Chapter 3
Years ago, Arlette endured relentless harassment from Winnie, mistakenly believing that Winnie couldn’t stand to let go of Maximo. Later, when Arlette was set to marry Maximo and was pregnant with his child, Winnie forged a farewell letter to halt everything. Arlette couldn’t grasp the twisted logic behind such an act—to deliberately become pregnant by another man, risking her dignity and life, just to frame her.
“It’s all because of you!” Winnie interjected, her gaze filled with fury. “You never should have come then, and you shouldn’t be here now! Anyone who tries to take my brother from me must pay!” She sneered, her lips curling with malice. “I’ll tell you, that broken necklace is in the garden pond. They’re dredging it tomorrow; you still have time to get it.”
The unspoken accusation hung in the air. Arlette couldn’t fathom the depth of Winnie’s malice nor whether Maximo understood the extent of his sister’s obsession. She only felt a profound disgust. Why must her family suffer due to the siblings’ sordid desires? Her parents had been hounded to death by public scrutiny, and Winnie denied Arlette even her final solace.
With a sudden surge of determination, Arlette got to her feet and headed towards the garden pond.
A loud splash disrupted the pond’s placid surface, hard-won after the rainstorm. Waves collided and burst into delicate sprays of water. The pond gradually calmed as Arlette emerged from the depths. Her skin was ghostly pale, but her cheeks had an unnatural flush. Ignoring her pain, she dove back into the frigid water, letting it pound against her eardrums, invade her nostrils, and steal her breath.
Arlette sank to the bottom, her hands weak and heavy as she searched. Stones cut into her skin, blood swirling and mingling in the water. Again and again, she dove and resurfaced, her blood staining the water a sinister, rusty red.
Fortunately, after all Winnie’s lies, this time she spoke the truth. Arlette found the necklace. Clutching it tightly, a smile began to form, only to fade as exhaustion washed over her. She felt countless hands pulling her into the depths, her vision gradually losing color, memories flashing before her eyes like a film reel. She saw Maximo’s face.
As her eyelids drooped, she caught a final glimpse of him diving into the water, shattering the sweet and cruel monochrome images, mixing the light into a mosaic of shattered gold. He reached out to her, but with her last ounce of strength, she eluded him. If she could start over, if there were another life, if she could survive—she never wanted to meet him again.
In a daze, consciousness slipped away, until Arlette finally opened her heavy eyes to a stark white ceiling. The acrid scent of disinfectant filled her lungs, each breath tugging painfully at her chest. She was alive.
“The necklace.” Arlette’s right hand felt empty, cold sweat soaking her back. She tried to sit up, but her weak limbs pulled her back down.
The IV needle on the back of her hand tugged painfully, dark red blood spilling into the tube like a serpent’s tongue.
“Risking your life for a necklace?” Maximo tossed the necklace at her with a derisive scoff, his voice thick with bitterness. It struck her painfully, but Arlette clutched the necklace in joy, tears of relief streaming down her face. Maximo’s voice dripped with disdain.
“Even someone as heartless as you cares for something?” Arlette traced the design on the pendant, hot tears sliding from her eyes.
Maximo’s expression turned grim with anger. “Was your parents’ death truly that painful for you, Arlette? You have family, yet you almost had Winnie killed so many times! Why?”
Arlette lowered her gaze, hiding the irony in her eyes, as she put the necklace back on and gripped the pendant. Each time, it was she who faced death. He refused to listen, refused to see, blind to the truth.