Chapter 3

Rosalie's POV

After that incident, I stayed home to recuperate from my wound and didn't see Michael again until Mom's birthday.

I always visited her grave on her birthday. Since my husband had something to attend to that day, I could only go myself.

Upon spotting Michael, I moved to step around him, but his hand darted out to stop me.

"I didn't think that things would turn out like this—that Mrs. Linton would pass away. Back then, I really thought that Lily needed that job more, and that was why I switched your name out for hers."

At the mention of the past, my guard instantly went up. As expected, it really was him!

Fury threatened to overwhelm me, and I couldn't stop myself from yelling, "I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into earning that job! What gave you the right to just give it to Liliana? Do you have any idea just how rare that opportunity was?

"I trusted you! I trusted you so much! I never imagined you would betray me like that!"

Michael let out a sigh. "Lily is terrible at taking care of herself, and since her life was a mess, I simply couldn't rest easy if I left her to fend for herself. I thought that you would find an even better job."

His words disgusted me so much that I had to clamp a hand over my mouth as I dry-heaved.

He had taken away my job, then disappeared off the face of the earth for three years, leaving me with no way to contact him or prove what he had done.

When I sought out Liliana to demand an explanation, she simply denied it fervently.

Just like that, my dream job was gone, and there wasn't even anyone I could complain to. I could do nothing but watch as Liliana lived the life I had dreamed of.

After that confrontation with Liliana back then, I returned home in a daze. I didn't even know how I made it back. My only option was to scrape by doing odd jobs.

Then, Mom fell sick.

No matter how hard I worked, it just wasn't enough to pay for her treatment. If I had gotten my original job, it would've merely taken six months of my salary to cover the bills. Unfortunately…

I felt utterly helpless. Left with no other choice, I could only head for the research institute Michael worked at. Ignoring the looks everyone threw me, I begged over and over.

"Please help me reach out to Michael Gordon! I really need money! I'm here to borrow money from him, not to beg for a chance to see him. So please, please help me pass on a message! Tell him that Rosalie Linton wants to borrow money from him!"

However, when the guard came out, he only said exasperatedly, "Mr. Gordon has something to deal with and isn't free. He didn't even finish hearing your message."

I felt as though I had plunged into icy waters. A loud ringing filled my ears. The only thing I could think of was that I wanted to charge inside to find Michael.

To my dismay, the guard steadfastly refused to let me pass.

"Stop being so persistent. There are plenty of other men in the world. Why do you insist on being a homewrecker? That's a terrible sin, you know."

Just as I turned around to leave, feeling utterly dejected, I saw Lilian gain entry into the research institute without much fuss. It was also then that I learned that Michael had been giving her all of his allowance as well.

In that moment, I gave up on him completely.

Back in the present, when I remained quiet, Michael placed an intricate ring in my palm.

"I promise to take good care of you from now on. I honestly didn't know that things would turn out like this."

With that, he led Liliana over to Mom's grave, clearly about to get down on their knees and pay their respects.

I let out a shrill scream at the sight. The pain and grief at losing Mom overwhelmed me once more, causing tears to spill down my cheeks.

"Get away from her! You two have no right to pay your respects to her! My mother doesn't need you or your lousy words! She's dead because of you two!"

Michael's gaze softened, but just as he was about to give in, Liliana dropped to her knees.

"This is all my fault. I'm the reason Mrs. Linton is dead, and I'm here now to apologize for that. I'll be haunted by this forever if you don't allow me to apologize to her today."

She bowed her head before Mom's grave and stood up. However, as she did so, she stumbled, slamming into Mom's gravemarker and toppling it over.

That was the last straw. Unable to stand it anymore, I slapped her and threw myself at her.

"My mother is already dead. Why can't you let her rest in peace?"

Michael hastily tried to pull me off of Liliana, saying, "Stop this nonsense, Rosalie. Just set up a new one."

Nonetheless, I finally had an outlet for all the pent-up resentment and hatred from the past few years. I absolutely refused to let go of Liliana.

What gave them the right to take away everything that I held dear to me?

What gave them the right to come and disturb me now, when I had finally moved on and started a new life?

Liliana's face was twisted in pain as she screamed, though hatred shone in her eyes as well.

Finally, Michael couldn't bear it anymore and yanked me away before smacking me harshly.

"Enough with your tantrum! Lily isn't the reason your mother is dead! At the end of the day, you only have yourself to blame for being so useless that you couldn't even find another job after losing that one!"

My eyes were red with fury as I roared, "Get lost! Get out of here!"

Michael's pupils quivered slightly, and he hurriedly came over to steady me.

However, I shoved his arm away and showed him my wedding ring.

"I'm already married, so can you just get out of my sight? You two don't deserve to stand before my mother's grave."

Michael completely lost his composure and let out an angry laugh.

"Rose, stop lying to me. There's no way I wouldn't have heard of news of you getting married.

"What, are you going to tell me that your husband's identity needs to be kept a secret? There aren't many people in this town whose identities are confidential. As if you could possibly have run into one of them!"

In the past, I loved him so selflessly, so humbly, that he had come to believe that I would always wait for him.

Suddenly, someone shoved me from behind. The force sent me crashing to the ground.

Immediately, a slick warmth began sliding down my legs.