Chapter 2

I stared at the metal glowing in the flame and suddenly found it funny. "It's her engagement, and you're more anxious than she is."

He went quiet for a beat, then said, "She's not as calculating as you think."

"Did I say she was?"

He fell silent, so I finished his sentence for him. "You're just used to protecting her first."

The next second, he hung up.

At seven-thirty the next morning, he came for the ring. I slid the velvet box over and placed an appointment slip on top of it. "Nine o'clock. City Hall."

He frowned. "You're serious?"

"More serious than the scratches on that band."

"Evelyn Moon, do you have too much time on your hands lately?"

"If that's how you want to take it."

He picked up the box, his tone turning colder. "We'll talk after Joanna's engagement is over."

I looked at him. "Even now, you still don't think handing my wedding ring to another woman for her engagement is a big deal, do you?"

His face darkened. "I told you, it was just for one night."

"But I spent three years married to you, not one night."

"Do you really have to start this right now?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Right now."

He stared at me like I was some business partner suddenly causing trouble, not his wife. "Evelyn, I really don't have time today."

"Then don't come."

He turned at the door when I called him back.

“What?”

"Before you return that ring to me, don't let Joanna touch it again."

At eight that night, Olivia Green sent me screenshots from the engagement livestream. In the first, Joanna held out her hand to show the camera the ring.

In the second, the comments flooded in: [Charlie sure has taste.] [That ring looks perfect on Joanna.]

In the third, Joanna smiled at the camera and said, "Charlie specially prepared this ring for me."

I stared at my phone and let out a short laugh. So she knew. She knew and still wore it. She even dared tell everyone Charles had prepared it for her. In this whole farce, not one of them took me seriously.

At nine-thirty, Charles sent me a text: [Don't watch the livestream.]

I replied: [Too late.]

He went silent so long I thought he was done. Two minutes later, he sent: [Joanna said the wrong thing.]

I answered right away: [Did the ring say the wrong thing too, or did you lend out the wrong one?]

This time, he didn't reply. I shut off the livestream and kept sorting the evidence. The later an explanation comes, the more it sounds like a confession.

It was raining when I got to City Hall the next day. Michael stood at the entrance with an umbrella.

"Where is he?"

"Not here yet."

Nine-oh-five. Nine-twenty. Nine-forty. Charles never showed up.

At ten sharp, Michael handed me his phone. In the video, Charles was carrying a trembling, crying Joanna to the car while someone in the background shouted, "The ring fell off!"

Michael asked quietly, "Still waiting?"

I lifted the umbrella a little higher. "No."

The moment I got into the car, Charles called. "Evelyn, Joanna's in really bad shape right now. I can't get away."

"Mm."

"The ring got lost at the venue. I've already got people looking for it."

"Mm."

Those two little answers seemed to push him over the edge.

"You don't have anything else to say?"

"I do."

I looked at the rain outside the car window. "This divorce isn't getting put off today."

He fell silent for a few seconds.

"Let's put it off for now."

I laughed. "Fine. Then we can drag it all the way to court."

When he came to the studio that afternoon, I was packing up my tools.

"Do you really want to blow this up like this?"

"I'm packing my things."

"I'll pay you for the ring."

"You can't."

It was like that line stabbed him.