Hugo’s face drained of color the moment his gaze landed on the shattered bracelet. Without so much as a question, his voice lashed out coldly. “Mom gave you this heirloom as a symbol of trust, and yet you couldn’t even take care of it?”
Jasper folded his arms, his tone laced with disapproval. “Mom, you don’t even work, and now you’ve smashed a bracelet worth tens of thousands? At this rate, you’re going to ruin our family.”
He was only five, yet the way he looked at me, filled with nothing but contempt, was like a knife twisting in my chest.
Not a single inquiry. No hesitation. Father and son had already passed judgment, pinning the blame on me without a second thought. My heart sank beneath the weight of disappointment, a feeling I had grown far too accustomed to.
I let out a slow breath, my voice turning ice-cold. “There were two people in this room. What makes you so sure I was the one who broke it? She stole my bracelet and refused to return it. When I tried to take it back, she shattered it. She should be the one compensating me.”
Just as the last word left my lips, Ava’s eyes welled up with tears.
“I’m sorry… It’s all my fault,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Audrey’s bracelet was just so beautiful; I couldn’t help but admire it. I only tried it on because I couldn’t resist…”
Her tears slipped down like pearls rolling off a broken string, her delicate face painted with remorse.
The moment Hugo saw Ava’s pitiful expression, his entire demeanor shifted. The harshness from earlier vanished as if it had never existed.
With a tenderness I had never once received, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently handed it to her. His voice, now warm and soothing, carried none of the sharpness he had used on me.
“Don’t say that. You deserve everything beautiful in this world.”
Jasper, too, lost his earlier arrogance. He eagerly leaned closer to Ava, his eyes brimming with admiration.
“Aunt Ava, you’re way too kind. It’s just a bracelet. If you like it, my dad can buy you another one.”
Ava’s tears shimmered under the soft glow of their affection. With such gentle reassurance, she finally let a smile break through the sorrow on her face.
She sniffled, her voice trembling. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay it back. I may not be able to afford it now, but if you don’t mind, I can pay in installments.”