The Bracelet That Ended Our Marriage
1050 Words
Chapter 5
After Hailey Hayes moved into the house, everything changed.
The kitchen started cooking meals based on her cravings.
The living room was filled with her maternity packages and baby products.
Even the staff began revolving around her automatically.
Like I was the intruder.
Late that night, I went downstairs for water.
As I passed the study, I heard Hailey’s sugary voice drifting through the half-open door.
“Nate…”
“I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
“The baby keeps kicking at night.”
“Didn’t you say the Hayes family has some lucky heirloom bracelet?”
My footsteps stopped instantly.
Without thinking, I grabbed my wrist.
The diamond tennis bracelet.
My great-grandmother’s bracelet.
The one Nathaniel personally clasped around my wrist on our wedding day.
The bracelet was recognized by every woman in the Hayes family as the symbol of Mrs. Hayes.
Back then, Nathaniel had kissed the back of my hand and whispered:
“There’ll only ever be one Mrs. Hayes.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
Then I heard his voice from inside the study.
“Okay.”
“I’ll bring it to you.”
“You can wear it as long as you want.”
My chest tightened so hard it hurt.
So there really was nothing he wouldn’t give Hailey.
Not even the final symbol of our marriage.
Inside the room, Hailey giggled softly.
“But won’t Claire get upset?”
Nathaniel chuckled.
“She’s just overly sensitive lately.”
“Once you safely deliver the baby, I’ll buy her another Tiffany bracelet or something.”
I almost laughed out loud.
He didn’t even know what that bracelet actually was.
It wasn’t some luxury jewelry piece from a mall display.
It had belonged to the Beaumont women for three generations.
The thing was worth more than a Porsche.
And Nathaniel wanted to hand it over to a woman whose entire i********: feed screamed #NewMoneyNewMe.
I stepped backward slowly—
and accidentally bumped into a hallway vase.
The sound immediately alerted them.
A second later, the study door swung open.
Nathaniel froze when he saw me.
Then quickly glanced back toward Hailey before stepping outside and partially shutting the door behind him.
“You heard that?”
I stared at him silently.
Nathaniel hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.
“Hailey’s been struggling lately.”
“She keeps having nightmares.”
“I just want her to feel safe.”
Then his eyes dropped toward the bracelet on my wrist.
“So… could you lend it to her for a little while?”
I looked at him quietly.
There was a time when Nathaniel used to panic if I forgot to remove that bracelet before showering.
He’d dry it himself afterward.
Now he wanted to use it to comfort another woman.
God.
What a joke.
After a long pause, I nodded once.
“Sure.”
Relief flashed across his face instantly.
He even reached toward me instinctively, like he wanted to hug me.
I stepped back before he could touch me.
Because he smelled like Hailey’s perfume.
Sweet.
Heavy.
Sickening.
Nathaniel either didn’t notice or pretended not to.
Instead, he smiled with visible satisfaction.
“Claire.”
“There you go.”
“You’re finally acting mature about this.”
“Once this situation passes, I’ll buy you a new one.”
A new one.
I nearly laughed in his face.
Some things don’t come with replacements.
But none of it mattered anymore.
Because I was done caring.
I lifted my eyes toward him.
“I can give her the bracelet.”
“But you need to agree to one thing first.”
Nathaniel nodded immediately.
“Anything.”
I turned around and went upstairs.
A few minutes later, I came back holding a stack of papers.
Without hesitation, I flipped to the signature page and handed it to him.
“Sign this.”
Nathaniel barely glanced at the document.
He clearly assumed it was another financial authorization or spending approval form.
After all, in all our years together, I’d never truly rebelled against him before.
He even laughed a little while taking the pen.
“What now?”
“Planning another shopping spree?”
“You know you can just use my card.”
Then he signed his name across the bottom without reading a single line.
Not even one second of hesitation.
I looked down quietly at the document.
DIVORCE AGREEMENT.
The words sat there in bold black letters.
For the first time in months, my heartbeat finally felt calm.
Done.
Nathaniel Hayes had just signed away our marriage.
And he didn’t even know it.
He thought he was indulging a needy wife.
Instead, he’d personally signed the death certificate for our relationship.
After signing, he finally reached for my wrist again.
“Now can I take it?”
I stared at the bracelet for a few seconds.
The diamonds still sparkled beautifully beneath the light.
Just like our marriage once had.
Beautiful on the outside.
Rotting underneath.
Without hesitation, I unclasped it and placed it in his hand.
But the second he took it, something strange crossed his face.
Because I was too calm.
Too calm for a woman supposedly fighting for her marriage.
Almost like…
I’d already let him go.
For some reason, the thought unsettled him.
“I’ll return it after Hailey gives birth,” he added quickly.
I smiled faintly.
“No need.”
“If she likes it…”
“She can keep it.”
Emotion flickered across Nathaniel’s eyes instantly.
Gratitude.
Relief.
Maybe even guilt.
“Claire,” he murmured, stepping closer again, “I knew you’d understand—”
I stepped back immediately before he could touch me.
The movement made him pause.
But after a second, he simply brushed it off.
Then he turned and walked quickly toward Hailey’s room with the bracelet in hand.
A few seconds later, her excited scream echoed through the hallway.
“Oh my God, Nate!”
“It’s gorgeous!”
Their laughter drifted through the closed door together.
And I simply stood there quietly, one hand resting against my stomach.
Tomorrow, I will leave this place forever.
And the version of Claire Beaumont who once loved Nathaniel Hayes enough to lose herself
would die here too.
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