Filed to story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
She would never, ever give it to Elsa-the person she despised most.
Jackson’s expression darkened. He grabbed the pendant and demanded in a sharp voice, “This my sister’s pendant. Why is it on you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is mine,” Elsa snapped, her face paling.
She hadn’t expected Jackson to recognize it.
But then she remembered-Lily was dead, beyond all proof. Her confidence returned, her expression cool once more.
Simon’s heart was already bleeding from Lily’s disappearance.
But when he saw Jackson manhandling Elsa, he frowned coldly. “Jackson, what nonsense are you spouting? I gave that pendant to Lizzy. How could it belong to your so-called sister?”
“Lizzy?”
Jackson froze.
Years ago, Lily had once told him her nickname-Lizzy.
How could it be such a coincidence that Elsa also went by Lizzy?
His suspicion flared. He grew desperate to confirm the truth.
“When I was little, I lived in the orphanage with my sister. She wore this pendant every day. I remember-the inside is engraved with the letter L. That proves it’s Lily’s pendant. Don’t twist the truth just to protect Elsa-“
Elsa panicked. She couldn’t let him see the inside engraving.
But how could her strength compare to Jackson’s?
Even as she clutched it with all her might, trying to shield it in her palm, Jackson pried it free from her hands.
Then he saw it-the letter “L” etched inside.
There was no longer any doubt. This was Lily’s pendant.
Lily had always loathed Elsa. She would never let her touch something so precious.
Snarling, Jackson yanked it from Elsa’s neck.
“Ah!”
The cord of the pendant was thick, and the force nearly strangled Elsa, leaving her in tears from the pain.
She staggered forward, trying to snatch it back.
But Jackson held it firm, glaring down at her as though she were nothing more than a maggot crawling in filth.
“You stole this from my sister, didn’t you? Or did you rob her? Answer me!”
“I don’t know what you’re saying. Simon gave it to me. How could it be Lily’s?”
Elsa let a single tear fall, her face full of false purity, like a lily blooming untarnished in the mud.
She sniffled pitifully, adding, “I know Lily resented me deeply, she couldn’t stand to see me happy. I don’t know what lies she fed you, but this pendant has always been mine.”
Failing to reclaim it, she turned to Simon with tears trembling in her lashes. “Simon, I care about this pendant so much because it’s from you. Please… tell him to give it back to me.”
Simon’s brows knitted tight.
He hadn’t expected Jackson to know about the engraving.
But perhaps Jackson had already seen the letter when he grabbed it, and was only pretending otherwise.
His chest still ached with emptiness from losing Lily.
But the pendant-he had given it to Elsa. That made it hers. He couldn’t just watch Jackson keep it from her.
Eyes rimmed red, he finally said, “This pendant is indeed something I gave Lizzy. It’s impossible that it belongs to Lily. Give it back to her.”
“You gave it to Elsa? You’re calling her Lizzy…”
Jackson looked down at the pendant in his hand, then suddenly let out a laugh.
But it was a hollow, bitter sound. His twisted lips weren’t laughter at all-more like the broken cry of a lone wolf.
The Broken-Hearted She and the Icy He
Tears streaked Jackson’s face as he gave a hoarse laugh. “My sister’s nickname… was also Lizzy.”
“What did you say?!”
Simon’s eyes flew wide open.
He knew the sister Jackson spoke of was Lily.
But Lily was Lily-why would Jackson claim she also had the name Lizzy?
Jackson ignored him, his tone sharp with bitter irony. “The first time I saw her in the orphanage, I noticed she wore this pendant. She told me it was given to her by a boy. That year, during the earthquake, she and that boy were trapped under the rubble for over two days before rescue came. Simon-aren’t you that boy she spoke of?”
“That’s impossible…”
Simon’s face went pale, his body staggering.
He couldn’t stop recalling the image of Lily standing on stage, singing softly.
Every time he’d watched her sing, he had been reminded of Lizzy from his childhood.
But he had already acknowledged Elsa as Lizzy-so he had never thought Lily could be her.
Now Jackson was saying Lily’s nickname was Lizzy, and she too had been trapped with a boy under rubble for more than two days…
Could it be that Elsa had lied, and Lily was his real Lizzy?
No!
Lily couldn’t be Lizzy.
The pendant belonged to Elsa. Lily could never be Lizzy,
And he couldn’t have abandoned Lizzy in a moment of life and death-he couldn’t have chosen someone else over her!
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Elsa’s fingers trembled uncontrollably, panic flashing in her eyes.
She hadn’t expected Lily to be such a fool, telling Jackson about being trapped under the rubble with Simon.
Her hands clenched together to still their shaking, but her breathing grew ragged. She gulped down air, even opening her mouth wide, but still felt she couldn’t breathe.
After struggling for a long moment, she forced herself to speak. “Sixteen years ago, it was clearly me and Simon trapped under the rubble. We encouraged each other, supported each other until the rescuers found us. How could it just happen that Lily was also trapped with some boy for the same two days? Yes, Lily and I were classmates in college. She must have heard me talk about it and decided to trick you!”
“Elsa, you disgusting liar-how dare you throw filth on my sister?”
Jackson tightened his grip on the pendant, his voice biting with mockery. “You say you were the one trapped with Simon under the rubble. If that’s true, then in those two days you must have said many things to him. Tell me what was the food you told him you hated most?” me-what
“I… I…”
Elsa stumbled back, her face chalk white.
She had never been with Simon under the rubble-how could she possibly know what Lily had said?
She cursed Lily furiously in her heart. That shameless bitch-why would she tell Jackson everything?
Fabricating details like this was too easy to expose.
She fell back on the same excuse she had used before.
“That earthquake traumatized me. I suffered so much. When I was finally pulled out from the rubble, I fainted and burned with a fever for almost a week. When I woke, I’d forgotten many of the details.”
“Ha!”
Jackson’s laugh rang sharp, cutting through the air. But it was laughter laced with grief. His chest ached so fiercely that even while laughing, tears poured down his face again.