Chapter 27
Chapter 27:
Defeated, she sank to the floor and stared at the empty space where her mother’s keepsake should have been.
The door burst open and hit the wall as Ryan strode in, taking in the chaos she had left behind. His rage boiled over instantly, and he yanked her up from the floor.
“You’ve completely lost it, tearing up my study like this. Do you have any idea what you caused out there?” he shouted.
Pain shot through her arm, but Kailey barely flinched. Tears burned in her eyes as she met his glare, her voice unsteady. “Where is my mother’s emerald amulet p>
Ryan froze, his hand falling away from her arm.
“What happened to the emerald amulet my mother left me?” Kailey pressed, her voice rising. Her hair clung to her damp face, wild and desperate, her whole body wound tight with anguish.
Ryan was caught off guard by the force of her anger. His eyes dropped, and he spoke quietly. “Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden p>
“All of a sudden?” Kailey’s voice turned sharp. “That amulet belonged to me. You promised to keep it safe because you thought I’d lose it, and I trusted you with it. But how could you just hand it over to Olivia? Why would you do that p>
у𝗼𝗎𝗋 𝗱аil𝗒 𝗱о𝗌𝗲 о𝖿 𝗇о𝗏𝖾𝗹𝗌 𝗼n.соm
That emerald amulet was the only thing she still had from her mother—the last remaining link to her past. Ryan had always been its keeper, or so she had believed, until today, when she had seen Olivia display it as though it meant nothing at all.
A flash of guilt moved across Ryan’s face as he registered how pale she had gone.
He tried to recover his composure, drawing a measured breath. “Olivia only wanted to borrow it for some photos. She has no interest in your things p>
“Shouldn’t you have asked my permission first p>
Kailey’s mind turned back to the moment Olivia had shown her the amulet, her eyes practically daring her to react. It was clear now—Olivia had planned it, wanting to provoke her and then stage a scene in front of Ryan.
Olivia had gotten exactly what she wanted. Except for one thing: Kailey no longer cared about Ryan’s opinion.
“I don’t care whether you lent it or gave it away. Get it back for me. All I want is some basic respect p>
One tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. She held his gaze for a moment, then turned and walked away.
She had barely taken a step before his hand closed around her arm.
“Kailey! It’s just a piece of jewelry. Why are you making this into such a big deal? If you want, I’ll buy you a dozen more. Olivia told me she was only borrowing it, and she’ll return it. I agreed to that. How could you lash out at her over something so minor? Have you no manners at all p>
His words settled over her like a weight.
Strangely, she didn’t feel the devastation she might have expected—just a brief sting, and then nothing but emptiness.