He comforted me softly, as usual, thinking that I would obey his words without any objections as I had done in the past. Without missing a beat, he walked toward Crystal, leaning over to pick her up bridal-style and walking away from the crowd.
Staring at the ring in my hand, a lump began to form in my throat. I truly was stupid. I had loved Lyle for way too long; it was to the extent that I would risk my own safety for his, forsaking everything to push him out of the way because I could not bear to see him hurt.
Deep down in my heart, I still loved the man, even after the countless times I thought I had given up. That was the true reason I was reluctant to divorce him, and it was a truth that I could not deny. If that were not true, I would not have kept this ring with me.
After a few minutes of shocked silence, the reporters hurriedly began snapping photos of us. Lyle was carrying Crystal while I, his wife, was bleeding on my own, abandoned in a corner. I sucked in a deep breath before declaring, “Lyle Smith, there is no more ‘our house.’ And definitely no home.”
With that, I swung my arm out, throwing the ring toward him. Even amidst the cacophony in the restaurant, I could hear the sound the ring made as it hit the ground. I could hear my heart break as I watched the ring fall.
“Miss, are you the secret wife of Lyle Smith, the CEO of the Smith Corporation? How did the two of you get married? Was he the one who cheated, or were you the one who got in between him and Ms. Yates?”
“Mrs. Smith, you must be the mistress of the Tanner household. Can you tell us the story between your husband and Ms. Yates? As for the divorce you mentioned, was that for real or for show?”
Numerous voices and questions rang in my ear. A dull ache on my face was caused by a microphone being thrust toward me. The reporters had turned all their attention at me after Lyle had told them off.
Seeing the excitement written all over their faces, their voices became a buzz. I could not make sense of what they were saying.
Soon, my vision began to blur. Reality seemed to be distorted. I could see the mouths of the reporters moving, but I could no longer hear what they were saying. After risking my own life to save Lyle, he abandoned me by myself in front of all those pesky reporters. I truly am stupid.
Out of the blue, someone squeezed through the crowd and headed toward me. It was Christopher. He furiously pushed aside the reporters, his eyes not leaving mine. In that second, I could see all the hurt and disappointment in his eyes, yet I could tell he was worried. I was reminded of the time he had given me the same look at the hotel. Sudden clarity flashed through the back of my mind – I had let Christopher down.
He had been so good to me, yet I had pushed away his kindness to get to Lyle and even putting myself in danger in the process. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to tell him he should not be so good to me. After all, I was just a haggard wife who was disdained by even her own husband. I had no money, no looks, and no talent.
However, no matter how hard I tried, I could not seem to speak. The world began spinning around me. At the next second, I thought reality had been altered. How did all these people grow so tall? How are they towering over me? I don’t want to be stepped on… The more I tried to stand, the darker my vision got. The last thing I saw was a familiar handsome face.
Right before I lost consciousness, I managed to blurt, “I’m sorry!”
I started dreaming. I knew I was dreaming because I saw my mother. She was a gentle, demure woman. Unlike how pretentious and hypocritical Crystal was, Mom carried herself with grace and elegance, as if she had walked out of a painting of the Victorian era.
Her voice was always soft and gentle, sounding like a lullaby, and her smile was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. She loved me deeply and was always attentive. She would listen patiently as I rambled on about my likes and dislikes. I told her I wanted to become an artist when I grew up, so I could draw her beautiful smile.
When she heard that, she kissed my cheeks with a smile, assuring me that I would be the best artist in the whole world. I held out a bunch of quality markers in my small hands and walked toward my father then, asking him if I could draw his smile after I drew my mother’s. I wanted to capture the smiles of the two people I loved most, in the most detailed way possible, so that I could keep it with me forever.
