Chapter 2 Her Ten Years

"Jessica, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Gabriel said, noticing Jessica had been looking down in silence.

Jessica finally looked up at Gabriel and forced a hollow smile. "I'm not gonna go looking for him. He's getting married. His family made him marry a woman he didn't love a few years ago. Now he's finally free and about to be with the woman he truly loves," she said with a bitter smile.

"A guy like that isn't worth your love," Gabriel said, surprised that the man Jessica had held in her heart for so many years turned out to be someone like this.

Jessica didn't respond, just gave a faint smile.

'Not worth my love? But I have loved him for ten whole years.' she thought. She still remembered how the first stirrings of her heart had thrown her completely off balance. What she thought was just a fleeting crush turned out to be a secret, all-consuming love that grew wildly.

Gabriel was momentarily dazed, almost thinking Jessica was talking about him. He was about to speak but stopped himself, thinking, 'It's impossible. When we got married, Jessica said she had loved that man for eight years, which means it has been ten years now. We have only known each other for four years. The man in Jessica's heart couldn't possibly be me.'

After Gabriel left, Jessica picked up the pregnancy test from the trash and hid it away. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face. Her heart ached as if someone was squeezing it, making it hard to breathe.

Jessica didn't know how she fell asleep, but when she woke up, the sky outside was dark, and it was already evening.

She sat in the dining room, looking at the cake on the table. The cake was unique, adorned with cartoon images of a family of three, but it lacked icing, leaving just the sponge.

Jessica cut a slice and placed it in front of her, taking a bite. A subtle milky flavor spread across her tongue. This was the cake she had made for Gabriel with her own hands. Knowing he disliked the dense texture of cream and wasn't fond of sweets, she had deliberately made it low-fat and low-sugar, even skipping the icing. Yet, he refused to try a single bite.

Jessica let out a self-mocking laugh, but when her eyes fell upon the red velvet box nearby, she couldn't hold back her tears. Suddenly, as if in a frenzy, she grabbed a large piece of cake and shoved it into her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mingling with the sweet cake, and she couldn't discern the taste—she only knew that her heart was filled with bitterness.

Inside the red velvet box lay a ruby necklace and a pair of earrings, gleaming under the light. Jessica found the red hue glaringly intense, each ruby resembling the shattered fragments of her heart.

Gabriel had sent them through his assistant, Oscar Murdock, shortly after she had just woken up.

"It's a gift for our second wedding anniversary," Gabriel's gentle words stirred up Jessica's emotions again.

"Thank you," Jessica said, holding back her tears.

"But Jessica, I made some changes to the gift," Gabriel's voice came through the phone again.

"It's okay." They were getting divorced; the anniversary gift didn't matter to her anymore.

Five minutes after Jessica hung up, Oscar arrived at the Walton Villa. "Mrs. Walton, this is the anniversary gift Mr. Walton asked me to deliver."

"Thank you," Jessica said, taking the gift and setting it aside without opening it. She was about to get the cake when Oscar stopped her.

"Mrs. Walton, Mr. Walton said not to send him any sweets. He knows you love them, so he wants you to enjoy them yourself," Oscar finally said.

Jessica stood there, stunned. She knew Gabriel's preferences and had made the cake just for him, but he had refused it. The more Jessica thought about it, the more her heart ached.

In an attempt to numb her pain, Jessica shoved cake into her mouth with increasing speed, until she couldn't restrain herself from vomiting after consuming the entire dessert. She retched violently at the sink, her body and soul wracked with agony. At that very moment, her phone rang—it was Gabriel calling.

"Jessica, do you like the gift? I picked it out carefully, thinking it would suit you." Gabriel asked gently.

'Carefully picked out? That expensive ruby necklace and earrings are his way of compensating her.' Jessica thought.

Last month, she had accompanied Gabriel to a jewelry auction. A pair of emerald earrings had caught Jessica's eye with their vibrant green color.

"Do you like them? I'll buy them for you," Gabriel had noticed the change in her expression.

"No, they're too expensive," Jessica had shaken her head, never wanting such costly gifts.

"Just consider it a gift for our second wedding anniversary," Gabriel had said, and Jessica had agreed, feeling excited and looking forward to it.

"They're beautiful. I love them. Thank you," Jessica said softly, her voice trembling. But she had never liked bright colors.

"Is there anything else?" Jessica asked and felt her stomach churn again, rushing into the bathroom.