Till Death Do Us Part

03. The Jewelry Store.

The next morning, after Larry had gone to work, I decided to pack my things. There was no point in remaining in his house since we were getting a divorce. I had nowhere to go, but I was sure I could work something out.

I didn't own much jewelry or accessory and my clothes weren't much either, so after about ten minutes and two full suitcases, I was done. While I was cleaning out my drawer, I came across a pair of baby shoes and my mind drifted back to that day.

I had just returned from the hospital, a broad grin on my face as I rushed into our matrimonial bedroom to share the good news with Larry.

On my way home, I had purchased a pair of baby shoes and when I showed them to Larry, he was over the moon. We even went out to a fancy restaurant as celebration of the newest addition to our little family.

With tears in my eyes, I left my room-still cradling the baby shoes in my hands - and walked down the hall till I was standing in front of a pink door.

Ever since the incident, I had been reluctant to enter the room, but that morning, I pushed past my hesitation and walked in.

Fresh set of tears filled my eyes as I saw the neatly decorated baby room. The crib was in a corner by the right and baby clothes were folded and piled in a small wardrobe at the other end. A trolley filled with baby powder and other things stood next to the wardrobe, all a bright pink color. The doctor said we were having a girl, so Larry said to make her a barbie style bedroom.

Looking at the place that would have been the room of my daughter made me shed tears even more. To think that she would have been four years, running around and making the house lively.

I collapsed to my knees, hugging the shoes close to my chest. "I'm sorry my love, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." I started to think that maybe my illness was God's way of punishing me for not being able to save my baby back then. But then again, maybe it was His way of compensating me.

I had lost everything I held dear in the world, my home, my parents, and my baby. The only person that should have been there for me was the one causing me the most pain, so God must have decided that it was time for me to rest.

"Don't worry my love, mommy's going to be with you soon."

When my mother died, I didn't feel consumed by the grief because I had Larry with me, then when I got pregnant, it felt like my life had become a dream. Not only was I married to the love of my life, we were finally going to start our own family.

Everything changed after the accident. I started to feel the gap of not having my mother with me, and losing my child only made me feel worse. Larry started to change as well, becoming more cold and distant by the day until one evening he finally snapped.

For the first time since we were together, he raised his hand at me, and ever since that day, it became a regular occurrence.

My mental health started to decline and before I knew it, I was placed on anti depressants.

I remembered the day Larry proposed to me, if I had known my future would turn out this way, if I had known I would end up with nothing but heartache and misery, I would have said no.

Back in college, I was always the best student in my department. I was aspiring to go into business after graduation but all that was flushed down the drain. If only I knew things would turn out the way they did, I would have refused when Larry asked me not to work. When he suggested we have a joint account, I would have said no. If I had, then I wouldn't have ended up the way I did. Weak. Insignificant. Pathetic.

During our marriage, even though he took care of me for the first year, Larry never bought me anything valuable. He said it was the thought that counts, and I went along with it. The only thing I owned that was worth something was my wedding ring. The eight hundred thousand diamond ring he was so proud of. And so I decided.

Before I had the time to mull over my decision, I was already at the jewelry store. I stood in front of the store and glanced at the ring on my wedding finger one last time.

The day Sandra came back to town was the last time Larry ever wore his ring. It was always on his bedstand. Something that was meant to be a symbol of our love, was a constant source of pain for me, so there was no use keeping it anymore.

As I walked in, the two ladies behind the counter stared at me like I was out of place, probably because of my simple outfit.

Larry said a woman's beauty was not measured by the price of her outfit, so he only ever bought me simple, not expensive, clothes.

Regardless of their judgemental stares, I walked up to the counter and placed the ring there. "I'd like to sell this, please."

"Okay, did you bring proof of ownership? Probably a receipt or invoice?"

"Yeah, I did." I took out the papers and placed them next to the ring.

"Very well. We'll have to get it checked and analyzed before we can decide on how much it's worth. So you'll have to drop your contact and we'll get back to you once it's done." She explained.

"Okay. I'm sorry but I kind of need it urgently, so is there a way things can be sped up?"

The clerk eyed me with suspicions but she didn't say anything. Instead she nodded and smiled. "Then give me a moment to contact my boss."

"Okay, thank you."

The clerk was about to leave when a pitchy voice spoke up from behind me. "Ooh that is such a beautiful ring. How much is it? I'd love to buy it."

I had heard that voice too much not to know who it was. It was the same voice that had been tormenting me for so long. I slowly turned around and was standing face to face with the very person I wished I would never run into…Sandra Reid.

As usual, she was putting on an expensive looking dress. It was a turtle neck and the sleeves were so long that only the tip of her fingers were visible. Her shoes and bag were no doubt an expensive brand as well. Her black hair was wrapped up and adorned with shiny hairpins.

The clerk's faces lit up when they saw her and they abandoned me and rushed over to her.

"Welcome Mrs Thompson, what can we do for you today?" The first lady asked.

"Oh Mr Thompson isn't with you today? You two are usually always together." The second added, grinning from ear to ear.

My fists were clenched into tight fist as I heard them talk. I was married to Larry for four years and yet no one knew who I was. Instead the attention that was supposed to be given to me was focused on her, and she was enjoying it.

"Mrs Thompson, that golden necklace you wanted to get the last time are now in stock. If you want, I can show you a few."

"Oh is that so? But what about this ring? I'd really like to buy it." Sandra said, reaching for the ring I had dropped on the counter.

I needed the money desperately because I wanted to move out of Larry's house, but there was no way I could let her be the buyer. I snatched the ring before she could reach it and shoved it in my pocket.

"Thank you for your time, but I'm not selling anymore." I said to the clerk and turned to leave.

"Are you sure?" She said. "I heard you say you needed the money urgently, shouldn't you be happy to have found a buyer so quickly?" The mockery in her voice was as clear as day.

"Miss, I don't know if you're aware but this is the fiancee of Mr Larry Thompson, the president of the Thompson Empire. You're very lucky that she's interested in your ring, you won't find anyone to offer a better price and with her involved, you won't even have to wait for any long procedure. You'll get your money before leaving this store." The clerk said, but it was more than obvious that she didn't care about me or the money I would make. She was only trying to convince me to sell it because she wanted to please Sandra.

"Tell you what, since you and I are somewhat acquainted, I will be willing to offer you a higher price for the ring." Sandra said, a priggish smile on her face.

Taking out the ring from my pocket, I stared at it, contemplating on what to do. It was clear to me that Sandra was only interested in it because it was my wedding ring, but getting the money was a step closer to gaining my freedom.

"Well? Name your price, you know you need the money."

While my guard was down, Sandra lunged forward and grabbed the ring from me. "Now that it's in my hand, I'm not letting it go. So you have no choice than to sell it to me." She said, holding the ring away from me.

"It seems there's something wrong with your brain." Even if I did need the money, there was no way I would let her have it. "Are you going to steal this too like you stole my husband from me?"

When I said that, the clerks shared a confused glance between each other and Sandra looked angry.

Using that moment as an opportunity, I tried to take the ring from her but it flew from her hand and landed on the floor with a quiet clink. As I bent to pick it, I bumped into a manly figure that had walked in.

I looked up to apologize but was surprised to find a familiar pair of blue eyes staring down at me.