The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 2

Ryan Bennett pushed open the door and froze at the sight before him—Joanna Taylor, hunched over the floor, violently throwing up.

For once, his tone lost a bit of its usual edge.

"You feeling sick?"

The concern was faint—more like a courtesy than genuine worry.

If it had been Crystal Lynn, he would've been in a panic, already dialing the hospital, jacket half on.

Joanna wiped her mouth, struggling to stand. Her face was ghost-white, her voice flat.

"It's nothing."

Ryan nodded, visibly relieved. Then, as if on cue, his voice shifted back to its usual detached tone.

"Crystal burned her hand making soup."

"You should make it for her from now on—and deliver it personally. Take it as an apology."

Joanna let out a dry, hollow laugh.

"She killed Lily, and now I'm supposed to cook for her?"

"I'd rather grind her bones to—"

Slap.

The sharp crack of his palm stopped her cold. Disgust painted Ryan's face.

"What kind of mother says something like that?"

"Crystal's father saved our family. She's all alone now. Can't you stop being so cruel?"

Alone? What a damn joke.

Joanna's body sagged with exhaustion, helplessness seeping into her bones. He knew Grandma Wilson had been the last of her family—and still, he walked away.

He knew Lily was her entire world—yet he'd left their daughter alone at an amusement park.

All for Crystal.

A new kind of hatred took root—not for him, but for herself.

If she'd never loved Ryan... never sacrificed everything to marry him... would Grandma and Lily still be alive?

Ryan's phone buzzed. Without another word, he turned and walked out.

Ever since Crystal came back, he'd treated her like porcelain—precious and fragile. But his own wife? His child? Disposable.

Joanna thought back to that night—when Lily spiked a fever. Ryan never picked up. She carried their burning daughter out of their gated villa, step by agonizing step, feet blistering, lungs burning, just to reach the hospital in time.

Maybe she should've let him go a long time ago.

A tear slipped down her cheek—just one, the last drop she had left.

In her mind, she saw them again.

Grandma's gentle voice,

"Joanna, my dear, let's celebrate the New Year together."

Lily's sweet smile,

"Mommy, I miss Daddy. Can we all watch fireworks this year? You, me, and Grandma?"

Joanna choked on a smile.

"Yes. We will. A real reunion."

She reached out, desperate to hold them, but her arms closed around nothing.

"No!"

Her scream echoed off the walls as her body crumpled, shaking with sobs.

Grandma… Lily… wait for me. It's so cold here. So lonely. I'm coming…

That afternoon, Ryan finally came back.

He brought a Barbie doll—the one Lily used to love.

"Crystal picked this out. Said Lily just needs time to warm up to her."

"Maybe you should learn something from her. Try being less bitter."

Joanna said nothing.

Then he pulled a bracelet from his pocket.

"Here. This is for you."

"We're married. What more do you want?"

Joanna looked at it—thin gold, elegant... but incomplete.

"This one's missing its centerpiece," she murmured. "There should be a main stone."

Ryan froze for a second before shoving it back into his coat.

"I don't know much about jewelry. I'll get you something else."

Joanna's lips curled into a faint smile—not amused, just tired.

She didn't know much about gems either. But she'd seen the news.

That missing centerpiece? It was The Radiant—the one Ryan had given Crystal.

Trying to change the subject, Ryan cleared his throat.

"New Year's is coming. Let's invite Grandma. Have a proper reunion dinner."

For a split second, something flickered in Joanna's dead eyes.

"A reunion dinner… yeah."

"Two more weeks."

She smiled, soft and serene.

Ryan let out a breath, thinking he'd smoothed things over.

If he'd looked just a little closer, he might've seen it—that bottomless grief still drowning her eyes.