Chapter 5: Taking Off the Wedding Ring He Gave
Amelia fell hard to the ground.
Cameras flashed all around her, lens after lens capturing her humiliation.
She looked up instinctively, only to meet William’s icy stare.
She knew exactly what he wanted.
Her heart ached.
He expected her to tell the press, “It’s just a misunderstanding. Ms. Taylor isn’t well, and my husband only came to show compassion. That’s what any decent man would do.”
Her hand moved to her stomach as Amelia lowered her head and smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Clouds drifted across the blue sky. Sunlight slipped through the crowd, scattering in broken patches.
But none of it fell on her.
She composed herself and slowly stood up.
With her back to William, she calmly responded: "I sympathize with Ms. Taylor's illness, and that's all there is to it."
"So you're saying you and Isabella are friends?" some clueless person nearby asked.
"Friends?" Amelia laughed lightly.
"No. Who’d be friends with someone who’s constantly throwing herself at my husband?” Her voice was cold. She waved to Mia, who was already pulling up in her car.
"Amelia!" William's slightly angry voice came from behind.
She ignored him, standing her ground with her back still turned.
Mia quickly rescued her. Before leaving, Mia even let out a mocking laugh.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you two were the married couple. I’ve never seen anyone so shameless.”
"You!" Isabella flushed with rage and started to snap back.
But Mia cut her off, “Me? I’m just telling it like it is. If you don’t like the truth, that’s not my problem.”
Isabella’s face then went pale. She swayed like she could pass out.
The scene erupted into chaos.
Meanwhile, Mia got Amelia into the car. Without looking back, the two drove off.
“Relax — she’s just putting on an act,” Mia said. “I’ve seen that act a hundred times. Trust me, I know the signs.”
Amelia smiled helplessly and said, "It's not her I'm worried about, it's you. What if they come after your job?”
There was a red light ahead. Mia hit the brakes, then smiled at Amelia.
"Amelia, the hospital director is my dad, remember?"
Amelia rolled her eyes and said, “Didn’t someone swear she’d never use his name?”
“Please. I wish every powerful person on earth were my dad.” Mia laughed.
They traded jokes until Amelia seemed calmer. The light turned green, and Mia hit the gas.
“Tell me what you need,” Mia said, all business now. “I’m free this afternoon. Whatever it is, I’m in.”
Amelia’s mood lifted as a mischievous smile crossed her face.
"Actually, there is something I need your help with."
"What is it?" Mia looked at Amelia innocently.
"Help me move." Amelia grabbed Mia's wrist. "No backing out!"
In the end, Mia gave in.
Later, the two of them, plus a team of professional organizers and movers, arrived at the marital home Amelia had shared with William for a year.
Their marriage had been rushed, and everything had been arranged at the last minute.
The house included.
Over the past year, her careful touches had transformed the place—it no longer felt like a cold house, but a true home.
Such a waste.
Mia directed the crew while Amelia picked up a perfume bottle from a nearby shelf.
This was the first gift William had brought her after a business trip following their marriage.
A classic scent.
He’d come straight from the airport that day. He still smelled like rain, and he’d rushed to find her the second he landed.
That day, his hug had been desperate. So had his kiss.
Back then, they were just like any normal married couple.
She twisted the cap and sprayed it.
It was the same familiar scent.
The same one he’d sprayed on her that year before gently kissing her lips.
"Should we pack this up too?" Mia saw the perfume and immediately called someone over.
Amelia shook her head. "No need."
She slipped off the wedding ring William had bought on a whim and set it on the table.
Then she reconsidered. With the movers bustling around, she tucked the perfume, the ring, and a handwritten inventory note into a drawer together.
Before long, the house was cleared out.
Everything that belonged to her, except for that bottle of perfume and that ring, was moved out.
Moving felt overwhelming, but once one made up their mind, it went fast.
The same was true for sorting out one's heart.
The car headed toward Amelia's new home. Wind played with her hair. In the rearview mirror, the old house grew smaller and smaller.
You could only move forward by leaving the past behind.
She still had many important things to do.
The Martinez family's sudden bankruptcy, the mystery of Jasper's "accidental" death. She needed answers.
Her past life seemed to have been lived for others.
She needed answers.
Starting with that music variety show. It would give her funding, and it was a way to let people know who Jasper really was.
With that in mind, Amelia pulled out her phone, found a contact, and typed: "Count me in for that show."
...
On the other side, Isabella was still crying.
William comforted her gently, his mind full of how Amelia had looked when she left.
She had just stood there, her back to him, saying those things.
She clearly knew what he wanted her to say.
Yet once again, she defied him.
He had sent many messages, and she hadn't replied to any of them.
Here we go again.
In just over a day, she seemed like a different person. Like she was picking fights on purpose.
It was the same when she came for the divorce papers, and the same when she showed up at the hospital.
For some reason, William remembered Amelia’s eyes from last night when she’d asked him to choose. They were calm and steady.
A little sad, but completely resolved.
He suddenly felt uneasy.
"William, don't blame Amelia," Isabella said through tears.
"I know she feels bad. She saw online that the two of us were at the hospital, so she came to confront us. I can accept that. After all..."
Her tears flowed even more.
“After all, I stole this... William, for the past six months, I stole from your marriage. So if Amelia hates me, I deserve it.”
As she spoke, she suddenly started coughing.
Then she coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
"Isabella!" William panicked and reached for his phone to call an ambulance.
As for Amelia's strange behavior, he figured she was probably just throwing a tantrum. She couldn't leave him.
But Isabella just shook her head and smiled lightly. "It's already late stage, this is just how it is. Don't worry."
Then the caregiver helped settle her in.
Frowning, William turned to go give Amelia a piece of his mind. As soon as he left, Isabella casually wiped the blood away and spat out the fake blood capsule she’d hidden in her mouth.
She smiled at the caregiver. "What do you think he'll say to scold Amelia? Haha, I'm really looking forward to it."
Then she happily scrolled through video comments online.
The internet was unanimous in attacking Amelia.
“Isabella just went to the hospital for meds — not even life-saving ones, just painkillers so she can die with dignity — and Amelia still showed up to make a scene!”
"Isabella is dying, and Amelia can't even tolerate that?"
"Anyway, I think Isabella and William are the perfect match. They look like the ideal couple standing together!"
"Amelia should just get divorced already!"
"Amelia, get divorced!"
"Amelia, get divorced!"
...
Isabella laughed happily and took out her phone to give instructions: "Keep doing exactly what we did today. Push the narrative, spin the PR, and make sure Amelia stays buried under us.”
"Oh, and find out what Amelia went to the hospital for today."
