Chapter 5

"That's great!" Abigail smiled coldly and grabbed Joshua's hand before leaving. The wound on my hand hurt so much that it drained my strength. I forced myself to stay strong as I went to the restroom to wash my face. Seeing the crimson-stained water in the sink made me nauseous, and I retched several times. Once I had composed myself, I picked up a crate of wine and returned to the banquet hall. I saw Joshua standing in the center of the crowd, holding Abigail's hand and singing. His eyes were warm as he gazed at her with deep affection, while Abigail smiled back, her gaze never straying from him. It had been so long since I'd seen her smile like that. But I knew that smile well. When we first got together, she would look at me with that same gentle and loving expression. We were the couple everyone envied. I wonder when things got to this point. Maybe I made a mistake. I shouldn't have left her to force her to grow. I had a strong feeling that Abigail was serious about Joshua. They stood at the center of the crowd, drawing admiration and praise from everyone around them. Meanwhile, I was nothing more than a shadow in the corner. All I could do was watch the happy couple from afar. Then, Abigail's eyes suddenly landed on me as if she'd sensed my gaze. She looked at me with a complex expression, her lips parting as if to speak, but she said nothing. "Hey, the waiter's back! What are you standing there for? Go refill the drinks." Eddie crossed his arms and smiled mockingly when he saw me. Since Abigail had no intention of speaking up for me and the others around were watching, eager for the show, I kept silent, taking on the role of the waiter and refilling the drinks. The lights suddenly dimmed as I finished, and a spotlight fell on Abigail and Joshua. Abigail reached into her purse, pulling out a small, ornate box as she walked toward him. "Joshua, I organized this party for you," she said, her gaze tender as she opened the box right before me. Inside was a pair of dazzling rings, each set with brilliant red diamonds that sparkled under the lights. "This pair of rings, known as 'Eternal Love,' is my birthday gift to you." Cheers erupted from the crowd, people clapping and hooting with excitement. I was still her husband, but they paid me no mind. It was as if Joshua were her rightful partner, and they were giving them their blessings. "Joshua, you're so lucky to have Abi's promise of eternal love!" "This is the first time I've seen Abi care so much for a man!" "So, when's the wedding? Don't worry, we'll get you an expensive gift!" I couldn't stand listening to their heartfelt congratulations. I understood that Abigail was doing all this to humiliate me, to provoke a reaction. But tears welled in my eyes when I heard the ring's name. Onstage, Joshua's face lit up as he stepped forward to Abigail, extending his hand for her to slide the ring onto his finger. He wrapped her in a deep embrace. "Abigail, you're too good to me! There's only one of these in the world, right? I heard it went for over 130 thousand dollars at auction. I can't believe you bought it just for me. Thank you, Abigail!" he exclaimed, gazing at the ring. I lowered my head, overwhelmed with emotions. That ring was my grandmother's heirloom. I'd given it to Abigail as a symbol of my commitment when I first confessed my love. Later, when her business was on the brink, I pawned it to help her through the crisis. Now, the first thing she did after buying it back was to give it to Joshua. It was my grandmother's legacy, and I couldn't bear to see it squandered like this. I marched toward them furiously but stumbled and fell hard on the ground. Abigail gasped and rushed to my side, trying to help me up. "Are you alright?" she asked with concern, but I found it revolting. I'd had enough of her pretense. I shoved her hand away and struggled to stand on my own. Abigail froze, embarrassed that I'd brushed her off in front of everyone. Her eyes turned cold, and she glared at me. "Samuel, what exactly do you think you're doing?" Her question made me laugh bitterly. Here I was, a man with maybe a year left to live, being asked what I was trying to achieve. I was already living on borrowed time. Yet here was Abigail, guarding me as if I were a threat to her new lover. The wound on my hand was throbbing. The fall probably reopened the fresh wounds. I felt like a fool being humiliated before the crowd. I walked toward Joshua and ordered, "Give it back." "What do you mean, Samuel? This is Abigail's gift for me!" Joshua was the best at putting up an innocent act. At this moment, he looked like the innocent victim, while I was the evil villain trying to steal what was his. "Give it back!" I was so furious I pushed him and grabbed the ring back. I would not allow my grandmother's heirloom to fall into the hands of another man. "Ouch! That hurts!" Joshua hissed and glared at me with hatred as if he was ready to lash out anytime. I ignored him and inspected the ring carefully. Relief washed over me when I saw it was intact. "Abigail, look at him! Why is he doing this?" Joshua whined, clutching onto Abigail. But Abigail's eyes were fixed on me as she waited for my response. I stared at him and uttered, "Abigail, I don't care what you give him. Anything but this ring." Abigail yelled, "Why? I bought this ring. It has nothing to do with you." "How dare you say that? You don't deserve this ring!" I laughed bitterly as I gripped the ring tightly in my hand.