I searched every corner of the house but couldn't find the pendant. Just as I was about to call Vivian, the front door opened, and a strong smell of alcohol drifted in.

Vivian leaned weakly against Jason. When she spotted me in the living room, she pulled free and spoke with a hint of urgency, "Noah, didn't you hear me calling you?"

But soon, her urgency turned into anger the moment she saw the suitcase by my feet.

She stumbled forward and grabbed me by the collar. "For a second, I actually thought you had learned your lesson. Noah, have I been too lenient with you? Is that why you think you can joke about leaving?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she slapped me across the face. The blow was unusually strong, maybe because she had been drinking. "If you ever threaten me with leaving again, I'll break both of your legs."

Vivian looked completely unhinged. It was the first time I had ever seen her like this.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and said evenly, "This isn't a threat. It's a notice. I'm going home."

Vivian's chest began to heave.

Jason spoke gently, soothing her with just a few words, "Viv, calm down. Noah is probably just too upset and needs some air. There's no way he'd actually leave you. Let me take you back to your room to rest."

"Noah, there won't be a next time," Vivian said.

She took several deep breaths. In the end, she shot me a sharp glare and returned to the bedroom with Jason supporting her.

Within moments, laughter and playful sounds spilled out from behind the bedroom door. It was as if everything that had just happened hadn't affected Vivian's mood at all. I looked at the half-open door for a long moment, then slowly zipped up my suitcase.

Before I could leave, the bedroom door opened, and Jason stepped out. The moment the door closed, the flattery on his face turned into mockery.

He spoke like a host trying to coax a guest to stay, "Noah, it's so late. Where are you going? Aren't you staying another night?"

I had no interest in humoring him and picked up my suitcase. Jason quickly stepped forward, blocked my path, and yanked at his tie.

"Drop the act," he said. "Everyone in Ravenport knows you can't live without Vivian. 'Noah is always there, while the men around Vivian come and go.' That saying didn't come out of nowhere.

"I know I'm only temporary. Once I get my money this year, I'll leave right away. So, how about we make a deal?"

Jason patted my shoulder as if we were close. "You stay out of my way, and I'll speak well of you to Vivian. Maybe you'll actually become the Grayson family's son-in-law next year."

His tone was flippant, his eyes full of disdain. "What do you say? If that's not enough, I promise not to wear her out every night so she still has some energy left for you. How's that?"

I took a step to the side to go around him. "No, thanks. Do whatever you want."

But he wouldn't let up. "I've only slept with your girlfriend a couple of times. It's not like I'm the only one who's done it. You didn't say a word about all the others before me, so what's with the act now? Man to man, just give me a straight answer. Deal or not?"

I was sick of listening to him. As I pushed past him, I suddenly caught a glimpse of the pendant hanging around his neck.

I thought I wouldn't lose my temper because of Vivian anymore, but the moment I saw the pendant, my anger flared up. I grabbed Jason by the throat.

I forced the words out slowly, one by one, through gritted teeth, "Why is this pendant with you?"

Jason was visibly startled. Once he collected himself, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He knocked my hand away, then removed the pendant and turned it over in his fingers.

He asked, "You actually care that much about this piece of junk? How about this? If you agree to my terms, I'll give it back. What do you say?"

I panted as the memory of that night with Vivian surfaced in my mind.

I had told her, "Viv, this pendant is what my grandma left me before she passed away. She said she wanted her future granddaughter-in-law to have it someday."

Back then, Vivian had sworn to me with red-rimmed eyes that she would never lose it.

Now, I practically shouted at Jason, "Give it back to me!"

At that moment, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Jason's expression shifted instantly. With a mocking sneer, he tossed the pendant aside and fell backward. The pendant hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

Vivian's voice was cold. "Noah, how far are you going to take this?"

She moved in front of Jason and checked on him with visible concern.

My gaze never left the shattered pendant. I slowly crouched beside it and gathered the fragments piece by piece.

Before I could finish, Vivian stood up and drove her foot hard into my shoulder. Caught off guard, I fell to the ground. The fragments sliced across my face, and warm blood ran down my skin.

A flicker of concern flashed in Vivian's eyes before she masked it. "I thought that after all these years, you'd at least learned how to be a decent partner. But now, it seems you've been rotten to the core all along."

She crouched and closed her hand around my throat. "You said that you wanted to stand by my side forever, but look at yourself. How could someone like you ever be worthy of being the Grayson family's son-in-law?

"I put in so much effort teaching you how to carry yourself, and this is what you learned? Get on your knees and apologize to Jason. Otherwise, don't ever think about standing next to me again."

I laughed and shoved her hand away. "No need. You have plenty of people around you, so there's no reason for me to squeeze in."

With alcohol in her system, the push sent her stumbling, and she nearly fell to the floor. She stared at me in disbelief, as if it had never occurred to her that I would defy her.

Her voice was full of anger, yet there was a slight tremor. "Noah, I told you to get on your knees and apologize to Jason. If you walk out that door today, don't ever come back."

I paused as I reached the door. "I already told you. We're done."

I slammed the door shut, ending this failed relationship for good.

Before I boarded the plane, Jason sent me a nude photo of Vivian along with a voice message.

He laughed and said, "I really have to thank you. I've never seen such a wild side of her before. Though I have to say, when things got intense, she was still calling out your name."

I felt nothing. I tossed my phone into the trash can beside me without a second thought and boarded my flight to the other side of the ocean.

…

Early the next morning, Vivian rubbed her head and sat up. She reached over to her side out of habit, but the thermos of warm water that was always there was gone.

She frowned slightly. "Noah, get me some warm water. Noah!"

She called my name several times, her voice shifting from irritation to panic. In the end, her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.