He handed me a box of chocolates, all in some foreign language I couldn’t read—they looked fancy.
“Thanks on behalf of Melisa. After your next blood transfusion, these chocolates will help keep your energy up so you won’t faint,” he said in his smooth voice.
I foolishly thought, my parents and brother didn’t even bother, but here was someone being genuinely nice to me.
I asked him who he was.
Turns out, he was Cody Stone, the Jordan Family’s pick for me—my fiancé.
God, Audrey, how clueless, I thought and laughed, sitting down and clutching my stomach.
How could a box of chocolates win you over?
But the laughter quickly faded. Because I realized, I was no different now.
That lady driver who gave me clothes earlier? She moved me to tears too, didn’t she?
I never quite got the whole world of wealthy people. Used to try and please everyone to fit in. Now, all I want is to take care of my foster mom.
“Cody, we’re calling off the engagement,” I declared firmly.
He frowned, trying to reason, “Audrey, don’t be hasty. I only see Melisa as a little sister.
“What happened today is my fault. Once Melisa calms down, I’ll arrange a bigger wedding for you,” he said, trying to convince me.
His words stirred a hint of hope in me.
“Sure, I’ll agree to everything if you lend me 10,000 dollars,” I replied firmly.
He got out of bed, knelt beside me and gently wiped away my tears.
“Okay, honey, you can ask for whatever else. I’ll agree to your terms,” he said softly.
A wave of nausea hit me and I turned away to dry heave.
He didn’t flinch when buying million-dollar jewels to please Melisa, yet he refused to give me the money to save a life.
I pushed him away and stood up. “Fine then, I’ll step aside for Melisa. From now on, we’re through.”
“Audrey!” he exclaimed, grabbing my wrist forcefully. I shook his hand off and walked away, just like he treated me on our wedding day.
I headed to a luxury resale shop to sell the diamond ring Cody had given me during our engagement.
“Miss, when you bought this diamond ring, it might have been valued around 20,000 dollars, but synthetic diamonds don’t hold their value. And since you’re asking for cash, our offer can only be 6,000 dollars,” the clerk explained sympathetically.
‘Only $20,000?’ I thought bitterly.
To guys like Cody, that was less than what they’d spend on a gaming setup. It hit me hard—I was only worth that much to him.