I Returned as a Mafia Heiress After 99 Divorces,He Regretted Everything

Chapter 3

William didn't say a word, which pretty much meant he was siding with Lucy.

He reached over, picked up the last two dishes, and handed them to her. "Lucy, go ahead and take these down. Don't keep the dogs waiting."

Lucy took the plates, shot me a smug look, and padded out the door in her slippers.

I stood there frozen, my hand still resting on the soup bowl like an i***t.

William turned to face me.

"Jenny, I'm so disappointed in you right now. It's just one meal. I'll make it again some other time. Was that really worth making a scene over? Lucy was right, you've got no compassion at all."

He untied his apron, crumpled it up, and tossed it on the table.

"Forget about dinner. Go upstairs and think about your behavior."

Then he grabbed his keys and followed Lucy out the door.

The door clicked shut behind them, soft and final.

On the table, all that was left was an empty bowl and a fork.

I went back to the bedroom, stood in front of the closet, and rested my hand on the handle of my suitcase. Then I let go.

Four years. Every time we divorced, I packed my things. Every time we got back together, I unpacked them again. I'd folded and refolded those clothes more times than I could remember.

I crouched down to pull out the rosewood chest from under the bed.

Dad had left it to me. After he passed, I'd put his old pocket watch inside, along with a photo of him and Mom when they were young, and a few pictures of the four of us together.

But my hand found nothing.

The space under the bed was empty.

I tore the whole bedroom apart. The nightstand, the top of the closet, the window seat corner, everywhere. Nothing.

I ran downstairs barefoot and spotted Lucy by the edge of the flower bed, crouched down playing with a few stray dogs.

My rosewood chest was tipped over on its side next to the dog bowls, the lid thrown open, the inside smeared with half-dried canned dog food.

Dad's pocket watch had a cracked face. The photos had been torn to pieces, scattered all over the ground. The only somewhat intact one, a family portrait, had a dog-chewed bone sitting right on top of it.

I picked up the pieces one by one. They were covered in mud, but I didn't wipe them off. I just clutched them in my hands.

Lucy heard me and turned around, brushing the dog food crumbs off her hands. "What are you doing down here?"

My voice came out cold. "Why did you touch my stuff?"

She glanced at what I was holding and curled her lip. "Oh, that old box? I figured I'd use it as a doghouse for the strays. You weren't using it anyway. It was just taking up space."

I stood up and held the muddy, torn photo fragments right in front of her face. "Do you even know what this is?"

Lucy took a step back and covered her nose. "Ew, that's disgusting. It smells terrible. Don't bring that near me. Dead people's stuff is bad luck."

I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

Lucy stumbled to the side, her hand flying to her cheek. She froze for a second, then let out a screech. "William!"

William saw the red mark on Lucy's face and stormed over to me in two strides. He shoved me to the ground.

I landed on the concrete edge of the flower bed, my elbow taking the full impact. My whole arm went numb.

Lucy threw herself into William's arms, sobbing like she couldn't breathe.

"William, Jenny's lost her mind! I was just feeding the dogs downstairs, and she came running down and hit me out of nowhere!"

William held her close and looked down at me, his eyes cold as ice. "Jenny Smith, what the hell is wrong with you?"

I pushed myself up off the ground and held up the pile of torn fragments for him to see.

"She took my dad's chest and turned it into a doghouse. She threw his pocket watch in the mud. She destroyed every single photo I had of my parents!"

Lucy sniffled and lifted her head.

"How was I supposed to know what was inside? Besides, they've been dead for years. What's the big deal about a few old photos? You think your parents' junk is more important than dogs?"