Chapter 7
1612 Words
Raina’s POV
My eyes settled on the small charm resting against Sophie’s collarbone.
And just like that… the present loosened its grip on me.
Memory didn’t rush in.
It unfolded.
Slow. Deliberate. Cruel.
Six months ago, the world had tilted on its axis without warning.
Harrison’s private jet had disappeared mid-flight.
No signal. No response. No confirmation of anything except silence.
A violent storm had swallowed the sky whole. Lightning slicing through clouds like fractured glass. Turbulence so severe even seasoned pilots hesitated to speak.
The internal system at Grant Global had triggered every alarm possible. Executives panicked. Analysts scrambled. The media circled like vultures waiting for a headline.
Grant Global’s CEO.
Missing.
Possibly dead.
The entire company had trembled.
But none of that compared to what happened inside me.
I had never believed in miracles.
Never believed in fate.
Never believed in anything that couldn’t be measured, analyzed, or proven.
And yet…
That night, I found myself on my knees in a place I would’ve once walked past without a second glance.
A forgotten roadside temple.
Dusty. Quiet. Almost abandoned.
The air smelled like incense and old wood.
I didn’t belong there.
But desperation doesn’t ask for permission.
It strips you down to your most fragile form and leaves you with nothing but instinct.
And mine led me there.
Each step I took inside felt heavier than the last. My heels abandoned somewhere along the way. My breath uneven. My hands trembling.
By the time I reached the altar…
I was no longer the composed, logical woman I had spent years becoming.
I was just… someone begging.
I remember lowering myself to the ground.
Forehead touching cold stone.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
And again.
Until pain blurred into something distant.
Until dignity stopped mattering.
Until all that remained was one single thought…
Let him live.
Take anything.
Everything.
Just let him live.
I don’t know how long I stayed there.
Time didn’t exist in that moment.
Only fear.
Only silence.
Only the sound of my own heartbeat echoing like something desperate and broken.
When the old woman finally approached me, I barely noticed her at first.
She didn’t speak much.
Didn’t ask questions.
She simply placed something into my palm.
A charm.
Small. Simple. Almost unimpressive.
But her voice… quiet and steady…
“This carries what you’re willing to give.”
I didn’t understand it then.
I just held onto it like it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.
And then…
My phone rang.
Sharp. Sudden. Real.
I answered without thinking.
Emergency landing.
Bino City.
Alive.
Alive.
The word didn’t register immediately.
It echoed.
Over and over again.
Alive.
Alive.
Alive.
By the time I understood it…
I was already laughing.
Crying.
Breaking.
All at once.
I didn’t feel the blood on my knees.
Didn’t feel the sting in my palms.
Didn’t feel anything except overwhelming, unbearable relief.
He was alive.
That was enough.
It had always been enough.
I never cleaned the blood off that charm.
Not once.
I kept it exactly as it was.
Because to me…
It meant something.
Something real.
Something irreplaceable.
And when I gave it to him…
He had taken it casually.
Like it was just another object.
“I’ll keep it somewhere safe.”
I believed him.
Of course I did.
I always did.
And now…
Here it was.
Resting lightly against another woman’s skin.
Like it had always belonged there.
Like I had imagined everything.
Something inside me didn’t crack.
Didn’t splinter.
Didn’t collapse.
It simply…
Stopped.
“Keep it,” I said.
My voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
Sophie blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Her fingers hovered over the charm instinctively.
“I… I didn’t know…”
I tilted my head slightly, my lips curving just enough to resemble a smile.
“You should,” I said softly.
A pause.
Then I added, almost conversationally…
“That charm was soaked in my blood.”
The words settled between us.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Her face drained of color instantly.
“Miss West, I didn’t… I really didn’t know…” she stammered, her composure slipping as her fingers fumbled with the clasp. “Please, you should take it back…”
She held it out toward me.
Careful.
Almost fearful.
Like she was handing back something cursed.
I reached out.
Caught it midair.
For a brief second, I looked at it.
Really looked.
The faint stains.
The worn edges.
The quiet history it carried.
Then…
I dropped it into the trash bin beside me.
No hesitation.
No ceremony.
“I don’t take back things I’ve thrown away,” I said lightly, already turning back to my desk.
Her eyes widened.
Shock flickering into something sharper.
Something colder.
I leaned back slightly, crossing my legs with care, ignoring the dull ache in my ankle.
“But if you’re interested in collecting leftovers,” I added, my tone soft and effortless, “feel free.”
I gestured toward the bin.
“Just don’t delay the next appointment.”
For a moment…
Her smile stayed in place.
Perfect.
Polite.
Practiced.
But her eyes betrayed her.
They always did.
“I’ll… go then,” she said quietly.
And just like that…
She left.
The room felt quieter after.
Cleaner.
As if something had finally been removed.
I gathered the remaining files, flipping through them without really seeing anything.
Then my phone buzzed.
Lily.
Ranran! Birthday drinks! Sharon and I are already at the bar. Move!
A second later, a voice note came through.
Sharon’s voice, laced with teasing amusement…
“Don’t bother. Raina won’t come. She’s practically tied to her husband’s schedule. One wrong move and the great CEO might revoke her existence.”
A faint smile touched my lips.
They weren’t wrong.
Before.
But not anymore.
Send me the location, I typed.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Disappeared.
Reappeared.
Then…
WAIT. Are you serious?!
Chaos followed.
Pure chaos.
Thirty minutes later, I stepped into the bar.
The atmosphere wrapped around me instantly.
Music pulsed through the air like a heartbeat.
Lights shifted and shimmered across polished surfaces.
Laughter. Conversations. The soft clink of glasses.
Life.
Unfiltered.
Uncontrolled.
Free.
And for the first time in a long time…
I didn’t feel like I was suffocating.
“RAINA!”
Lily’s voice cut through everything as she waved both arms dramatically.
I made my way over, sliding into the seat beside her.
From my bag, I pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box and handed it to her.
“Happy birthday.”
Her face lit up immediately.
“You actually remembered?!” she gasped, clutching it like treasure.
She didn’t even open it.
She didn’t need to.
She already knew.
“I’ve been saving it,” I said quietly.
Sharon leaned back in her seat, arms crossed, her eyes scanning me like she was reading between every line I hadn’t spoken.
“Well,” she drawled, “no curfew tonight?”
I picked up my glass.
Took a slow sip.
Then said it.
“I’m getting a divorce.”
Silence dropped instantly.
Sharp.
Clean.
“What?!” Lily nearly choked.
Sharon didn’t react outwardly.
But her gaze sharpened.
“You mean that?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
No softness.
“Better now than later,” I added. “Before things get more complicated.”
Lily slammed her glass down.
“I knew it. That man is a walking red flag wrapped in luxury branding.”
Sharon exhaled slowly.
“Want me to get Hayes involved?” she asked. “He’ll make it clean.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Anything tied to Harrison…
Was never simple.
“Tonight isn’t about that,” I said, lifting my glass again.
“It’s about ending something that should’ve ended a long time ago.”
We clinked glasses.
Drank.
And for once…
I wasn’t waiting for him to call.
Later, I stood, the room spinning just slightly.
“I’ll be back,” I murmured, waving off their concern.
The hallway was quieter.
Dimmer.
A break from the chaos outside.
Then…
“Raina.”
I stopped.
Turned slowly.
Theo.
Leaning against the wall like he had been waiting.
Arms crossed.
Expression unreadable.
“Can I help you?” I asked calmly.
He let out a low laugh.
“Do you even know why Harrison married you?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t need to.
“Because he had no choice,” he continued, voice sharp. “The old lady made it clear. No marriage, no control over a major part of the company.”
Each word landed with precision.
Cold.
Calculated.
“He chose power,” Theo said. “Not you.”
Silence stretched.
Heavy.
“If that hadn’t happened,” he added, “he would’ve married Sophie years ago.”
There it was.
Not shocking.
Not devastating.
Just…
Clarifying.
Something inside me loosened quietly.
Like a knot finally unraveling.
All this time…
I thought I was holding onto love.
But it had never been that.
Just obligation.
A deal.
A decision made under pressure.
I smiled.
Softly.
“Good,” I said.
Theo blinked.
Caught off guard.
“Tell him,” I continued, meeting his gaze steadily, “I’ll gladly step aside.”
My voice didn’t waver.
“Right after he signs the divorce papers.”
And before he could respond…
I walked away.
No hesitation.
No pause.
No need to hear anything else.
Outside, I pulled out my phone.
My fingers moved on instinct.
Dialing a number I had memorized long ago.
It rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then…
Connected.
A familiar voice answered.
Soft.
Gentle.
Careful.
“Miss West?” Sophie said. “Is there something Harrison needs from you?”
- Writer
