15 Chapter 17
Chapter 17 – Heirlooms, Heartbreak, and Hard Choices
The incessant buzzing of my phone pulled me from a restless sleep. Julian’s name flashed across the screen, making my stomach knot with dread. After yesterday’s disaster at the Civil Affairs Bureau and Eleanor’s venomous accusations, I was in no mood for more drama.
“What?” I answered, not bothering to mask my irritation.
sorry about
“Hazel, we need to talk” Julian’s voice sounded strained. “I’m yesterday.”
I sat up in bed, running a hand through my tangled hair. “Sorry doesn’t cut it. You deliberately stood me up, and now your wife and my stepmother are spreading rumors that I’m harassing
you both.”
“That’s not I didn’t know they were doing that, he stammered. “Look, I really am on a business trip. It was unexpected.”
“Of course it was,” I scoffed. “Just like your sudden marriage to my stepsister was ‘unexpected.”
A heavy sigh came through the line. “I deserve that. But I’m trying to make things right. The villa -I want you to have it.”
His words caught me off guard. The villa we’d purchased together had been my dream home. the place where I’d imagined building a life with him.
“What are you talking about?”
“The villa is yours. I don’t want it. Consider it… compensation.”
“Compensation?” I repeated, my voice rising. “For what? Breaking my heart? Humiliating me publicly? Using the blood I donated to keep you alive for the past five years just to turn around and marry my stepsister?”
“Hazel, please-
“No, Julian. You don’t get to ease your conscience with grand gestures. I want this divorce finalized, not your pity gifts.”
I hung up before he could respond and flopped back onto my pillows, staring at the ceiling. Why was he doing this? The villa was worth millions–it made no sense for him to just give it away.
My phone buzzed with a text from Victoria: *Brunch?*
Thirty minutes later, I was seated across from Victoria at our favorite café, pouring out the whole Julian situation.
“It’s so strange,” I said, stirring my latte absently. “First he avoids finalizing the divorce, then he
15 Chapter 17
offers me the villa out of nowhere.”
Victoria arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Sounds like someone’s having regrets.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, Hazel. He married Ivy in a rush because she was dying, right? But what if the honeymoon phase is already over? What if he’s realizing what a mistake he made?”
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense. They’re posting lovey–dovey hospital photos and accusing me of harassment.
Victoria leaned forward, her voice dropping conspiratorially. “My cousin works at the hospital where Ivy’s being treated. She says there’s been… tension. Julian and Ivy fighting, him spending nights in the waiting room Instead of by her bed.”
My heart did a traitorous little flip before I could tamp it down. “Even if that’s true, it changes nothing. I want out of this marriage, not back into it.”
“Of course,” Victoria nodded. “But it explains why he’s stalling the divorce and offering you the villa. He’s keeping his options open. If things don’t work out with Ivy…
“Then I’m supposed to be waiting in the wings?” I laughed bitterly. “Not a chance.”
The rest of brunch passed with Victoria updating me on her latest dating disasters, providing a welcome distraction from my own romantic catastrophe. As we were leaving, my phone rang again–this time, it was my aunt Margaret.
“Hazel, darling her familiar voice brought an immediate smile to my face. “Have you seen the
news?”
“What news?”
“The Jadeite Exhibition at Sotheby’s. Your mother’s bracelet–the one she had to sell when you were young–it’s being auctioned next week.”
My heart stopped. “Are you sure it’s hers?”
“Positive. It has the same tiny chip on the inner band where you dropped it as a child. And the carved plum blossoms–they’re unmistakable.”
Memories flooded back–my mother’s tearful face as she reluctantly sold her most precious possession to pay for my father’s business debts, before he betrayed her for Eleanor. That bracelet was one of the few things she’d managed to keep from her family after my grandfather disowned her for marrying my father. After her death, I’d dreamed of somehow finding it again.
“How much is the starting bid?” I asked, already dreading the answer.
“Two million.”
The number hit me like a physical blow. “Two million dollars? Aunt Margaret, I don’t have that
C
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kind of money right now.”
“I know, sweetheart. I just thought you should know. It was your mother’s most treasured possession.”
After hanging up, I stood frozen on the sidewalk, my mind racing. Everything I had was currently tied up in my business. The studios, the new collection materials, the staff salaries–1 had nothing close to two million in liquid assets.
When I returned to my apartment, I pulled out an old photograph–my mother wearing the jade bracelet, her smile genuine but her eyes already holding the sadness that would eventually consume her. I needed that bracelet. It wasn’t just jewelry; it was a piece of her, a physical connection to the mother I’d lost too young.
My phone rang again–Julian.
“I’ll be back in town tomorrow,” he said without preamble. “We can meet to discuss the villa transfer.
I stared at my mother’s photo, an idea forming. “Actually, Julian, I’ve been thinking about your offer.
“And?”
“I don’t want the villa.”
“What?” His surprise was evident. “Hazel, it’s worth-”
“I know what it’s worth,” I cut in. “But I don’t want the property. What I want is the cash value of the renovations I paid for”
There was a long pause. “You want money instead of the villa? That makes no sense. The property value alone is-”
“Those are my terms.” My voice was firm. “I put over a million dollars into renovating that place. That’s what I want back”
“Why?” He sounded genuinely confused. “Did you find somewhere else to live? Is that boyfriend of yours offering you something better?”
The mention of a boyfriend threw me momentarily–was he referring to Damien? Had he seen us together?
“Where I live is none of your concern anymore,” I replied evenly. “Do we have a deal or not?” Julian’s voice turned suspicious. “What do you need the money for so urgently?”
I closed my eyes, clutching my mother’s photo. There was no way I would tell Jullah about the bracelet. He had already taken so much from me; I wouldn’t let him take this too.
“That’s not your business either. Just let me know if you agree to my terms. Otherwise, we have
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nothing more to discuss
“Wait, Julian said quickly. “I’m just surprised. You loved that villa. You spent months designing every detail
“Things change. People change.”
After another pause, Julian asked the question that left me hanging on the precipice of an impossible choice:
“Don’t want the villa? Then where will you live?”
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