The Price Of His Choices

hat no longer hurt but had left a permanent scar. It was a Tuesday afternoon. The sun was streaming into our minimalist, million-dollar living room

id, her voice dripping with fake pity. "It re

moment' s hesitat

he said. It w

her' s. He just shrugged, a casual dis

s right. It

t it away. He walked to the kitchen, dropped it into the garbage disposal, and flipped the switch. T

Jewelry Design Competition. It was the most prestigious event of the year, and my collection, 'Resilience,' had made it t

ara

e, looking just as handsome and wealthy as ever in a tailored

u here," he said, his eyes

all place," I repl

rised. He probably expected me to be struggl

d, offering

er. "I heard you were back in town. About the locket... I was wro

part of him that was broken, the part that chose a s

wer, a small hand

, who'

up at David with curious eyes. He didn'

second, then hardened again a

I' m yo

ted across the ballroom. "He' s over there, talking to the man with the shiny he

f the Thompson Corporation, the very man whose company was sponsoring th

oked back at me, his eyes ful

voice low and angry. "You moved on that fast?

s of silence, three years after he shattered a pi

avid," I said, my voice c

d Uncle Ben? He' s near the dessert

and darted off into the crowd. I trusted Michae

o David. The noise of the ballroom seemed to fade aw

day, when the thought of a future with him was all I wanted. Th

thing. Not hatred, not love, not even sadness. Just a profound, quiet emptiness where