Chapter 1
715words
When he finally appeared, his face wore the perfect mask of apology as he handed my brother an elegantly wrapped gift box.
"Just a small token. Congratulations to you and your bride-to-be."
Everyone gushed over the golden boy's generosity—a limited edition Patek Philippe.
Only I knew I'd spent a month pulling strings to pre-order that watch.
I'd planned to give it to Terry for his birthday.
Yesterday afternoon, he'd taken it from my safe, claiming he was sending it for maintenance.
I approached him, swallowing the numbness spreading through my chest, and straightened his slightly crooked collar.
"Traffic bad?"
"Not terrible."
His eyes flickered for a moment as his arm snaked around my waist.
"Meeting ran late, babe. Don't be mad."
His excuse was perfect, his manner as affectionate as ever.
But when he leaned in, I caught a faint scent of pine and roses on his skin.
Not his cologne. Definitely not mine.
Just then, my half-sister Asha floated over like a butterfly.
"Sis, Terry, what are you two whispering about?"
She wore a flowing baby-blue dress that made her look pure and innocent, instantly drawing every man's eye in the room.
She sidled up to Terry, tilting her face up to his, smiling with practiced innocence.
"Terry, you look so handsome today."
As she spoke, that same pine and rose scent hit me like a slap.
Identical to what I'd smelled on Terry.
Asha, playing oblivious, suddenly lifted her wrist.
A delicate platinum bracelet with a four-leaf clover charm dangled there.
She turned to me, her voice dripping with fake innocence.
"Sis, do you like my new bracelet? Terry gave it to me."
"He said he designed it himself. One of a kind in the whole world."
My blood froze in my veins.
The design sketch for that bracelet was still sitting on the easel in my study.
I'd designed it for myself—a gift for my thirtieth birthday.
Every curve, every detail had been my dream for the future.
I'd shown Terry the design, asking if he liked it.
He'd barely glanced at it before dismissing it: "Too simple. Like a kid's toy."
Now this "kid's toy" dangled from the wrist of the woman I loathed most.
It had become his token of "special" affection for another woman.
My father approached, his face stern, his voice sharp with reproach.
"Eula, what's your problem? Why the cold shoulder when Terry's here? Asha likes the watch and your brother doesn't mind. Are you really competing with your little sister?"
I suddenly noticed Asha had somehow slipped the Patek Philippe onto her wrist and was now playing daddy's girl.
So the gift I'd carefully arranged had become another trophy for her collection.
I watched this absurd scene play out before me.
My father. My fiancé. My sister.
All having a grand time together.
While I stood there like a pathetic outsider.
Asha clutched my father's arm, then turned to me with a victorious smirk.
In a voice only I could hear, she whispered deliberately:
"Thanks, sis. I love everything—your gifts, your designs, and especially your man."
Every eye in the room turned to me, filled with curiosity, pity, and barely hidden amusement.
I looked at them all and smiled.
I smiled until my eyes nearly watered.
Under their shocked stares, I slowly raised my hand and slid the sparkling engagement ring off my finger.
The ring Terry had once said would "bind us together forever."
With a soft clink.
The ring traced a perfect arc through the air, landing in the champagne tower beside us with a splash.
The mask of composure on Terry's face instantly shattered.
He shoved Asha aside, lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, his grip tight enough to bruise.
"Eula! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
He hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes blazing.
"I was just humoring her! Playing nice for the crowd! You're my fiancée!"
"Humoring her?"
I yanked my hand free and stared him down, each word like ice.
"Is your idea of 'humoring her' giving her my gifts, stealing my designs, and letting her parade them in front of me?"
"I—"
His face drained of color, words failing him completely.
"We're done, Terry."
