Chapter 9
I held the ring out in front of Harley and showed him the inscription on the inside band. The once–smooth inner circle had been engraved.
There were now two neatly carved names on it: “Harley & Megan“.
It was just as I expected. I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. Harley opened his mouth to explain, but I cut him off.
“Perhaps you never did anything unforgivable, but your heart already chose her. Her name is now woven into every moment of our lives.
“Maybe it’s you ordering her favorite food without thinking. Or maybe it’s something you mutter in your sleep.
“If I’m going to forgive you, it means I’ll have to forgive every single image in my mind of you betraying me. I’ll have to forgive the version of myself that once tore herself apart for the two of you. And you–you’ll have to endure my doubts and my suspicions, again and again.
“Be honest with yourself, Harley. Can you really live with
Harley said nothing. He stood there, frozen, and his eyes turned red. Even so, I knew he already had the answer.
“This is where it ends,” I said softly.
I didn’t look at him again. I simply turned and walked away.
”
This time, Harley didn’t chase after me. But behind me, I heard him break down into sobs. In that cry, I could sense regret and despair. But I knew it wasn’t because he truly regretted what he’d done. It was because he never expected the consequences to be this severe.
Even if he were given the chance to do it all over again, he would still choose the same path.
As expected, Harley lost the lawsuit. The opposing party demanded triple the deposit in compensation, bringing the total to nearly a million.
With the company’s cash flow running dry, Harley used up all his savings and sold everything valuable he owned. Even so, he still came up short by several hundred thousand. Desperate, he finally decided to sell the small house he had secretly purchased before.
But it was only when he attempted to sell the house that he discovered the ownership had already been transferred. The name on the deed was now Megan Cavanaugh.
No one was surprised when the news came out. Harley had trusted her so much back then, so transferring ownership must’ve been effortless.
“Harley, you said it yourself that you were giving me this house, so I transferred it. What’s the problem?” Megan said.
When Harley found her, she was sprawled lazily on the couch. She was popping freshly washed red grapes into her mouth. On the table were orange peels and half- eaten takeout containers.
She’d vanished for so long, and Harley had been unable to reach her no matter how hard he tried. As it turned out, she’d been hiding here the entire time. Harley was so furious that he nearly exploded. “This house was never meant for you! Get out- -I don’t want to see you again!”
“Well, that’s not up to you,” Megan replied smugly, flashing the property deed. “It’s got my name on it now.”
She thought everything was sewn up perfectly and that Harley couldn’t touch her now. He simply let out a bitter laugh. Then, he turned and went straight to the police.
After presenting proof that he had funded the purchase, not only did he successfully reclaim the property, but he also pressed charges against Megan, Unfortunately, Harley’s years of indulgence had left a trail too clean. There wasn’t enough solid evidence to make her pay restitution. In the end, Megan was detained for fifteen days and then released.
After she was released, Megan stormed off to confront Harley and aired all his dirty laundry in a live stream online. With nothing but a pretty face, Megan quickly became viral.
Meanwhile, Harley was exposed for being unfaithful during his marriage. The fallout snowballed, and his reputation kept sinking until it was completely ruined. Business partners were affected, and within a month, the company’s cash flow collapsed. The business went bankrupt and was forced into liquidation.
In the end, Harley arranged to meet with her. No one knew what was said, but whatever it was, their argument escalated. And then, the two of them jumped into a
river.
Harley drowned that day. Megan was discovered and rescued in time, but something happened to her mind.
she wandered around in a mafic state, telling everyone she was rich. At times, she even turned violent. Eventually, the police had no choice but to commit her to a paychiatric hospital.
When I heard the news, I had already been promoted twice at my new company. I had even bought a new home nearby.
And I had started dating someone new a man who didn’t care about my past.
On the day we were planning our honeymoon, he suddenly looked at me with a mysterious smile and asked what I thought a honeymoon was worth
thought about it for a moment
Tp someone in love, it’s priceless. To someone who isn’t. I suppose it’s outrageously expensive.”
As for the true worth at our honeymoon? I supposed only time could tell but even after all the scars and heartbreak, I still believed in love that was pure and perfect
