Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 53

Chapter 3

“Samuel told me this bracelet was blessed,” Lily whispered, her voice trembling with a fragile hope.

“Even when I’m all alone, wearing it gives me the strength to carry on…” she added, clutching her wrist as if the charm held all her courage.

Watching her pitiful display, Samuel’s expression softened, a flicker of pity crossing his usually cold eyes.

“If I gave it to you, then it belongs to you…” he murmured gently.

Before he could say more, I cut in sharply, my voice icy. “Give it back.”

“That bracelet is mine,” I said firmly, my gaze locked on the delicate chain around Lily’s wrist.

Back when I first lost my arm, Samuel had suffered through sleepless nights, haunted by restlessness and worry. Every night, he tossed and turned, unable to find peace.

Determined to help him, once I had adjusted to my prosthetic, I forced myself to climb the thousand steps leading up to the mountain chapel. The journey was agony—pain radiated from my still-healing wounds with each step—but I didn’t stop.

I went there seeking the bracelet, a talisman rumored to bring protection and calm. I prayed with all my heart, begging God to watch over the man I loved, to keep him safe from harm.

Now, the bracelet I had fought so hard to obtain, pouring my soul into every bead, had been handed off carelessly to someone else.

Ignoring the champagne that soaked through my clothes, I staggered toward Lily. The bracelet gleamed on her wrist, mocking me.

Without hesitation, I grabbed it, yanking hard enough to leave angry red marks on her skin.

Just as I was about to wrench it free, Samuel suddenly lunged, kicking my stump with brutal force.

“Ah—!” I cried out, my damaged arm colliding painfully with the sharp corner of the table. The dull ache spread through the bone that hadn’t yet fully healed.

I collapsed to the floor, my face draining of color as pain overwhelmed me.

Samuel showed no mercy. Instead, his anger exploded like a storm.

“It’s just a damn bracelet! How dare you touch Lily?” he spat, fury burning in his eyes.

“You’ve crossed a line this time!”

“If you want the bracelet so badly, fine—take it! Have it all!” he snarled.

Snatching a steak knife from the table, Samuel sliced through the bracelet in one swift, violent motion. The beads scattered like fallen stars across the floor.

He glared down at me, then grabbed a bouquet of lilies from the table and hurled them toward my face, fully aware of my severe allergy to pollen.

That bracelet was precious not just because of the grueling climb. Each bead was collected from a different place, each one infused with a fragment of my heart and memories.

“Help… me…” I gasped, the pollen hitting my throat like a cruel blow. I began to choke, struggling desperately for air as I writhed on the cold floor.

My trembling hand reached out toward Samuel, pleading. “Call… an ambulance…”

But he kicked my hand away, his voice thick with contempt.

Two curious receptionists had come upstairs to check and discovered me in critical condition.

I stared blankly at the stark white ceiling, my thoughts a tangled, chaotic mess.

Then my phone buzzed—a new notification. A voice message from Lily.

Gone was the sweet tone from before. Now, her voice dripped with bitter sarcasm.

“Emily, you’re one tough cookie. Still alive, huh?”

“Let me tell you something—while you were climbing those steps for that bracelet, Samuel was praying you’d die up there.”

“He’s been wanting to dump you—the crippled woman—for a long time.”

“Do yourself a favor and step aside.”

I glanced at her latest Instagram post—a photo of her and Samuel, their fingers intertwined, smiling as if nothing had ever happened.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Since everything was already set in stone, it was time for me to bow out gracefully.

“Mr. Carter, please prepare the divorce papers.”