts. It has always counted. I'm overseas on a business trip right now. I'll be back in two months. Once I'm done, we'll get married right away, okay?"

We talked for a long time. I didn't hang up until I was so tired I could barely stay awake.

But the moment I ended the call, my phone chimed with a new message. An unknown number had sent me a photo.

It was Sabrina and Percy, pressed together. She had my necklace around her neck.

It was the one Mom had left me. It meant the world to me. Back when Percy and I were head over heels, I'd already thought of him as family, so I gave him the necklace as a token of our commitment.

I never imagined that the necklace I'd treated like a treasure would end up around another woman's neck.

I called Percy right away and demanded, "Bring my necklace back. That belonged to my mom."

He answered with self-righteous calm. "You gave it to me, so it's mine. I can do whatever I want with it. And I'm doing this for your own good. Sabrina got slapped by you, and she's still mad.

"If I hadn't gone to smooth things over with her for you, she would've called the cops already. You should be thanking me."

His tone was completely matter-of-fact.

As he spoke, Sabrina's soft, syrupy voice drifted through the phone. "So what flavor do you want today? Strawberry or orange?"

Percy got flustered and hung up.

Any trace of sleepiness was gone. My fingers tightened around my phone.

I sent Percy a message.

"If you don't return my necklace tomorrow, I'll call the cops."

Late that night, the unfamiliar number sent another photo.

Sabrina sat on the bed in nothing but lace lingerie, lazily toying with my necklace. Percy was asleep next to her.

"So this is your mom's necklace? It doesn't look like much. If I threw it away, would you crawl around like a dog to pick it back up?

"See that? This is what happens when you mess with me. Take it as a lesson. Next time, keep your hands to yourself.

"You're still up this late. Waiting for your boyfriend? Don't bother. He's not coming back. You should get some sleep too. Staying up late gives you wrinkles."

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely type.

"I'm warning you. If you don't return my necklace tomorrow, I'm calling the cops."

Sabrina sent back a tongue-out emoji and didn't reply again.

…

The next day, I went to Percy's villa to get my necklace back. I hadn't even made it to the living room when I heard Sabrina's voice, sweet and clingy.

"Percy, haven't I been doing well lately? Why did you only give me a 99?"

Percy ran a hand over her hair indulgently. "That one point is so you don't get too full of yourself. You're young, pretty, and full of energy. What part of you isn't better than Maisie?

"Look at her score. 27. She doesn't stand a chance against you."

Sabrina giggled, then popped another grape into Percy's mouth. "So that means I'm gonna end up your bride, right? If Maisie finds out, do you think she'll lose it? I mean, you two were together for seven years."

Percy answered lightly, almost amused. "Who told her to keep such a tight leash on me? She brought this on herself!"

Their smug laughter drifted through the living room. My whole body started to shake.

The man I'd loved for seven years turned out to be nothing but a complete piece of trash.

I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I stormed into the living room.

"I told you to return my necklace today."

Percy looked at my outstretched hand and gave a scornful laugh. "Maisie, how long are you going to keep this up? Is this because I didn't chase after you when you left?"

My face stayed cold. I didn't feel anything except rage. "I don't need you to chase me. Give the necklace back. It belonged to my mom. I really regret being blind enough to ever like you!"

He smiled and shook his head. "Fine. I'll give it back. I'll just buy Sabrina a better one later. Don't get jealous!"

Percy gestured for Sabrina to take off the necklace. She put on a show of reluctance and held it out to me with both hands.

Just as I reached for it, she yanked hard. The cord snapped, scattering pearls and diamonds across the floor in every direction.

"Oops, I'm so sorry. Maybe the necklace was just too old. The cord broke the moment it was touched. You'd better pick up every single one. This is your mom's necklace, after all."

In that moment, humiliation and rage swallowed me whole. I watched Mom's keepsake get destroyed by that bitch, my nails digging deep into my palm.

In the end, I forced myself to calm down. With Sabrina watching me like I was a joke, I bent over and picked up the pearls and diamonds one by one.

Some rolled under the couch, so I had to lie flat on the floor to reach them. It wasn't until evening that I finally found every last one.

Percy and Sabrina watched the entire time, like they were enjoying a show, while I crawled around on the floor all afternoon.

That night, I sat on my bed, clutching the broken necklace, tears streaming down my face.

Dad called.

The second I picked up, he lit into me. "This is all because I spoiled you growing up and let you develop such a rotten temper! Someone was kind enough to bring clothes to your door, and you hit her?

"Let me make this clear. If Percy dumps you over this, just wait and see how I deal with you!"

Percy was rich. Dad thought that if I married him, a fortune would follow, so he was delighted. He practically wanted us to get married tomorrow.

Over the years, Percy sent Dad pricey gifts now and then. That only fueled Dad's dreams of striking it rich.

In Dad's eyes, I was nothing more than a commodity that could fetch a good price. He never once cared whether I was happy.

"I've already broken up with him."

Dad went quiet for half a beat, then shouted, "What? Do you know how hard it was for me to finally land a rich son-in-law? You think you can just break up whenever you want? I'm warning you—"

I hung up before he could finish.

Then I turned my phone off. I didn't want to deal with anyone anymore.

I hadn't expected Julian to come back early. He was afraid I might suddenly change my mind, so he made time to return and marry me first.

Seeing how rushed he was, I couldn't help but find it funny. "I already promised you. There's no way I'd go back on it. Look at you, all nervous. What? Are you afraid I'll run off?"

He pulled me into a tight embrace, like he wanted to merge me into himself. "I'm scared this is all just a beautiful dream, and when I wake up, you won't be here anymore. You'll still be marrying someone else. I wouldn't be able to take that."

I laughed and called Julian an idiot.

He couldn't wait even a second. He grabbed my hand and hauled me straight to get married. It wasn't until we walked out of city hall that he finally let himself breathe.

Right then, my phone buzzed with a text from Percy.

"Alright. I forgive you. Come back soon. The house feels strange without you."

I didn't text him back.

…

The day after we got married, Julian had to leave again because of work overseas.

Before he left, he pressed a set of keys into my hand. It was for a villa in the suburbs, and he said it was the home he'd prepared for us.

…

The next day, I went to work as usual.

I didn't expect Sabrina to come looking for me, asking me to design a set of wedding diamond rings.

"I heard you're a pretty famous jewelry designer. I happen to be getting married soon. Why don't you design a set of couples' rings for us? Bring out the most expensive stones you have. I've got plenty of money."

As she said that, she pulled out a bank card.

I recognized it right away. It was Percy's.

There were 70 million dollars on it—everything he had.

It wasn't often I came across someone like Sabrina, foolish and loaded. There was no reason not to help her.

But none of the designs I came up with were good enough for her. Every time she looked at a sketch, she had to toss out a few snide remarks. And the more I stayed silent, the more agitated she became.

"So this is what a big-name designer produces? Doesn't look like much to me. My wedding with Percy is in just a few days. If your mistake ruins my wedding, can you really take responsibility for that?"

I drew in a slow breath and kept my voice steady. "I do know someone. He owns the most perfect diamond in the world. If you want, I can design your wedding rings around that stone."

The second Sabrina heard that, she told me to bring the diamond over right away.

When she finally saw that diamond, big as a marble, her eyes went wide.

"Our rings are custom-made. Once you place the order, there are no returns or exchanges. Do you want to check the price first?"

Sabrina scoffed. "No need. My husband has plenty of money. I can spend however I want."

I didn't respond. Quietly, I was pleased because that diamond cost enough to drain Percy dry. I slipped the ring onto Sabrina's finger, but she suddenly jerked her hand back.

"Why did you pinch me? Are you trying to get back at me? Percy not wanting you isn't my fault."

She even called Percy to complain.

When Percy rushed over, he found Sabrina crying off to the side, tears streaming down her face. Without asking a single question, he lashed out at me.

"Maisie, why are you picking on Sabrina again? You didn't use to be like this. I'm really disappointed in you!"

I almost laughed. "Funny. I'm disappointed in you, too."

Percy gently helped Sabrina up. Then, without warning, he slapped me across the face.

"Now you know what it feels like to get hit. Remember this. This is what you owe Sabrina."

My face burned with pain. It was the first time he'd ever hit me.

The bitterness in my chest surged. I strode up, about to hit him back, when my boss, Derek Moore, hurried over and stopped me.

He was Percy's friend, and he'd been my classmate in college. His family ran a huge jewelry company. He'd hired me straight in because he valued my design work.

Derek didn't want to piss Percy off, but he also didn't want to lose me. So he could only stand there playing peacemaker, wiping sweat from his forehead as he tried to smooth things over.

But Percy's anger didn't ease at all. "Fire her. Cut off her income. Let's see if she still dares to go against me."

Derek obviously didn't want to lose a capable employee. After a brief pause, he said awkwardly, "We have a branch overseas. I can transfer her there. That way, you won't have to see her, and you won't be annoyed."

Percy considered it, then sneered at me. "Fine. Send her abroad for a while. Let her stay there and get that nasty temper beaten out of her. When I decide to forgive her, she can come back."

That overseas branch happened to be in the same city as Julian's, so I agreed on the spot.

…

The next day, I boarded a flight overseas. Right before boarding, I received a text from Percy.

"Take some time to reflect on yourself. If you behave well, I'll bring you back."

I didn't text him back.

While I was abroad, I lived with Julian. We were happy together, and it didn't take long before I became pregnant.

The next time I saw Percy was at Julian's company. He'd come to talk about investment.

The second he spotted me, surprise flickered across his face.

"Maisie, I was just about to come get you and bring you back. Why'd you rush over to see me? It's not like I'd break my word."