Chapter 436

435
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“ Believe it or not , that’s up to you . ”
Jonathan’s eyes flickered . “ I remember that day Miriam’s .
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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 ( should get it back .” Teresa paused for a moment .
“ 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 ? ”
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“ What do you need ? ” he shot back .
“ Well , if you’re back , there’s something I need your help with . ”