“Why would you do that, sweetheart?” Joshua’s voice was low, trembling between disbelief and irritation as his gaze fixed on my empty finger. “That ring was supposed to be our wedding bond.”
A bitter smile threatened to break across my face. Our wedding ring? The same one from a ceremony built on lies? From a marriage that existed only on paper—on a certificate that was nothing more than ink and deceit?
“I don’t want it anymore,” I replied quietly, my voice stripped of emotion.
He blinked, the initial shock gone in seconds, replaced by that easy charm he always wore like armor. “That’s it? You should’ve said so earlier.” His tone softened. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll get you a new one soon—something even more beautiful. Maybe at the next auction. You deserve the best.”
He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek, the gesture so casual it made me sick. “Why don’t you go change, hmm? Let’s have a little date. Just us. No one else this time.”
And with that, he walked out of the room, humming an upbeat tune as though nothing had happened.
I was about to grab a dress from the closet when I froze in the hallway. Through the slightly open door of the next room, I heard his voice—low, confident, familiar.
“She believed me,” he said, his tone dripping with satisfaction. “I told her she threw away the ring, but I kissed her and promised to buy another one. She won’t suspect a thing. Keep acting frail. Once my father and her family finalize the business handover, she’ll be out of the picture.”
Then came Vanessa’s voice, feathery and sly. “And you’re sure she’ll just… walk away?”
“She’s breaking already,” he replied with a laugh. “Give her a little more time and she’ll crumble. Maybe she’ll leave on her own—or fall apart. Doesn’t matter. You’re the one I want now.”
My heart thudded painfully, but I forced myself to keep walking. No sound. No tears. Not yet.
Tonight, I would act my part perfectly. Because tonight was supposed to be our third anniversary—at least, according to the lies he’d told me.
I wore a pale cream dress and the bracelet he’d given me the night before. My reflection in the mirror was calm, distant. I had mastered that look—the kind that hid storms behind stillness. Smiling without feeling. Loving without warmth. Pretending without breaking.
Joshua took me to a high-end restaurant overlooking the city. Everything sparkled—the crystal glasses, the soft golden lights, the view that made every couple around us look enchanted. He was back to his charming self, the version of him I once thought was real.
“Do you remember our first dinner here?” he asked with a nostalgic grin. “You had on that light blue dress. I couldn’t look away from you.”
I did remember.
Back then, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking from nerves. He’d pulled out my chair, ordered my favorite dish before I could speak, even remembered how I liked my wine. He brought tulips that night—my favorite flower, which I’d only mentioned once in passing.
I used to think those little things meant love. Meant forever.
He reached for my hand now, eyes glimmering under the candlelight. “To us,” he said, lifting his glass. “Three years of love and everything that comes with it.”
I smiled faintly, forcing my hand not to tremble as our glasses touched.
Three years of illusion.
He slid a velvet box across the table. “This should replace the ring you threw away,” he said with that disarming smile.
Inside lay a diamond band so bright it hurt to look at. I slipped it on and nodded, pretending to be moved. Pretending I hadn’t already heard him plotting with her.
But my mind kept drifting—to our old days. To the teenage promises, the prom night dances, the bracelets with our initials carved in cheap metal. The doodles in our notebooks. The love poems written in class margins. People used to call us the couple that never broke, the one everyone envied. I thought if love had a shape, it was him.
I was so wrong.
Now, when I looked into his eyes, all I could see was betrayal—the way his lips had touched Vanessa’s, the way he mocked our fake marriage behind my back.
“I missed you,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over my skin. “I don’t ever want to lose this.”
Neither did I, once. But whatever this was, it had died long ago.
I nodded, leaning forward like I used to. But the warmth was gone. All that remained was the quiet emptiness of someone who’d finally stopped believing.
The night continued with laughter that didn’t reach our eyes and toasts that meant nothing.
Then his phone rang.
He frowned, excused himself, and stepped outside to answer. Through the glass window, I watched his expression change from irritation to panic—then, without warning, he bolted for the exit.
I followed him out. “Joshua! What happened?”
He didn’t even glance at me. “Vanessa… she fell down the stairs,” he muttered before jumping into the car and speeding away.
No goodbye. No concern. Just gone.
I stood on the curb, clutching the ring box, the city lights blurring around me. The air stung my skin, but I didn’t cry. Not this time.
I hailed a taxi and told the driver to just drive. Anywhere. I didn’t care.
But halfway down a dim street, the car slowed.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, glancing up.
Before the driver could answer, two men appeared from the shadows. The back door yanked open.
“Hand over your bag!” one barked, grabbing my arm.
I screamed, trying to fight, but another man was already ripping my purse away. Something cold and metallic glinted under the streetlight.
Then pain.
Sharp. Deep. Fire searing through my side.
They ran, my things in hand, leaving me gasping, half-doubled over. My phone slipped from my lap but didn’t fall out of the cab—it landed beside my leg.
With shaking fingers, I grabbed it and dialed the only number my mind knew by heart.
“Joshua…” My voice was a rasp. “I—I’ve been attacked. I’m bleeding. Please… help me.”
His voice came through, distracted, distant. “What? Now? I’m kind of busy.”
My heart stopped. “I’m serious… I need you—please—”
There was a pause. A sigh. Then his tone turned cold.
“Can’t you call someone else? Vanessa just got hurt. She needs me more right now.”
I froze.
And then, faintly, in the background—I heard her laugh. Vanessa.
Joshua’s voice hardened. “Not everything’s about you, Adriana. Don’t start this drama. Not tonight.”
Something inside me cracked. “I’m not—”
But he hung up.
The phone slipped from my hand, hitting the pavement with a dull thud.
My vision blurred, my limbs heavy, the world tilting sideways.
The pain grew hotter, sharper, until everything faded into black.
