Part 3He Betrayed Me in a Language I Knew

By the time I got out of the shower, Henry already had breakfast waiting for me.

Rachel had changed back into her own clothes and was sitting in my usual seat, sipping her milk with an innocent smile.

"Come and sit, Carol. Henry made you some eggs," she said.

I pulled out another chair and sat down. Then, I stared at the burnt eggs on my plate without reaching for my fork.

"Tonight is our second anniversary," Henry suddenly said, his tone ingratiating. "I made a reservation at a restaurant and invited a few friends over so we can celebrate together."

He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away and took a sip of water.

"Okay," I responded coolly.

He visibly relaxed. But moments later, Rachel kicked the leg of his chair under the table and cut in.

"I want to go too, Henry. I'll be so bored if I stay home alone."

Henry looked conflicted. "I don't think that's a good idea. It's our second anniversary—"

"She can come," I interrupted calmly. "The more, the merrier."

He froze for a moment before breaking into a bright smile. "You're so generous, baby. Let's all head to the restaurant together then."

…

At 7:00 pm, we arrived at the restaurant.

Henry had booked out the entire floor and invited more than a dozen friends. The moment I stepped into the private dining room, I sensed that something was off.

Rachel had gotten to the venue before we did. She was wearing a burgundy backless dress, with a dazzling diamond necklace resting against her collarbone.

I recognized the necklace immediately.

A month ago, Henry, who was up late poring over auction catalogs in the study, suddenly covered my eyes excitedly.

"I won a bid on an incredibly rare necklace, Carol. Only a diamond of that caliber is worthy of being gifted to the woman I love the most on our two-year anniversary," he'd declared.

Back then, I'd thought I was the luckiest woman in the world. But now, the necklace he'd claimed was meant for the woman he loved the most was hanging openly around another woman's neck.

"Carol's here!" someone announced awkwardly.

Everyone's eyes were shifting between my simple white dress and Rachel's dazzling outfit.

Henry's expression darkened. He hurried over to Rachel and growled in their Southern dialect, "Why are you wearing that? I told you it was for Carol!"

Rachel blinked at him innocently.

"So what if I borrowed it?" she shot back in the same dialect. "She knows nothing about jewelry. It'd be a waste for her to wear it."

Henry clenched his jaw but didn't argue further. Instead, he turned with a smile and led me to the main seat at the table.

"Come sit down, baby. You're the guest of honor tonight."

After a few rounds of drinks, one of Henry's friends suddenly teased, "It's your anniversary, Henry. Did you not get Carol a gift?"

The room fell silent.

A sheen of sweat appeared on Henry's forehead, and his eyes instinctively darted toward the necklace around Rachel's neck. Holding a glass, the corners of Rachel's lips curved up into a faint smirk as she eagerly watched the situation unfold.

Henry cleared his throat and pulled out a small box. "Of course I did."

Inside the box was a delicate white-gold bracelet. The design was incredibly plain. It looked nothing like the diamond necklace around Rachel's neck.

"Happy anniversary, baby."

Guilt flashed across his face as he handed me the bracelet.

In the past, he'd scour the entire city just to find my favorite cake flavor. Now, he couldn't even be bothered to put any thought into my anniversary gift.

I didn't reach for it. I simply let him fasten the bracelet around my wrist.

The difference between the two pieces of jewelry was painfully obvious. As everyone noticed this, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly awkward.

Then, Rachel abruptly got to her feet.

"Oh, come on, Henry. This bracelet looks so cheap. Don't take it personally, Carol. Henry's just terrible when it comes to romance," she said, touching the necklace around her neck in an attempt to flaunt it.

Afterward, she added, "Look—this is the one he gave me. If you like it, I can lend it to you for a couple of days."

The entire room erupted in an uproar.

Color drained from Henry's face. "What the hell are you talking about, Rachel?" he roared.

Rachel wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Leaning in toward his ear, she sneered in the Southern dialect, "What? Are you feeling sorry for her now? That's not what you said when you were on top of me last night."

Henry looked at me before glancing back at Rachel. In the end, he simply sank back into his chair without saying another word.

This was the man I had been willing to cut ties with my own family for. Yet, when faced with the woman he'd been cheating on me with, he couldn't even muster up the courage to defend me.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I had received a message from Benjamin Hill, the Scott family's butler.

"The car is waiting downstairs, Ms. Scott. Mr. Scott wants you to know that no matter what happens, the Scott family will always have your back."

As I stared at my phone screen, my lips finally curled into a genuine smile. Moments later, I tapped out a reply.

"Bring your men. I'm ready to leave."