After all, whether the wedding would happen or not was still uncertain.
Alyssa kept this thought to herself.
The atmosphere turned cold, but Ivan didn’t seem to notice. He casually draped his arm over her shoulder and smiled. "Mom, something this important should be given on the wedding day. It’ll make it more ceremonial."
On the way back, Alyssa leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed. She wasn’t tired; she just found it suffocating to be in the same space as Ivan. They used to talk about everything, but now, they had nothing left to say.
She could feel his gaze on her from time to time but chose to ignore it.
Before long, his phone started ringing. He rejected the call at first, but the persistent ringing continued.
Ivan glanced at her before pulling over to the side of the road.
He adjusted her seat position and retrieved a blanket from the backseat to cover her. Only then did he step out of the car with his phone in hand.
Alyssa stayed awake the entire time, though she kept her eyes closed.
She wasn’t sure if he stepped out to avoid disturbing her or if he was guilty and didn’t want to take the call in front of her.
Turning to look out the window, she saw Ivan standing a short distance away, a sweet smile on his face.
Then, it seemed there was something that had been said on the other end which made his brows furrow slightly. He glanced toward her direction and moved even farther away.
It was half an hour before he returned. Seeing that she was awake, his expression flickered briefly with unease before he quickly masked it.
"There was an urgent matter at work," he explained. "I was worried the call might disturb you, so I stepped out."
"Are you uncomfortable? Don’t worry, we’re almost home."
Alyssa shook her head but didn’t close her eyes again.
Ivan tried to start a conversation, but she only gave perfunctory responses, her disinterest evident.
"Oh, right," he said suddenly. "I forgot to mention—there was an issue with the custom rings. They might be delayed by a few days."
"This company is really unreliable," he added with a tone of frustration, carefully observing her reaction. When he saw her calm expression, he let out a subtle sigh of relief.
But Alyssa’s calm was merely a facade. Without hesitation, she opened Monica’s social media feed.
The latest photo was of a large diamond ring on her finger, with a caption, [A little sweet talk, and it’s mine.]
Even through the screen, Alyssa could sense the smugness radiating from Monica as she flaunted her victory.
Alyssa's face turned pale as waves of grief washed over her.
This ring had been her design for their wedding, one she had eagerly anticipated wearing herself. But now, it had been handed over to someone else.
'Ivan, you’re a liar,' she muttered mentally. She no longer wanted the ring—or him.
In her heart, she silently noted. [This is the third time I’ve forgiven him.]
When they arrived home, Alyssa got out of the car without looking back. She hadn’t walked far when Ivan caught up and pulled her into an embrace.
"Alyssa, have I done something to upset you recently?" he asked. "I feel like you’ve been different lately."
He feigned innocence, but his eyes betrayed his probing intent.
Alyssa met his gaze directly. Unwilling to tangle with him any further, she countered with a question of her own.
"Do you understand your father better now?"
Seeing his confusion, she elaborated, "Three years ago, your father left everything behind to divorce your mother for another woman. You were furious then, unable to comprehend how he could betray your mom despite treating her so well. But now?"
The hand resting on her shoulder stiffened abruptly.
