Broken Promises, Empty Cradle

Alexander Thorne picked me up for the concert and introduced the woman in the passenger seat.

This is Hazel Meadow. Ive mentioned her.

Oh. So this was the one

The woman every socialite wife was waiting to see make a fool of me.

She wore a cheap dress, her delicate, pale face radiating an air of superiority.

She managed to squeeze out, Hello, Mrs. Thorne.

I nodded politely.

Hello.

Then I reached over and opened the passenger door.

Youre in the wrong seat.

Hazels haughty expression lasted about a second.

Alex

I told her to sit there.

His voice was steady, leaving no room for argument.

Hazel gets carsick easily and feels the cold. The front seat is more comfortable.

I didn't move, holding the door, smiling at him.

Carsick? Well then, why dont you let her drive? I hear the driver never gets sick.

I turned a sweetly concerned look towards Hazel.

And the drivers seat will still be warm from your Alex. Wont be cold at all.

Sophia, what nonsense are you talking?

I ignored his anger, my gaze fixed on Hazel.

She finally slid out of the seat.

Thank you for today, Alexander.

I wont go to the concert. What the crowd clamors for isn't necessarily good..

Music, like people, shouldn't be ranked by status. You don't need a grand concert hall to hear it.

I just need to stay true to myself.

Over the years, Id dealt with plenty of women trying to get close to Alexander Thorne.

Gold diggers, opportunists, Id seen them all.

But I'd never seen this type before,the one put on a show of lofty integrity.

No wonder Alexander couldnt forget her after hearing her play violin on some street corner.

Sending her instruments, showering her with flowers, funding her studies.

Even dragging her along on our wedding anniversary.

Alexander got out of the car and grabbed her wrist as she tried to leave.

Hazel, this opportunity is rare for you. Dont miss it.

Ill make her apologize

My gaze drifted coolly to their clasped hands.

His wedding band was gone, leaving only a faint pale line on his finger.

No need. Please dont force anyone on my account, Alexander.

Nor would a simple apology make me forgive the humiliation.

Years of cultivated composure threatened to shatter right then

I felt a rare itch in my palm.

But I held back. Just as I moved to slide into the passenger seat

A stark, deep red stain marred the beige leather. The same crimson marked the woman's clothes.

Hazel, you

Alexander saw it too.

Swiftly, he took off his expensive suit jacket and tied it around her waist.

Ill run to the convenience store. Wait here.

They exchanged a look. She nodded..

I slammed my Herms bag against the car door.

BANG.

Just like that time, chasing Alexander when he worked at that bar. Id ordered ten champagne towers.

And smashed them all.

Just to scare off those rivals drooling over him.

So. The cars dirty. How much are you planning to pay?

Hazel didnt mean to. Ill pay for the cleaning.

I scoffed coldly.

Cleaning? Can it wash out the stench?

I want the entire interior replaced. Or a whole new car. Your choice.

Hazels face turned ashen.

Ms. Sterling, I may not have money, but I have dignity. There's no need for such insults!

I gave her a mocking smile.

Does dignity pay the bill? Did I insult you? Why don't you take a good sniff yourself?

Hazels tears fell like broken strings of pearls.

Alexander shot me an icy look.

Thats enough.

Ill cover all the damages. It has nothing to do with Hazel.

Dont taint peoples hearts with your malice.

Suddenly, it all felt incredibly pointless.

Hazel spoke up.

Ms. Sterling, you wouldnt understand the bond between Alexander and me.

Were kindred spirits. He appreciates my music. I understand his struggles and frustrations. None of this has anything to do with money or class.

She sounded immensely proud.

Im not like you. I dont have a nouveau riche father. But I have a heart full of sincerity.

He only married you back then because he was backed into a corner.

If Id appeared a few years earlier, maybe he wouldnt be like this now C outwardly perfect and privileged, but barren inside.

Alexander barren inside?

When I was twenty, I met him working four jobs.

Back then, he was a boy whose fathers gambling debts had forced him out of school and into the harsh world.

In the dead of winter, he wore a threadbare black coat, painfully thin.

I didnt understand youthful pride. I just knew he needed what I had.

So, I forced him to accept my help.

Until eventually, everyone in Westhaven knew Alexander Thorne married me under duress.

They said,

how could that proud, impoverished genius possibly handle the whims of a spoiled heiress?

Until that boy was cultivated into a successful man everyone looked up to.

Then people said I was lucky.

But no one knew what Id poured into this relationship went far beyond luck.

Hes a man, not your accessory.

Hazel was still droning in my ear.

Youre right. Hes a man. But hes my man.

If you want to parade around with him and humiliate me, youll need more than my permission. Youll need to know if hes truly willing to be a shameful man for you!

Alexander frowned.

Sophia, theres nothing between Hazel and me. Gossip is trivial for us, but devastating for a single woman like her.

Dont believe what they say.

Hazel ' eyes holding a look meant to be provocative.

But I couldnt muster a smile.

Go ahead to the concert. Ill get Hazel settled and then come.

Hazel leaned into him. He didnt pull away. Instead, he scooped her up and placed her gently in the passenger seat.

If the car disgusts you, take a cab. Ill go car shopping with you tomorrow.

I suddenly remembered being twenty.

He was like this back then too.

Those cool eyes just watching me calmly, never saying no.

I was thrilled to see his life take on new colors because of me.

He just let me misbehave.

Like now. Whether hed crossed a line, I didnt know.

But hed let Hazel cross it.

I still went to the concert. The tickets were from an acquaintance, I had to show face.

Truthfully, I never cared much for classical music.

But Alexander did.

He could stare at a painting I didnt understand for an entire afternoon.

Hed get teary-eyed at concerts where I struggled to stay awake.

Only with these refined things did his emotions show.

So, when I got the tickets, I thought I could please him.

Id imagined him lost in the music, me on his arm, enjoying a moment of closeness.

I never imagined the seat beside me would stay empty until the very end.

I listened distractedly, had someone deliver the flowers Id prepared to the busy performer in the crowd, and left.

Arriving home, I saw the car parked in the driveway.

A bad feeling washed over me.

Pushing open the door, Alexander sat in the living room, looking perfectly normal.

The jacket stained with Hazels blood was tossed carelessly on the sofa. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong forearms.

His hands looked freshly washed.

Why isnt the car at the detailer?

Before Alexander could answer, a womans startled cry came from the bedroom.

I froze.

Alexander strode towards the sound, knocking with restrained urgency.

Hazel? Whats wrong?

Your wifes clothes they didnt fit quite right I accidentally knocked over your wedding photo on the bedside table

I shoved past the man blocking my way like he was trash.

Bursting through the door, I didnt care that Hazel was half-dressed.

SLAP.

I put my full force into it.

She crumpled to the floor, eyes wide with shock.

I scanned the room.

The shattered frame lay on the floor. My clothes were strewn across the walk-in closet floor. Pink-tinged water still filled the bathtub.

The air smelled of his expensive cologne and a faint, coppery tang of blood.

A wave of nausea hit me hard.

Alexander grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around Hazel.

Sophia Sterling, have you lost your mind?!

Hazel just used the bathroom and borrowed some clothes in an emergency! Was this reaction necessary?!

He thought I was unreasonable.

But this was our bedroom.

The closet held countless dresses Id bought trying to please him.

The mens body wash was a matching set Id carefully chosen.

Apologize.

He shielded the woman in his arms, his tone severe.

A bitter taste rose in my throat. I took a step back.

No.

We stared at each other, neither yielding.

Until my vision blurred. He sighed.

After all these years by my side, I thought youd learned some empathy.

Sophia Sterling, you disappoint me deeply.

His words hit like a sledgehammer, shattering something inside.

My lashes trembled, tears falling.

For him, Id abandoned the perfect life path my parents laid out.

Learned to cook, to manage a household.

Gave up my carefree, indulgent life, forcing myself to spend hours on tedious, refined pursuits.

The hardest thing Id ever done was sand down my own edges to fit him.

Thinking hed feel something, deep down.

In the end, all he said was disappointed.

I wouldnt let myself break.

Wiping my tears, I went to the study and pulled out a slightly yellowed file.

Threw it at their feet.

Then lets get divorced.

Silence hung heavy. Alexander gave a soft, humorless laugh.

Put that away. You might need it again.

The mocking tone was like a sharp needle.

Pfft

Hazel, her face still flushed with humiliation, actually laughed out loud.

My nails dug into my palms.

The last flicker of light deep inside me suddenly went out.

Ironically, Alexander had drafted that agreement.

Six months into our marriage, he asked for a divorce.

It was the darkest moment of my life.

A girl raised in luxury, shielded from harsh realities.

I was just bewildered. Why was the little tree Id nurtured suddenly dying?

Id given it enough water, sunlight, love.

I cried until I couldnt breathe, begged him not to leave, alternating between pleas and threats.

He lost that battle.

Later, I gave him money, status, the best connections.

I slowly learned to rein in my temper.

The look in his eyes finally gained substance.

But my own sense of security dwindled.

So, Id pulled out that file again and again.

At first, hed placate me with weary patience.

Later, hed just frown and tell me to stop making a scene.

Until now

He probably thought I was still using it as a ploy for his attention.

Calmly, I slid the ring off my finger and dropped it into the nearby trash can.

There wont be a next time.