The Quiet Betrayal

I didn’t know if she did it on purpose, but whenever Harry gave me something, Chloe always showed great interest. She would cling, pout, and wheedle until she got her way, and I never argued. Whatever she wanted, I gave her, including Harry himself.

In the end, I decided not to keep anything. I only packed a few changes of clothes and daily necessities before leaving what used to be my room, but now was hers.

As I walked past Chloe, she suddenly reached out and pulled a moonstone pendant from my pocket.

“No! Not that one!” My face went pale, and I lunged to take it back.

I could give her anything, but not that. It was the only keepsake my mother left me, and I treasured it deeply. Normally, I kept it safely tucked away in a small jewelry box, but today, in my rush, I had slipped it into my pocket instead.

Chloe let out a small cry, clutching her stomach as if she might fall.

“Careful!”

Harry shoved past me, striding straight toward Chloe to catch her.

I hadn’t expected it, and the impact sent me crashing into the sharp corner of the vanity table.

Harry didn’t even notice. His eyes stayed fixed on Chloe’s stomach as he said with a trace of concern, “The doctor said your pregnancy isn’t stable. You need rest. Don’t move around so much.”

Ignoring the searing pain in my back, my gaze locked onto the pendant in her hand.

My voice trembled as I said, “Ms. Finley, that’s my mother’s keepsake. Please, give it back to me.”

Only then did Harry glance at what Chloe was holding. His brow furrowed.

“If you like pendants, I’ll buy you a better one at the auction. This one’s too ugly. Give it back to her.”

Chloe pouted, hesitating for a long while before finally sighing. “Fine.”

She held the pendant loosely between two fingers and extended it toward me.

“Here. I don’t want it anymore.”

My heart leapt to my throat, and I carefully reached out to take it. However, just as my fingers brushed it, Chloe let go.

The pendant slipped past my hand and fell straight to the ground. With a sharp crack, it shattered into two.

I froze in place, my mind going blank.

Chloe feigned surprise, covering her mouth. “Oh no! I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t holding it properly.”

Then, she tugged at Harry’s sleeve, tears sliding silently down her face.

“What should I do? Lianne must hate me now. I swear, I didn’t mean it…”

I said nothing. I just stared at the broken pendant on the floor, my eyes hollow and full of despair.

Harry pressed his lips together and bent down to pick up the fragments. No matter how carefully he pieced them together, they wouldn’t fit.

He sighed softly. “This was Chloe’s fault. I’ll find the best jeweler and have them make an identical one for you. Can you forgive her?”

Just as I was about to respond, the wolf at his side yawned, and I heard him say, “Do you even remember what that pendant originally looked like? No? Then how are you going to make an identical one? You liar! Haha, you’ll just find something similar and hand it over, right? And she won’t even know the difference. After all, don’t all pendants look the same?”

I fell silent, swallowing down the urge to cry.

“It’s fine. Just throw it away. I don’t want it anymore.”

Of course, I could recognize it. Every crack and every mark on that pendant was etched clearly in my memory. However, once something was broken, it could never be restored to what it was, no matter how hard he tried. Even if he remade it to look exactly the same, it wouldn’t carry the same meaning, just like my feelings for Harry.

Since they couldn’t go back to how they used to be, I might as well let it all go.