Side Chick Era... Over

Loving Mom 3

When Wendy saw Carter and Kelly, her brows drew together instinctively, and a flicker of deep disgust surfaced in her eyes.

Her voice was cold. “Shaluna is not for sale.”

Kelly’s brow twitched ever so slightly, her gaze quickly shifting to the woman standing beside Wendy—Sharon.

Compared to Kelly’s delicate charm, the kind you’d find in a dainty porcelain figure, Sharon had a quiet grace, a poised elegance. Her face was a perfect oval, her features soft yet defined. Her eyes, limpid and calm, seemed to hold a ripple of water. She looked just like a classical beauty walking straight out of an ancient painting.

The moment Kelly laid eyes on her, something flickered in her gaze.

She walked quickly toward Sharon and stopped in front of her, her expression tinged with a pleading softness.

“Sharon,” she said gently, “is this violin your friend’s? Could you ask your friend to lend it to me for a little while? Back then, Carter and I met because of the violin. I was practicing in the garden, and he was drawn to my music. That’s how he found me… and how we got together. He always loved hearing me play.

“Sharon, I don’t know how much time I have left. I don’t even know if I can still hold a successful concert. But no matter what, I want to try—just one more time.”

Whether intentional or not, Kelly lowered her head slightly, revealing the familiar necklace on her neck.

The overhead lights caught the pendant, scattering soft brilliance.

The gleam stabbed into Sharon’s eyes.

Her voice was emotionless. “People die every day in this world. So what—just because someone with a terminal illness appears in front of me, I’m supposed to accommodate them?”

Kelly had clearly never heard such words before. Her eyes reddened instantly, tears pooling, trembling on the edge.

Carter’s expression turned cold. “Sharon, it’s just a violin. Must you be so aggressive? If you like it that much, I’ll buy you another.”

Sharon looked at him. “Exactly. It’s just a violin. If she wants one, buy her another. Why does it have to be mine?”

Kelly pleaded softly beside them. “Sharon, what would it take for you to let me borrow it? Whatever conditions you have, just name them.”

Name her price? As if the bill wouldn’t end up on Carter’s desk in the end?

of things

don’t

her feign innocence, Sharon sneered

And that necklace around your neck, that too

Theo gave me a gift box with the necklace inside.

cool laugh. “Well, now that you

her collarbone, bit her lip, and looked up at Carter, eyes

why not just let her have the necklace? We shouldn’t upset her over something so trivial—it’s not

Let her have it?

return it—let

hers to begin with. As if Kelly were magnanimously granting her a favor,

believed that Sharon’s talk of divorce was just a ploy to threaten him. He

“Since I gave it to you, it’s

“But…” Kelly started.

cut her off. “Once something’s given away, there’s no reason to take it

of emotion stirred on Kelly’s face—touched,

curled her

something off,

want to borrow the violin? Sure. If Mr. Biggs begs me for it, I’ll consider

pupils widened. She looked

darkened to

said

would do anything for you, Kelly. But now… seems that isn’t quite

believed Carter would sacrifice

she realized: the things he sacrificed were always the ones that

Like her.

understood that, Sharon felt nothing anymore. Not disappointment. Not anger. Just…

the shop manager, who’d been frozen

authorization for this violin expires today. Please remove it from display—I’m

manager glanced cautiously

the owner, do I not