Hot Shower, Cold Heart by Mark Twain 22
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
My hand twitched, barely noticeable. I sniffled quietly, trying to push down the sting in my nose.
Everyone stood there watching, silent-but their eyes said it all.
They suggested taking Leah to the hospital and celebrating her birthday somewhere else.
Before leaving, some guy who’d been chasing after Leah made sure to say loudly, “The only reason I even came to this dump was for Leah.”
“She’s just jealous that Leah’s more popular than her. An old hag starting drama with a kid-disgusting.”
Stellan froze for a second. But he didn’t turn around. He just carried Leah out in silence.
The moment they left, I called a realtor to come list the house.
The agent was confused. “This is a great location. The value’s only going up. You sure you don’t want to wait?”
I just smiled and shook my head.
After the agent left, I sat on the couch and whispered, “Grandma, I’m leaving. I couldn’t keep the house. Please don’t be mad at me.”
My phone buzzed. A message from Stellan.
“You left your necklace at my place. When are you picking it up?”
I opened the photo. It was the necklace he gave me for our tenth anniversary.
A custom Chaumet piece. The ruby at the center caught the light beautifully.
It was stunning. But I felt nothing.
I typed back: “Just keep it for now. I’ll get it later.”
I put my phone down and fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up, Stellan was sitting on the edge of my bed.
His voice was hoarse. “You’re awake. I came to check on you. Brought your necklace.”
I didn’t sit up. I just took it from him and tossed it on the nightstand.
09:57
Hot Shower Cold Heart: How Water Temperature Fanse
Chapter 3
“Thanks. You didn’t have to come all the way here this late.”
He shook his head. “This necklace is different.”
“When I look at it, I think about everything we’ve been through together… We’ve made it through so much. And now we’re fighting over something so small. It’s not worth it.”/
I thought about the past too.
The time I had a fever in the middle of the night, and he drove through a storm to bring me medicine-almost got into an accident.
The time we visited a fortune teller, and she told me I was cursed to live a lonely, bitter life.
Stellan drove to a church in the mountains and climbed the stone steps on his knees, bowing with every step, forehead swollen and bleeding, eyes closed in prayer: “Please let Ella live a safe, happy life.”
When I was diagnosed with uterine cancer and told I could never have children, he got a vasectomy and told his mother he’d made his choice.
Back then, things were so good…
I pulled my hand away. The bruises and needle marks on the back of my hand were still visible.
He ignored them.
“Leah’s been staying at a hotel. She’s miserable. Got food poisoning from takeout and ended up in the hospital. Can we go pick her up and bring her back home?”
I asked flatly, “Bring her back where, Stellan? I told you-I’m selling the house.”
He frowned. “When did you say that? Why would you sell it?”
I sighed. “On Leah’s birthday. I told you I was moving out.”
His jaw tightened. He didn’t say anything.
After a moment, he stood up. “Get some rest. I’m going to check on Leah. She’s sick. She can’t be alone right now.”
I heard the door close behind him.
I waited a few minutes, then got up and deleted his fingerprint from the lock.
I went back to bed and closed my eyes.
Chapter 3
I didn’t sleep all night.
When I got up in the morning, I felt dizzy and bumped into the nightstand.
The necklace fell to the floor.
I didn’t want to damage it, so I picked it up carefully to check for scratches.
That’s when I saw the engraving on the inside:
**”LOVE Leah”**
It was obvious who this necklace was really for.
I walked over to the safe and opened it.
My necklace was sitting inside, untouched. The engraving read: **Ella**
I stared at it for a long time.
Then I laughed.
And as I laughed, my eyes filled with tears.
Our anniversary-mine and Stellan’s-was also his anniversary with Leah.
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