Using Up My Love

Vincent's collaborator hosted a baby shower for his son, and Vincent brought both Queenie and me along.

Halfway through the party, Queenie suddenly cried in alarm and pointed at the pool. "My necklace! It fell into the pool!"

Her voice cracked with an oncoming sob, and her eyes were red around the edges.

At once, Vincent crossed over to her and looked down at the pool. He was about to seek out the maids for help when Queenie clutched his arm, her voice trembling as she said, "Vincent, that necklace was a gift from you. What if the maids don't handle it carefully and end up breaking it?"

Vincent's brows drew together. His gaze swept across the edge of the pool and finally landed on me. He approached me and said hushedly, "Help Queenie retrieve the necklace."

I fixed him with a stare that seemed to ask, "Why should I?" The weather at the beginning of spring was already cold, to begin with, and the pool water was freezing. Moreover, I'd just miscarried not long ago, and my body was so feeble that even walking was difficult.

However, Vincent's gaze on me was unyielding, and he even mouthed the words, "Love coupon."

A chuckle escaped me then. I lowered my head to hide the tears rolling down my cheeks, shrugged off my jacket without hesitation, and headed straight for the pool.

The crowd threw surprised looks at me. Someone tried to stop me. "Mrs. Harper, the water's too cold, and your body hasn't completely recovered yet. Don't go in the pool!"

Vincent merely watched impassively, saying nothing.

I took a deep breath and jumped into the pool. The icy water swallowed me, the stinging cold biting my skin and chilling my bones. My limbs practically turned numb.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself to swim toward the necklace and scooped it up with trembling fingers.

When I hoisted myself up over the pool's edge, completely soaked, Vincent immediately took a towel and draped it over me. His voice was laced with concern as he said, "Dry yourself, honey. I don't want you catching a cold."

I tossed the towel aside and shot him a withering look.

He pulled me into his arms and murmured, "Don't be angry. I'll buy you your favorite Erilean food when we get home. And don't be too hard on Queenie. She's had it rough for the last few years."

I stopped listening to him and smacked his arm away, leaving to change out of my wet clothes. Inside the changing room, I was still shaking from the cold even after I'd changed clothes, and my face was shockingly pale.

I was about to leave when Queenie cut me off. She was toying with the necklace I'd retrieved from the swimming pool, a trace of contempt and disdain shining in her eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work." She chuckled, her tone full of mockery. "But this necklace means nothing to me now."

With that, she tossed the necklace into the trash bin beside us, her movements light and carefree as if the trinket were nothing more than junk.

I stared at her, my heart tightening painfully. However, I was too drained and weak even to speak.

But Queenie had no plans to let me leave just yet. She stepped forward and eyed me defiantly, goading me. "You know what? I will always have a special spot in Vincent's heart. You can try all you want, but you'll never mean as much to him as I do."

I looked down, not wanting to listen to her anymore. I turned to leave.

Angered by my lack of response, Queenie shoved me. It wasn't a hard shove, but I was already weak. My body swayed, and I quickly dodged to the side.

Queenie hadn't expected me to dodge. She lost her footing and fell. She screamed as she hit the floor, landing on her bottom.

At that moment, Vincent burst into the changing room. His face darkened when he saw Queenie on the ground. He hurried over to her and crouched to help her up, his voice full of concern as he asked, "Are you alright, Queenie?"

Queenie clutched his arm, her eyes turning red with tears as her voice cracked. "I'm fine, Vincent… It's just that… Maeve… She… I didn't think she'd do this…"

Vincent looked up at me, his eyes full of anger and disappointment. "How could you do this? Queenie only came here to apologize to you, and you pushed her? When did you become so petty and cruel?"

I opened my mouth to explain, but my throat hurt so much that I couldn't make a single sound.

Meanwhile, Queenie continued adding fuel to the fire, her voice so soft that one would believe she was the victim. "Vincent, don't blame Maeve. Maybe I said something that rubbed her the wrong way just now…"

Vincent's expression grew grim when he heard this. He rose to his feet and eyed me frostily. "You're not going home until you've apologized to Queenie today."

I stared at him and felt the last flicker of hope in me extinguish. I looked down and chuckled lightly, then left without so much as a backward glance. I heard Vincent's furious shouts and Queenie's sobs, but I didn't care.

When I got into the car, Mom called to inform me that the divorce papers were ready.

I returned home and packed up my things. Just as I was about to leave, Vincent called me. While answering the phone, I accidentally knocked the rose quartz bracelet he'd crafted for me against a hard surface, causing it to crack and shatter into pieces.

I gaped at the rose quartz fragments littering the floor and felt an inexplicable rush of relief. Perhaps it was for the best that the bracelet shattered. It was long overdue, much like the end of our marriage.

On the other end of the line, Vincent sounded anxious. "Why did you take so long to pick up? Listen, I'll overlook the fact that you hurt Queenie today. I know I haven't been giving you much attention recently, so I plan to take you out on a date to help you unwind, and we can just talk."

I snorted, my voice devoid of warmth as I said, "No need for that, Vincent. You've used up all the love coupons. Let's get a divorce."

For a few seconds, there was only silence on the other line. Then, Vincent demanded frantically, "What are you talking about? I've still got 20 or so love coupons, don't I?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I slowly said, "Didn't you know? You used the last one when you asked me to jump into the pool."