For a moment, I froze. Nadine. Of course. It wasn’t enough that she had my husband—she wanted to erase every piece of me, too.
I was about to turn away, to let it all burn—I didn’t care anymore, not really—until I saw it.
A small silver chain glinting in the flames. My mother’s necklace. The last gift she had pressed into my hand before she died, telling me, “This will always protect you.”
“No!” I screamed, rushing forward. I ignored the heat scorching my hands as I grabbed at the necklace, saving what little was left before it was consumed. My eyes burned—not from smoke, but from fury.
I stormed back into the house, the necklace clutched tight in my palm, and found Nadine in the living room. She sat there smug, her hand resting on her growing belly like a queen.
“Why?” My voice trembled with anger. “Why did you burn my things? That necklace—it was from my mother.”
Nadine looked up, feigning innocence. “Oh, that? I thought it was fake. Honestly, Emerald, with all the clutter you left around, how was I supposed to know what mattered? I was just trying to clear space.”
“Clear space?” I hissed. “This is my house. You have no right—”
“Enough.”