Chapter 6 He Hurt Her

Samuel, who had just felt a pang of guilt, frowned again when he heard Annabelle's words. "It's just a broken box. Can you stop being so petty, Annabelle? Is there anything he does that you don't dislike?" Annabelle felt a jolt in her chest at his words. She looked at him in disbelief and realized he really had forgotten what was inside that box. Her hand froze in midair as she hesitated. She wanted to mention the ring, but Lucas interrupted before she could speak. "Sam, I want this box. Can I throw away what's inside?" Since Samuel was already irritated with Annabelle and found her completely unreasonable, he naturally gave in to Lucas without a second thought. "Sure. If you want to throw it away, go ahead." Annabelle's heart skipped a beat when she saw Lucas pull out the ring. She reached out instinctively, trying to stop him. Lucas walked over to the fireplace. Just as he was about to toss it in, he paused and turned to Elise. "Mommy, this ring looks kind of pretty. Are you sure I should throw it away?" Elise's expression changed. She avoided Samuel's eyes and desperately blinked at Lucas, urging him to get rid of it. Samuel was shocked when he heard the mention of the ring. He quickly looked over, but the ring was already swallowed by the flames. He turned to Annabelle immediately, but no words came out. He felt empty under her gaze. Annabelle didn't so much as glance at him. After a brief silence, she turned her wheelchair toward the fireplace and reached out to retrieve the ring. The fire had only just been lit, so it wasn't strong, but the heat still made her flinch and hiss in pain. Samuel felt a sharp pang in his chest. Just as he was about to step forward and pull her back, Elise rushed over and stood in front of Annabelle first. She held her child and slapped him hard several times. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Annabelle. "I'm sorry. I didn't raise my child properly. I apologize to you on his behalf. Just tell me how much the ring cost, and I'll save up to buy another one for you." Annabelle looked at Elise indifferently and said nothing. As Elise caught Samuel's gaze lingering on Annabelle, her eyes darkened with a flicker of malice. Then suddenly, she dropped to her knees with a loud thud. "It's all my fault. Please just forgive me, Annabelle. If you're that angry, hit me instead." With that, she grabbed Annabelle's hand and struck her own face. Annabelle tried to pull back, but Elise held on tight. A loud slap echoed through the room, and Elise's cheek instantly turned red. However, Elise wasn't satisfied yet. She released Annabelle's hand and kept slapping her own face while muttering apologies. Annabelle frowned at the absurdity. Just as she was about to tell Elise to stop acting, Samuel suddenly shoved her aside. The wheelchair hadn't been locked. With that forceful push, it rolled straight into the desk behind her. The back of the chair hit the corner, and Annabelle was thrown from her seat, landing hard on the floor. Samuel hadn't expected to use that much force. A flash of shock crossed his face. He had just taken a few steps forward when Elise grabbed onto him. As he turned and saw Elise's swollen cheek, his expression grew cold again. Instead of going to Annabelle, he pulled Elise protectively into his arms. Then, he looked down at Annabelle coldly. "Annabelle, Elise already apologized. Why do you keep pushing it? It was just a ring. Did you have to embarrass her by trying to dig it out of the fire?" As Annabelle landed on the floor in a pitiful heap, her burned hand struck the floor hard. The sharp burn stole her voice in that instant. Her numb legs left her helpless, and though she tried to push herself up several times, she kept collapsing back down. The overwhelming weakness brought tears to her eyes. Samuel felt a stir of sympathy and was about to help her when Lucas grabbed his hand. "Sam, it's my fault. I was wrong," Lucas whispered. Holding Lucas' tiny hand, Samuel's heart softened. He steeled himself again and looked away from Annabelle. "If you so love making things difficult for people, then get up on your own. Let's see how long you can keep acting so tough." Annabelle glanced up and saw Samuel step on the torn wedding photo on the floor. It felt like he had crushed her heart underfoot, too. In that moment, she felt all her hope die out. She didn't want to love him anymore.