The first time Michael met Regina, she was just a new intern. He gave her a million-dollar gift, but she refused to become his mistress. So, he divorced me immediately to chase after her.
After sleeping with her, Michael proudly showed me a photo of them in bed.
“She’s different,” he told me with a smirk.
“So young and pure.”
From then on, Michael was completely obsessed with her. Once, he accidentally came inside Regina in a wooden cabin up in the snowy mountains. I had to walk for miles in the freezing cold just to bring him contraceptive pills.
Another time, Regina was in a bad mood. She asked me to kneel and bark like a dog to entertain her. I did it. If anything made Regina even slightly unhappy, Michael would divorce me just to make her smile.
After that, Michael would secretly remarry me to keep the connection between our families. After repeating this cycle for nine years, I had stopped feeling anything. I had become numb.
I left the house without saying a word, my face blank.
Then, I heard Regina’s sharp voice from behind me.
“I don’t like any of these rings. I want the one Evelyn is wearing!”
“Okay, okay. Don’t be angry, baby,” Michael said softly.
“I’ll get it for you right now.”
He grabbed my hand without warning and pulled the ring off my finger. The diamond scraped my skin, cutting it. Blood dripped onto the ten-carat yellow sapphire.
Regina frowned when she saw it.
“It’s unlucky,” she said and tossed it aside without a second thought.
Michael didn’t get angry. Instead, he gently comforted Regina again and again until she finally smiled. He even promised to give her the ruby ring that had been passed down in the Purnell Family. That was the ring Michael had once said would be my wedding ring forever.
I bit my lip to hold back my tears and knelt down to pick up the yellow sapphire ring, which was my mother’s only keepsake. My hands were shaking. My heart was aching.
But in that moment, I made a silent promise to myself.
This would be the last time I ever cried for Michael.
Michael suddenly raised his foot and stepped hard on my hand. It really hurt my hand. Still, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth as I tried to stop myself from screaming.
"Evelyn, Regina is upset because of you. If you can’t make her happy, don’t even think about returning to the Purnell Family for the rest of your life!"
I froze, my body shaking without meaning to.