“You’ve been by his side for years—at home, at work. That’s loyalty, that’s love. The way he’s treating you now, it’s his fault.”
She paused delicately, then added, “But now that I’m here, Ross doesn’t need you anymore. Don’t cling to him like this, or use resignation to guilt-trip him, alright?”
Gossiping eyes turned our way, sharp as knives.
I could practically hear the rush of blood in my ears.
“Zamora,” I snapped, “whatever’s between me and Ross has nothing to do with you.”
I tried to pull my hand free, but she cut me off again with that same soft tone.
“Don’t be like that. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Then she leaned closer, her voice laced with pity, as if she were talking to someone who’d already lost everything.
“You’ve always wanted to marry him, haven’t you? Then let me be generous—try on a ten-carat diamond for once.”
Before I could react, she actually slipped the ring off her own finger and tried to shove it onto my middle finger.
The band was too tight; my knuckle turned white under the pressure. The pain made me shove her away.
“Ahhh!” she cried, stumbling dramatically down the floor.
Every pair of eyes in the office immediately snapped toward us.
Zamora braced herself on one hand, her eyes wide and trembling, her voice shaky. “Issy… you wanted to marry Ross that badly?”
Her eyes went red, her tears welling up as she continued, “If you just wanted to try on my engagement ring, you could’ve just said so. Why push me? I’ve never blamed you for clinging to Ross all these years…”
For a moment, I was stunned. Then, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly in rage.
“Who the hell wants your ring?”
I tried to pull off the ring that didn’t belong to me, but it wouldn’t budge.
For a moment, I froze. A wave of bitterness welled up from somewhere deep inside, clogging my throat until I couldn’t tell if I was more resigned or just heartbroken.
The ring was far too small for my finger.
And in my ears, I could still hear what his friend said in that video.
“He’s been preparing that ring for eight years.”
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
Hadn’t I already known he didn’t love me?
So why was I still surprised?
At some point, my coworkers had gathered around, whispering to each other. Their voices pricked at my ears like needles.
“Could it be true about her and sir Ross?”
“I heard they used to be close. But now that his fiancée’s here…”
“Gosh, women and their tricks…”