Chapter 4

Cecilia's eyes widened in shock and lunged forward. "Give me back that bracelet." Larry acted like he didn't hear a word, glaring at her fiercely. "I'm not giving it back. Dad says everything in the house is mine." She had had enough and reached out to grab the bracelet, but he was quicker and threw it on the floor. It hit the floor with a crack and shattered into pieces. Cecilia's eyes went wide as she scrambled to collect the broken bits. She didn't realize Larry had fallen from Delilah's arms and smacked his head hard on the table corner. … Meanwhile, Shaun and Alice heard the noise and made their way downstairs. Alice went pale at the sight of Larry crying and bleeding. She hurried over and wrapped him in her arms. "What happened to your head?" Larry immediately pointed at Cecelia, bawling his eyes out. "That mean woman hit me, Mom." Delilah chimed in, "Larry only knocked into the bracelet by accident, and Cece freaked out on him." Shaun's eyes fell on the broken bracelet lying on the ground, his brows furrowing. "Is this how you raise your kid, Alice? Didn't you ever tell him what is off-limits?" After being reprimanded, Alice's eyes welled up as she bit her lip. "I-I'll get Larry's injury taken care of first." With that, Alice and Larry were gone. Shaun finally walked up to Cecelia. She trembled as she picked up the pieces of the bracelet on the floor. Watching the scene unfold, he swallowed and tried to soothe her patiently. "It's just a bracelet. What if it's broken? Worst case, I'll buy you ten identical ones. Don't be upset." She snapped her head up at him, her eyes puffy from crying. "It's not just a bracelet. Look closely. This is something Mom left me." Shaun was momentarily stunned, then softened his tone. "Alright. Don't get worked up. We'll find a way to have it fixed." Cecelia couldn't take it anymore, tears streaming down her face. "He destroyed something I value more than anything, and you plan to brush it off just like that?" He complained, "What else do you want?" She stated, "He has to apologize to me." His patience started wearing thin. "But he's just a five-year-old kid. "You can't just lose all your patience with him because he's someone else's kid, Cece." Cecelia suddenly burst into laughter, her expression sharp with irony. "Just some other kid, huh? I almost forgot to ask, Shaun. What is the deal with the kid? Is he your illegitimate son?" Shaun's expression changed drastically, and he firmly denied it. "That is Alice's child with another man. Your dad felt bad that you couldn't have children, so he talked to me about adopting Larry to keep you company. "I've already said you're the only woman I'll ever love, Cece. Why are you doubting me? Are you trying to drive me crazy?" Delilah also tried to smooth things over. "That is right, Cece. Everyone knows Shaun treasures you more than anything. He only said yes because he was worried you would be lonely. This was all for your sake." Watching them put on their fake act made Cecelia's stomach turn, and she felt like she might throw up. She gathered the shards on the floor into her palm, as if piecing together her own broken heart. Then, she slowly got to her feet and said calmly, "In that case, thanks for your thought. But I can't accept such a dubious gift." She was about to leave. When the visa went through, she would be free of this suffocating prison. When that time came, everything and everyone here would be out of her life for good. Cecelia spent the entire afternoon asking people about fixing the bracelet. … As evening fell, the door was pushed open. After walking in, Alice grinned menacingly and dropped the innocent act she had shown in front of everyone. She cut to the chase. "I want you to divorce Shaun, Cecelia."