I Bled in Silence, You Died in Guilt

My heart felt like ice. I kept telling myself that I'd be leaving soon and that it was just a car, so it wasn't worth getting upset over.

But the more I thought about it, the colder I felt. I'd been with Jasper for over twenty years, yet I couldn't compare to Yvonne, who had only been in his life for three months.

Seemingly noticing my gaze, Jasper seemed to remember something and explained, "Hazel, I told you about this car. Yvonne's boyfriend asked me to buy it."

His lie was so clumsy that I didn't even want to expose it.

I excused myself to the bathroom, splashing my face with cold water. I kept reminding myself that I'd be free of this place in just three days.

My phone buzzed suddenly. The lawyer had sent over the finalized agreement. I forwarded my resignation letter along with it to Jasper.

When I returned to the living room, Jasper saw the documents and immediately swiped the notification away. Then he looked up at me and asked.

"Is the document you sent urgent? I'll sign it after I help Evie pick out her car."

"Evie," that affectionate nickname from across the way. It's a shame I didn't realize what it meant back then.

I scoffed inwardly, composed myself and said calmly, "It's very urgent. I need you to sign it now."

Jasper frowned, seemingly annoyed. "Can't it wait a bit?"

"That's my resigna … " Before I could finish, Yvonne's voice cut me off. She looked sweet and considerate.

"Jasper, please sign the document first! The car can wait."

Only then did Jasper reopen the file. He barely glanced at it, quickly skimmed through a few lines, signed at the bottom and promptly sent it back to me.

Then, he went back to helping Yvonne look at cars. If Yvonne wasn't satisfied with something, he immediately agreed to have it customized.

At that moment, the man who always claimed to be too busy for me suddenly wasn't busy at all.

I looked at the document on my phone, a pang of bitterness in my chest. Was this Jasper's trust in me? Or was it just complete indifference?

Yvonne suddenly hugged my arm. "Hazel, could you lend me Jasper for a day? I want to customize the car, please?"

Before I could answer, Jasper spoke up. "Hazel's not the petty type. I'll go with you."

He picked up the car keys and left with Yvonne. As they walked out, he kept glancing back at her like he couldn't take his eyes off her.

I stood on the balcony, watching as they drove away. The car sped off and all the strength drained from my body.

Back in my room, I picked up the violet necklace Jasper had given me. It was a gift for my eighteenth birthday.

Back then, he was poor. He spent all his part-time earnings to buy me that necklace. He put it around my neck, his eyes tender and full of affection.

"Hazel, the violet symbolizes eternal love. I can't give you the best right now, but will you wait for me? I promise I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."

I believed it, but over the years, as his status grew, my wounds increased.

The happiest woman? Now, he was a big shot, capable of making any woman in the world happy, but that woman was no longer me.