Chapter 2

In the middle of the night, I was jolted awake by the flickering glow of flames. Pushing open my door, I found everything related to Vivian and me burning brightly in the courtyard fire pit. Our childhood photos. The competition certificates we had won together. And the hand-carved wooden dolls she had given me when she confessed her feelings. The fire devoured those memories, the wood crackling and popping as it quickly turned to ash. My chest tightened violently.

Vivian turned to look at me. "Neither of us was seeing anyone back then, so it was fine that we were close," she said, her voice detached. "But Nolan lives here now. Seeing these things makes him uncomfortable, so I burned them." She paused. "Don't take it personally."

I clenched my fists, hiding my devastation. "It's fine," I kept my voice soft. "I'll bring out the things from my room. You can burn those too."

I went back inside, gathered every old keepsake tied to Vivian, and tossed them into the fire pit. The heat washed over my face, yet I felt like I was drowning in ice water.

Over the next few days, the sounds of demolition echoed continuously through the landscaped gardens of the Grant Estate. The gardenias Vivian and I had planted together were entirely uprooted, replaced by the roses Nolan preferred. The glass conservatory where we used to play the piano and watch the sunset was smashed down, rebuilt into a swimming pool for Nolan's training. Even the wisteria trellis where we first confessed our feelings was torn apart, excavated to make way for a decorative pond Nolan wanted.

On the day they were planting the water lilies in the pond, Nolan blocked my path in the courtyard. He raised his hand, deliberately showing off the ring on his ring finger.

"Vivian found the design sketches for this ring in her room. She said she knew at a glance it was meant for her future husband." He smirked. "She stayed up for nights making it with her own hands to propose to me."

The bird and fish motif. It was my favorite design.

I nodded. "It looks beautiful. It suits you."

Nolan's face instantly darkened. "But I don't like it." He stared at me, his gaze sharp and malicious. "You and I both know who this design was originally meant for. You keep saying you have no interest in Vivian, but her past feelings for you are a ticking time bomb. I don't feel safe."

"So what do you want?"

"I want..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly lunged sideways, throwing himself straight into the newly excavated decorative pond, its surface covered in a thin layer of ice. I stepped forward instinctively, but a massive force shoved me hard from the side. I crashed onto the gravel path. My ankle twisted violently, and my palms scraped against the jagged stones, going numb from the pain.

Vivian had already charged into the water. By the time she dragged Nolan onto the bank, they were both soaked in freezing water and mud. She completely ignored her own state, frantically wiping the sludge from Nolan's face.

"Are you okay? Did you swallow water? Do your eyes hurt? Are you injured anywhere?"

It took Nolan a long time to catch his breath before he shook his head. He raised his empty hand, tears spilling down his cheeks. "I'm fine. It's just... the ring you gave me. Someone threw it into the water. I only fell in because I was trying to get it back. Vivian, the Grant Estate doesn't welcome me at all. Can we just go back to Brooklyn? At least no one bullies me there."

Vivian's eyes turned instantly frigid. "Who threw your ring?"

Nolan said nothing. He just cast a timid, fearful glance in my direction. That tiny display of terror and grievance was all it took to pin the crime entirely on me.

I clutched my swelling ankle, staring in disbelief. "It wasn't me."

Vivian looked down at me coldly. Her gaze was like ice, piercing me until my blood ran cold.

"I have no reason to steal his ring," I explained, my voice hoarse.

"You know what you did." She helped Nolan up and shot a look at the private security team. "Whoever threw it in goes down to get it back."

The security personnel immediately swarmed me. They hauled me up by the arms and dragged me into the shallows of the pond. The winter water was bone-piercingly cold. The second I was forced in, violent shivers wracked my body. I struggled, trying to claw my way back to the bank. But the guards stood like a wall at the edge, blocking my way out.

The head of security lowered his voice. "Mr. Hale, you cannot leave until the ring is found."

I looked back at Vivian. She never once looked my way. She never rescinded the order.

I had no choice but to drag my injured foot through the freezing, filthy shallows, searching blindly over and over again. Muddy water flooded my sleeves. My fingers quickly went completely numb. The searchlights glared over the water for a long time. It wasn't until the sky turned pitch black that my frozen fingers finally brushed against the metal band.

Clutching the ring, I limped step by step to Vivian's door and knocked softly.

She opened it, her expression utterly detached. "I'll let it go this time. Stay away from Nolan from now on." She took the ring, flipped her hand over, and casually tossed it out the hallway window. The ring vanished into the heavy night. "He doesn't like this style anyway. I'll design a new one."

I watched the ring I had nearly frozen to death to retrieve disappear into the dark, and a bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. Since she had already decided the past was a burden, there was naturally no room left for a ring carrying old scars.