Chapter 1
With just a week to go until the wedding, the engagement ring went missing.
Panic seized me, and I embarked on a relentless search, tearing through the house and scouring the neighborhood daily.
My fiancé, Andrew Lawson, watched my frantic efforts with growing concern. Finally, he stepped in, his voice gentle. "Hey, it's alright. I'll buy you a brand-new one."
I stubbornly shook my head. "This ring was our special thing, custom-made just for me. I can't lose it," I said, my tone laced with determination.
Left with no other option, Andrew postponed the wedding and threw himself into the search alongside me.
One fateful evening, after hours of fruitless rummaging through the garbage, my spirits were at rock bottom, and tears welled up in my eyes. That was when a notification popped up on my phone.
Sophia Monroe, Andrew's childhood friend, had posted a picture of herself wearing my missing ring on social media.
The caption read: [Some handsome guy still remembers to make me the first to wear his sparkler!] But it was gone in a flash, deleted within three seconds.
The very next day, Andrew returned home with the lost ring in his hand.
Without a word, I thrust my phone at him, the screenshot of Sophia's post glaring up at him.
"I'm calling off the wedding," I declared.
He stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. "It was just a harmless thing, letting her try it on. You can't be calling off the wedding over this," he pleaded.
"Yes, I can," I retorted, my resolve unwavering.
*****
As I walked past a restaurant, I caught sight of Sophia through the window, wearing that familiar wedding ring.
Andrew's friends started teasing him.
"Wasn't that ring custom-made for Charlotte? Looks like it fits Sophie perfectly!" one of them joked.
"Come on, Andy, be honest—did you actually make it to fit Sophie's hand?" another chimed in.
One of them slung an arm around Andrew's neck and gave him a playful punch in the chest.
"Nice one, dude! I knew you wanted to marry Sophie all along!" he teased.
Sophia let out a soft laugh, her gaze sparkling as she looked at Andrew.
Andrew just laughed and waved them off. "It's just a coincidence, guys. Stop messing around. I'm marrying Charlie," he said.
"Then why'd you let Sophie wear the ring? Charlie's been running around asking everyone, even cried over that ring," one of them said.
"Yeah, Andy, if you don't come clean, you can't keep this under wraps forever," another chimed in.
Andrew gave Sophia a gentle look. "I'm just getting married, not cutting her out of my life.
"I told her she'd be the first girl I ever put a ring on, and I'm not breaking that promise."
The guys went wild, making a scene and egging him on.
Meanwhile, I was the only one left outside, standing alone in the raging snow, staring at the warm golden light inside. I bit my lower lip so hard I could taste blood.
When I got home, my heart started to ache all over again.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this way.
Ever since I met Andrew, he'd always looked after me. Especially after my surgery, my heart never gave me trouble again.
But now, it hurt more than ever.
My hands shook as I grabbed my meds and forced myself to swallow them.
When I came to on the couch in the middle of the night, Andrew was standing there, grinning mysteriously.
"Look what I've got," he said.
Inside the red velvet box was the wedding ring I'd been desperately searching for.
"I got it back! The wedding's back on!" Andrew said, his voice bubbling with excitement.
Keeping my cool, I slid the video I'd recorded outside the restaurant over to him.
At the sight of the video, his breath caught.
His eyes flicked to my meds, and Andrew realized I wasn't just upset—I was seriously pissed.
After all, I hadn't needed those pills in ages.
"I'm sorry, Charlie," he said.
He suddenly panicked, gently cupping my face and checking if I looked okay.
"Are you feeling any discomfort? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?
"I just... I promised her, that's all. I only wanted to keep my promise—I never intended to marry her.
"I only kept it from you because I was afraid you'd misunderstand. You're the only one I want to marry, Charlie..."
Gritting my teeth, I spat, "Let go! Why don't you just go marry her?"
He retorted with bloodshot eyes, "No way! I told you I'd marry you. There's only you for me, Charlie. I swear, I'll never marry her!"
"But I don't want to marry you anymore," I said, my voice steady but cold.
A flicker of hurt passed through Andrew's eyes.
His voice softened, almost pleading, as his grip on my wrist tightened, refusing to let go.
"I said I'm calling off the engagement. Let go!" I snapped.
"I'm not letting go. I won't ever let you go," Andrew said, his voice low and stubborn.
Enraged, I slapped him right across the face.
Andrew stood there, stunned.
"I won't share my man with anyone else. We're done," I said, my voice cold and steady.
He looked at me, utterly shocked.
It was the first time since we met five years ago that I'd ever struck him.
"Sophie is just my childhood friend! I only ever saw her as a sister!" Andrew blurted out, desperate.
"That doesn't make it okay," I snapped.
Andrew went quiet for a moment before turning away.
"Just cool off for a bit," he said.
"Stop right there!" I called out.
His eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope as he swiveled around.
I shoved the ring box into his hand. "Don't forget to put it on her yourself," I said, my voice icy.
His fingers clenched around the box tightly.
In a fit of rage, he chucked the red velvet box onto the floor. The ring went flying out.
With that, Andrew stormed off without so much as a second look.