Chapter 5 - Shattered Pride

Isabel’s POV

The jewelry shop’s overhead light glinted off the bracelet in my hand. The little gemstones casted tiny reflections around the room. The bracelet had been a gift from Emerson. A symbol of a love that now felt like a cruel joke.

“Wow, that's a beautiful bracelet!” Lilith’s voice broke through my thoughts, dripping with feigned admiration.

She turned to Emerson, her brown eyes wide with innocent concern. “Isabel must be short of money if she's selling her jewelry. Should we help her?”

Emerson’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me. He snapped, saying how this behavior humiliates him, and his family. His voice was low and menacing.

I bristled at his accusation. “Humiliate you? You’re the one who insisted I give up my job to raise our child. I had no income and never asked you for extra money.” 

“I do need money, but not for myself,” I continued, my voice shaking with anger and desperation. “I need it to help my father. Since you refuse to help him, I have to figure it out on my own.”

Lilith stepped closer, still cradling the baby. “Darling,” she said, her tone saccharine, “may I help her? She looks so pathetic.”

Her words sliced through me. “Oh please, cut the act, Lilith. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost my child, or my husband. I don't need charity from a mistress who’s willing to kill a baby!” I spat, unable to contain my rage.

Emerson’s face contorted with anger. “What are you talking about, Isabel? You both fell off the stairs by accident.” He reached out and grabbed my arm. His grip was so tight it sent waves of pain shooting up my arm. “Apologize to her. Now,” he demanded, his voice icy.

“No way!” I yanked my arm free, my voice rising. “I’d rather die before I apologize!”

“Don't you want to save your father? How dare you speak to us like that!” Emerson’s words were like a punch to the gut.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You always know how to hurt me, Emerson. Sometimes I wonder… if I were dead, would you shed a tear for me?”

His face hardened further, but he said nothing. I turned and fled from the shop. My tears finally spilled over as I pushed through the door and into the rain.

The sky was a somber gray. The rain was pouring down in relentless sheets. I walked aimlessly. The cold water soaked through my clothes and chilled me to the bone. My heart felt like it was shattering with each step. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to shake off the despair that threatened to swallow me whole.

Seeing Emerson and Lilith with their baby made my pain unbearable. How could he cheat on me? How could he leave me for a murderer? How did their evil get rewarded with the greatest gift - a baby? Meanwhile, I was here, facing such great loss alone. I was so worried about my father. I couldn’t lose him too! And I couldn’t help him. Even selling the bracelet wasn’t enough. I was all alone. No one could help me.

My head started aching. I stopped, pressing my hands to my temples. I was distracted for only a moment. Just then, I felt a sharp blow to my side. 

A figure darted past me. My purse was suddenly gone. Panic surged through me as I realized that the money in my purse was meant to save my father. Devastation washed over me. 

I tried to chase after the thief. “Stop the thief! Please! Somebody help me!” I ran as fast as I could. But my legs felt like lead. I was too slow. Too weak. The thief cut around a corner and disappeared out of sight.

My strength abandoned me. I collapsed onto the pavement. Tears streamed down my face. I felt utterly defeated, as if the universe itself were conspiring against me. I sobbed. Things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Everything I had fought for felt meaningless now. I had lost my baby, only to be betrayed by the father—the man I had once loved with all my heart. The tumor inside me was a constant reminder that my time was running out. My father, the only family I had left, was wasting away. And now, the little money I had managed to gather was gone. 

I watched the vehicles rush by, their headlights blurring through my tears. And for a brief, terrifying moment, I wondered if it would be easier to just let go. To step into the street and end this endless pain.

In that moment of utter hopelessness, the thought of death seemed almost comforting. Perhaps this should be the end of me. Quick and sudden. Better than letting the cancer slowly destroy me from within. 

I stepped numbly toward the edge of the pavement, ready to surrender. But just as I was about to take that final step, a voice pulled me back. "Excuse me?"

I turned, startled. Through my tears, I saw a hand holding my purse extended toward me.

"Is this yours?" the figure asked. His voice sounded strangely familiar.