Betty's words jogged my memory. This necklace was a birthday gift from my son last year.

To surprise me, they'd gone to the auction incognito. That was why no one knew who bought it.

Alex bought her story, frowning. "I thought you were just materialistic. Didn't figure you'd stoop to being a side piece for cash."

I stayed silent, unwilling to waste my breath on people like them.

But my silence made Alex think he'd hit the nail on the head. He pulled out his phone, sanctimonious. "How much do you need? I'll give it to you. Consider it compensation for your necklace."

"No need. It isn't expensive," I said coldly.

The necklace might be pricey for them, but even my son's allowance could cover that.

I didn't need his money, nor did I want any connection with him. My husband would be mad.

Alex paused, then chuckled, "Don't get me wrong. I simply can't stand seeing you like this. This is a charity gala. Helping an ex out with some living money is just humane. Don't worry. I've got zero other intentions toward you."

Betty stepped out from behind him and linked arms with him, trying to pull him away. "Let's just ignore her. She is in that trade. Who knows what germs she's carrying? We can't risk catching anything. Besides, she graduated from a top college. Even at her lowest, she could wait tables and eat. But no, she chases guys. It's all because she's lazy and won't hustle."

"Watch your mouth!" I cut her off. "Slander is a crime, you know."

She flinched, hiding behind Alex. She glared. "What, you can do it but can't own it?"

I grew anxious. The sun was setting, and my son's project wasn't done yet.

I had no time to waste on these two.

I bent down to pick up a bottle when Alex roughly grabbed my arm and yanked me up.

"You sneered at the gloves I gave you. Now you're out here picking trash?" he spat. "Even if you begged me now, I wouldn't look back at you."

I was speechless.

It was just ridiculous for him to think that I broke up with him over some gloves.

Back then, Betty wanted to leave Alex for a married old guy. Alex got so down that he tried to jump off a bridge.

I bumped into it and saved him. To stop him from trying suicide again, I stuck with him through that tough time.

Maybe my presence filled the gap Betty left. Alex grew fond of me and chased me.

I agreed to date him, but everything changed with Betty's return.

That old guy had scammed her out of everything and dumped her.

That same day, Alex started distancing himself. He stopped answering my calls or replying to my texts.

On my birthday, he used his supermarket points for a pair of dishwashing gloves as a gift. That was like an implication that I was just a maid to him.

The irony? I still held out hope for him then.

Then the media blasted that Alex had spent five million dollars on a gem for Betty. That was when my heart shattered.

Now he still didn't get it. The gloves didn't matter.

I shook him off and rubbed my sore wrist. "I'm doing great now. Mind your own business."

He eyed me suspiciously, and I sighed, "Plus, I'm married. If my husband saw you grabbing me like this, he'd flip."

Alex stepped back. Shock was written all over his face. "You got married behind my back?"

Alex's hand shook slightly with the highball glass. "You're married and still doing that stuff? Does your husband know?"

I said nothing.

His furrowed brow relaxed a bit. Then he scoffed, "Ha, I get it. You're bluffing to rile me up and make me come back. I didn't know you were this scheming. But we're over. Even if you claimed you had kids, I wouldn't care."

He didn't have to tell me that. I knew he only cared for Betty.

But back then, he pursued me, swearing he'd gotten over Betty long ago to ease my worries.

His resolve touched me, and I agreed to be with him.

Now, in his mouth, I was desperately clinging to him.

Betty snatched my bag and dumped the trash all over the ground. "With your broke-ass vibe, you think you can snag rich folks' trash? You aren't taking even one bottle today."

My hard work on my son's project was ruined, making me furious.

I reached to grab the bag back, but before I could touch her, she flung herself backward and fell onto the sand.

"Ah, you bitch! How dare you push me?" she cursed.

I rolled my eyes, unimpressed by her crappy acting. Only a blind fool like Alex would fall for that.

She sat on the ground, sobbing dramatically. "Look what you did to my dress. You need to pay me!"

Alex glanced at her, then locked eyes with me. "Picking trash on a private beach is wrong to start. Betty was just kindly reminding you, and you shoved her? How can you be so vicious?"

I sneered while Betty kept demanding compensation.

Alex sighed, "Betty, get up. Look at her. Does she look like someone who can afford to replace your dress?"

Betty smirked, "That's true. An apology will be good."

I laughed, tired of their drama, and pulled out my phone. "It's just a dress, right? I'll pay you."

Betty frowned. "Do you even know how much this costs? You think a hundred or two covers it?"

I ignored her and was about to unlock my phone when a hand gripped my wrist.

Alex stared at the wallpaper. His nostrils flared, and his breath came in short, sharp pants, like a dog on the edge.

Finally steadying his breath, he croaked, "Don't you get it? I don't need those roses anymore."

'Roses?' I glanced down at my phone's wallpaper.

It was just roses growing in our backyard. I thought they looked nice, so I snapped a picture for the screensaver.

But his words reminded me of something. Years ago, when Alex was heartbroken, I bought him a rose.

"Pretty, huh?" I had placed it in his hand.

He had nodded through tears.

I had added, "Let's make a deal. As long as this rose doesn't wilt, you'll stay happy."

From then on, I bought a fresh rose every day from the florist. I'd replace the old one, keeping the rose in the vase vibrant all the time.

I'd forgotten about that old stuff after so many years.

Alex looked down on me, his tone icy. "I'm about to marry Betty. There's no chance for us. Stop trying to win me back."

Ignoring him, I tried to unlock my phone, but the mud on my hands interfered with the fingerprint scanner. I attempted Face ID next, but dirt on my face caused it to fail.

I tried to enter the password, but Betty snatched the phone from me. "Can't even unlock it? I bet this phone was stolen."

I froze, suppressing my rage. "Give me back my phone."

She refused, calling over the server. "This phone belongs to a guest. This woman stole it. Put it in the lost and found, then get a fishing boat to haul her out."

"That's my phone!" I yelled.

"Keep disrupting orders, and we'll call the police." The server held the phone and barked, "Cooperate with us."

A security guard rushed over, but Alex stopped him. "She didn't do it on purpose. For my sake, let it slide."

Betty chimed in, "If we call the police, she'll do at least two years."

I countered, "And do you know how many years you get for defamation?"

The security guard grabbed me and started dragging me out.

Just then, a yacht sped over from afar.

A boy jumped off as soon as it docked and ran toward me, bouncing with energy. I struggled free and crouched to hug him.

Betty suddenly grabbed my hair and threw me to the ground.

The boy freaked out. "Waah! Mom!"

Betty picked him up. "This bad woman isn't your mom. I'll take you to your real mom."

Felix Hines writhed in agony, his arms and legs marked with red streaks from the struggle.

"No, I want my mom!" he cried, his face flushed.

"Let go of my son!" I snarled, charging forward desperately.

The guard held me back, and the surrounding mockery grew sharper.

"She's crazy. How could a woman like her have a kid?"

"Hurry and lock her up. She probably escaped from a psych ward."

Alex came over and pulled me over. "She is here for me. I'll send her off."

He dragged me toward the shore where a fishing boat was ready.

"Let me go! Or you'll regret this!" I warned, struggling.

Suddenly, another yacht raced in, and a tall figure stepped off.

His custom gray suit outlined his fit build. He removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp eyes.

Everyone greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Hines."

I looked over and teared up.