"Why aren't you picking up your phone?"
Late at night, Val was already dressed and heading out. It was the first time he'd ever done that.
He explained, "She's getting married this year, remember? She wants me to make her a custom ring. Such a hassle. Not like you, sweetheart. You're the most sensible girlfriend a man could ask for."
My face went stiff.
Back when we got engaged, I'd said the two of us should design our own rings. He worked in modeling anyway, and jewelry molds fell under that. But he was always too busy, never had the time, until I promised I'd work on it with him. So the ring got made with a few pointers from him and the rest of the design from me.
And now one phone call from Muriel, late as it was, and he climbed out of bed to go design a ring for her.
He was so excited he didn't even notice my expression had changed. He turned and walked out humming a little tune, cheerful as anything.
So the kindness toward me really had been an act, because he simply couldn't see when I was hurting.
That was when I made up my mind and dialed the call straight through.
I expected Grandpa to laugh at me. I'd sworn to his face once that I wasn't like my mother, that I trusted my own judgment.
That Val would never betray me.
But Grandpa spoke as if he'd known all along. "I took care of the paperwork for you long ago. Get your things in order over there and come. Grandpa's always right behind you."
"A fall is nothing. It just means they don't know a good thing when they see it."
The tears came pouring out of me. Family really does stand at your side after all.
So I started packing the things I'd take abroad, selling off some of the rest. The memories that had belonged to the two of us, I threw away what I could throw away and burned what I could burn.
For the sake of that one ring, Val had been leaving early and coming home late for days, forgetting his vow that he'd never stay out late.
He didn't even come home at all one night.
He never noticed the wedding details still sitting unconfirmed on the table, or the way our things dwindled around the house day by day. Completely indifferent, you could say.
The day before I was to leave for France, I went to Val's company to pick up a few things.
But the moment I arrived, I found the whole place buzzing, no one at their desks.
I caught an employee by the arm. "Did something happen today? It's not the company's annual gala, is it?"
The employee answered almost without thinking. "You don't know? Muriel Harding, Mr. Pruitt's best friend, she's getting married."
"So Mr. Pruitt gifted her half his shares in the company."
"He even gave everyone the day off with pay and told us to come in for a raffle."
"I heard the grand prize is a car worth three hundred grand. If I were Muriel I'd be over the moon."
Another one said, "But doesn't Mr. Pruitt have a girlfriend? I thought she was getting married soon too. Why hasn't there been a peep about it?"
"If you ask me, the bride might just be Muriel."
"That girlfriend's made up. If she were really his girlfriend, why would he keep coming in to make the ring himself, day after day? Muriel's ring is a rock the size of a pigeon's egg, shipped in from overseas. Mr. Pruitt worked on it with his own hands!"
Val had told me once that he'd never make me sign a prenup.
Said half of everything he owned was mine. I never agreed to it.
He'd also said a man keeps his money wherever his love is.
So that was it.
His love was with Muriel.
I let out a soft laugh. Maybe the photo of me that used to sit in Val's office had been thrown out long ago. What had I even come here looking for?
Just as I was about to leave, Muriel showed up and headed straight for me.
She grabbed my arm without asking what I wanted. "You're already here. Go on, draw a prize."
Val saw the two of us appear together, and his face tightened. "What are you doing here?"
"If I hadn't come, how would I ever have known you'd handed half the company to Muriel?"
"You owed Muriel so much back then, so I gave her the shares that were meant for you..."
"From now on, between you and Muriel, you'll never have to be the one who bows her head again. I did it for your own good."
If I hadn't overheard that conversation the other day, I might just have believed him.
Val didn't finish explaining. He was pulled away by the crowd before he could.
Muriel came over holding a ball and pressed it into my hand.
"Half of these shares are already mine. So what if you marry Val? You won't get a single cent out of it now."
"Just treat this like a lottery ticket. If your luck's good, you might even win yourself a car worth three hundred grand!"
Seeing that I didn't move—
"What? You don't know how? Right, of course. You never worked here, so how would you know? Let me help you."
Out rolled a single pack of tissues. Muriel covered her mouth. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I really didn't expect the prize to be as cheap as you are."
