Chapter 435

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

Jonathan’s eyes flickered. “I remember that day at Miriam’s clearly. You threw my ring away and said you weren’t coming home, that you were going to stay at…”

“I didn’t go to Miriam’s to look for you. I went to the river to look for the ring. I searched all night and never found it.”

Teresa hadn’t expected Jonathan to go back to the river for the ring, too. In the cold water, late at night, both of them had done the same foolish thing at different times. But it didn’t matter now. The marriage was over, and there was no going back.

“After all, you spent a lot on this ring. It wasn’t cheap, and you weren’t making much back then. It couldn’t have been easy. So I thought I should get it back.” Teresa paused. “I was sorting through my old things recently and found the ring by accident. I figured I’d give it back to you when you came back from Shaville. Returning this ring to you means our marriage is truly over now.”

Jonathan finally understood. “So you wanted me to come back just to end things for good, to give me the ring, and to apologize for interrupting my work. That’s it, right?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Jonathan’s knuckles went white as he gripped the ring tighter, his eyes dull and lifeless, but a flush of red burned at the corners. “Alright, Teresa, you win. I thought you actually had something to say to me.”

“Turns out I was just being an idiot. I ran all over Shaville for you, barely slept for two nights, wrapped up all my work, and only managed to catch a few minutes of sleep on the plane.”

“From now on, I’m done coming to find you. This time, I mean it. I won’t get involved in your life anymore. We don’t owe each other anything now. Is that what you wanted?” He turned to leave, anger radiating off him.

“Wait,” Teresa called out.

Jonathan pressed his lips into a thin line, took a deep breath, and finally turned back, his gaze softening just a little. “What else do you want to say?” Teresa pulled out a bank card and handed it to him. “There’s a million dollars on this card—my mom asked me to pay you back. As for the other 1.5 million, my mom and I will return it to you as soon as we can. And please, don’t give her any more money. I appreciate your kindness, but I can’t accept it anymore.”

Jonathan stared at her for a long moment. In the end, he looked away and walked off, disappointment written all over him.

The Maybach sped away from her side. Teresa didn’t move until his car disappeared from view; only then did she steady herself against the wall, turn with difficulty, and make her way back to her room. She opened the door and, completely drained, collapsed onto the sofa.

The Maybach tore down the road. As he passed the river where he and Teresa had once fought and she’d thrown away the ring, Jonathan slammed on the brakes.

He got out and stared at the pitch-black water. Pulling the ring from his pocket, he wanted nothing more than to toss it in and let it sink to the bottom forever. But at the last second, reason won out over impulse. He got back in the car and, frustrated, threw the ring onto the back seat.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Jonathan glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and answered with a blank expression.

“Jonathan, it’s Miriam! Are you back in Nareigh now?”

“What do you need?” he shot back.

“Well, if you’re back, there’s something I need your help with.”