Instead, Hazel’s indifference stung more than anger. It was as though the wedding and Ambrose had ceased to matter to her altogether.
The unsettling thought gnawed at him. What if she left today and he never saw her again? The idea, fleeting as it was, unsettled him deeply.
But his father-in-law’s insistent voice broke his train of thought, pulling him back to the present.
"Hazel, I’ll be back soon. I promise this is the last time."
The last time? Hazel’s lips curled into a faint, ironic smile.
Yes, it was the last time.
In a few short hours, Hazel would board a plane to a faraway land, never to look back.
Once Ambrose walked out, she rose from her seat and swept her gaze around the room. Over the years, Ambrose had lavished her with gifts, luxury handbags, designer gowns, sparkling jewelry, and even dolls, coffee, and gaming consoles.
Yet, every single item had been chosen with Scarlett in mind.
The once-naive Hazel had adored those gifts, treating them as tokens of love and devotion. But now, they were nothing more than hollow reminders of her misplaced trust.
Determined, she set to work. The scissors glided through the expensive fabric of the dresses, turning them into shreds. The hammer came crashing down on glittering jewels, splintering them beyond repair. Dolls and toys were tossed into the trash without a second glance, their cheery faces mocking her no longer.
When the last of it was destroyed, Hazel turned to her calendar. She tore off the final page with steady hands.
On it, her handwriting glowed with bittersweet irony. "To wear the most beautiful wedding dress and marry the man I love most, Ambrose."
She let the paper drift to the floor, her lips curving into a faint, bitter smile.
The wedding dress now lay in tatters, beyond recognition, just like the man Hazel once thought she’d love forever.
With a surge of anger, she crumpled the torn page into a tight ball and hurled it across the room.
It sailed through the air like a final severance, cutting away the remnants of her past and paving the way for an uncharted future.
The eastern horizon began to glow faintly, the first light of dawn creeping into the room.
Hazel wiped the last of her tears, her fingers trembling momentarily before steadying herself.