I gave a bitter laugh now. People claimed everything I wore and ate came from the Hayes family, but the soda-tab ring still sat on my finger, never replaced by a real one, not even a proper wedding band.
Now, his gaze on me was as cold as if I were a stranger. “That was my foolishness. Evelyn, did you really think I’d spend my life with a woman from some rundown apartment under a bridge? If it weren’t for the fact that you once took care of me, you’d never have stepped foot into the Hayes family.”
Sophia jumped in quickly, her tone syrupy. “Ryan’s just too soft-hearted. Some people get a taste of wealth and never want to let go. They really think they deserve to be Mrs. Hayes?” She tugged at my neckline and smirked. “Look at this dress. Such a shame it’s wasted on you—it should be worn by someone worthy of it.”
“Exactly,” Jason leaned closer, his gaze lewd as it roved over me. “If you really want to leave, strip off everything Ryan gave you. Walk out naked—that’s the only way you won’t owe him a thing.”
The whole hall burst into louder laughter, the sound slapping against my face like burning palms.
I looked at Ryan. He didn’t stop them. Instead, he lit a cigarette and said lightly, “They’re right. If you’ve got dignity, strip. Don’t make me think you were only with me for the perks. The Hayes family doesn’t keep gold diggers.”
“Gold digger?” I laughed bitterly. “When you were dying under that bridge, who dragged you back to an apartment? Who stayed up all night nursing your fevers? You said even if your memory returned, you’d still love me, that no status or wealth could keep us apart. Was that all a lie?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked away, blowing out a smoke ring. “I was foolish then. Now I’m the heir of the Hayes family. We were never from the same world. I’ve already stopped paying your brother’s medical bills. Dare to leave me now?”
The words struck me like ice water.
I feared Aaron’s medicine being cut off, but more than that, I feared a life like this.
My love was treated like trash. My dignity trampled at will.
I said nothing more. I reached for the zipper of my dress. The cold metal against my skin, mixed with all their watching eyes, felt like needles piercing my flesh.
“Well, she’s really stripping?” Jason mocked. Sophia whispered into Ryan’s ear, “She’s bluffing. Just wait, she’ll beg in a moment.”