Years of Love Reduced to Nothing

"Mr. Hall, you’re flattering me. This new collection is a collaboration between Mr. North and me. Without his diamond ring design, no matter how exquisite my necklace may look, it would merely be a decoration," said Sunny.

So, the so-called “surprise” turned out to be a necklace designed by Sunny.

At this press conference, not only was the “Endless Sunshine” ring put on the mark, but also its matching necklace, “The North.”

With a glass of wine in my hand, I walked toward them.

The moment Sebastian saw me, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes. He asked, "Carrie, didn't you say you don't like crowded places? Why are you here ….?"

"What's wrong?" I asked calmly. "Are you afraid I’ll see something I shouldn’t?”

Sebastian forced an awkward smile. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m thrilled you could make it.”

He moved as if to hug me, but his assistant, who just arrived, interrupted. He reminded him it was time for his closing remarks.

“Have a drink first; I’ll come find you later,” he said before leaving with his assistant.

When I was drinking the wine alone, Sunny approached me. She carried herself with the pride of a peacock, her head held high as she flaunted the necklace around her neck.

She greeted me, "Carrie, long time no see. The last time we met was three years ago at your wedding with Kevin, wasn’t it?”

Then she said again, "What a twist of fate, huh? Today is the day you and Sebastian got your marriage certificate, right? However, you don’t have to worry, I wouldn’t dream of intruding.”

She sneered. “It’s almost funny, isn’t it? The men around you always seem to fall for me. Even the wedding ring he designed for you was inspired by the birthmark on my body. He said he couldn’t stop thinking about me.”

As I looked at her smug expression, it was hard to reconcile this version of Sunny with the person I once knew. There was a time when she was my best friend. We attended the same high school, enrolled in the same university and even majored in the same field.

However, ever since she and my ex-husband, Kevin, betrayed me, I severed ties with both of them. After that, it was Sebastian who pulled me out of the depths of despair and helped me heal.

A year into our relationship, I was preparing to enter an Asian jewelry design competition. I had already completed my design sketches and was ready to submit them. However, Sebastian suddenly stopped me. "Carrie, I don’t want you overworking yourself. Didn’t you always dream of opening your own jewelry store? Let me help you make that dream come true. You can pick the location.”

Perhaps when a woman fell in love, it clouded her judgment. In the end, I agreed and withdrew from the competition, to focus on establishing my store.

Meanwhile, Sunny went on to win the championship of that very competition and earned the title of “Expert.”

Turned out Sebastian had gone to great lengths to make Sunny the shining star she is today. He even did it at the expense of betraying someone close to him.

As Sunny continued to toy with her necklace, I noticed its intricate details and felt a pang of familiarity.

Dormant memories stirred and suddenly, then it hit me that her necklace was identical to the design I had planned to submit for that competition years ago.

"Sunny! You …!" I shouted.

Then I stepped forward to reach her necklace. Unexpectedly, she grabbed my hand and yanked it hard.

The next moment, she let out a piercing scream. Along with it, blood splattered from her neck onto my face.

“Ah! It hurts! Carrie, why would you do this to me?” Her shriek turned every head at the press conference toward us.

Before I could react, Sebastian rushed over and slapped me across the face.

Stunned, I clutched my cheek, unable to believe he would treat me like this for Sunny’s sake. The force was so great that not only it snapped Sunny’s necklace and it caused the diamond ring to fall to the floor along with it.