This wasn’t the first time Toby heard Sonia saying she didn’t love him. However, he had never taken it to heart—he had always assumed that she only said those words out of anger. He knew how much she cared for him in the past few years, after all. But Toby only came to a realization when he saw Sonia talking to Rose in a calm and civil manner—he realized that Sonia hadn’t said those words to infuriate him after all. She told Rose that she no longer loved him because that was the truth.
At that moment, Toby felt a sharp and distinct ache in his heart, followed by a hollow sensation in his chest. He felt as if someone had taken something important away from him right then.
Rose caught sight of his rather pale expression from the corner of her eye, and she shook her head as she let out a sigh. “I thought that I could do something to bring you two back together if you still had feelings for Toby, but... Ah, I guess this isn’t all bad.” The married couple’s relationship used to be distant and cold in the past because Toby didn’t have feelings for Sonia back then. Now, Sonia’s the one who doesn’t have feelings for Toby. History would repeat itself if they got back together now, Rose thought.
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Grandma. But I know that things between President Fuller and me will never work out,” Sonia uttered as she held onto the old woman’s hand. “I’m sorry for disappointing you, Grandma.”
“What are you talking about, you silly girl? I’d rather see you happy than force you to be together with Toby. Look at your petite little face! You look so energetic nowadays. You used to look so worn out in the past—you didn’t even look like a young woman in your twenties back then. I think you’re doing a lot better now.” Rose cackled at the end of her sentence.
Sonia laughed along with Rose—the tension and worry in Sonia’s heart disappeared when she saw that Rose didn’t blame her for anything. A while later, she pulled out the necklace that had been lying under her shirt—she recalled something that she had wanted to do. “I forgot to mention that I paid a visit to the old house recently, Grandma. I found a necklace there. Look —is this the necklace you were talking about?”
A necklace? Toby’s eyes narrowed when he overheard their conversation from the balcony. What necklace?
Rose lifted Sonia’s necklace and took a look at it. “I’m not sure if this is the right one. Your dad was in a rush back then; he didn’t tell me what the necklace looked like specifically. I’m not too sure either.”
“This was the only necklace I found in the house. There weren’t any other necklaces,” Sonia said as she lowered the pendant onto her chest.
“I guess this is the right one, then,” Rose replied with a nod.
Sonia bit on her lower lip before she spoke. “This necklace looks really similar to the one that Julia wears around her neck. I went to the store and asked about it—they said that our necklaces were made as a pair for both mother and daughter. Julia’s necklace is the mother’s one, while the one I’m holding onto is the daughter’s necklace. I just don’t understand why Tina’s necklace would show up in my house.”
“Did you say that this necklace belongs to the Gray Family?” Rose was stunned upon hearing Sonia’s words.
Sonia nodded. “Yeah. Titus was the one who got someone to design the necklaces a little more than 20 years ago. It was made as a gift for Julia and their newborn child, Tina.”
“I remember now,” Rose said with a smile. “If the necklaces are really meant for the Grays, then the one with you isn’t for Tina. It was supposed to be for Rina.”
“Rina?” Sonia tilted her head puzzledly. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sensation bubbling in her chest once she heard that name. However, the feeling didn’t last for long—it disappeared almost immediately.
“That’s right. The necklace belonged to Rina, who’s the Grays’ eldest daughter. The whole Seafield was talking about it when Titus bought the necklaces—everyone was envious of Julia. However, Titus didn’t do anything similar when they had Tina, so this necklace must belong to the eldest daughter.”
Upon hearing Rose’s story, Sonia lowered her head to glance at the necklace. “So the Gray Family has more than one daughter, huh. Why haven’t I ever heard them talking about their eldest daughter?”
“Their eldest daughter died at a very young age,” Toby said as he pushed the door to let himself back into the room.
Sonia widened her eyes in shock. “She died?”
Rose nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, what’s this necklace doing in my house then?” Sonia couldn’t understand the situation.
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