Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I shook my head, saying nothing, holding Daniel’s hand tight. We’d relied on each other as children, fallen in love as teenagers, and now we were finally husband and wife. Nothing else mattered. I was with the man I loved.

Ethan left the ring with Olivia for me. She scoffed. “He finally buys a ring, and it’s too late.” Olivia never liked Ethan much, and she’d never approved of our relationship, though she couldn’t do anything about it.

Ethan was generous with me, showering me with necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches… everything but a ring.

Once, during dinner, Olivia had jokingly asked him when he was going to give me one. He’d made a phone call, and a few minutes later, his driver delivered an emerald necklace.

Olivia was furious. “I said a ring, Ethan! After all these years, she doesn’t deserve a ring?”

Ethan had draped his arm over my chair, a possessive gesture. He crossed his legs, smirking. “She’ll get one eventually. What’s the rush?” He tilted my chin up, smiling. “I’ll give you a ring. Within ten years.”

I’d smiled, saying nothing, thinking of Daniel. Daniel wouldn’t make flippant promises. Even with the same face, they were different people. After that dinner, I tried to distance myself from Ethan.

I ignored his calls and texts, changed my locks, stopped going to his place. But a few days later, his ulcers flared up. He sent me a video call, his face pale and drawn. I was reminded of Daniel before he disappeared, how exhausted he’d looked.

I couldn’t help myself. Despite Olivia’s exasperated sighs, I went to him. His apartment was littered with empty bottles. He’d clearly been drinking heavily during the week I’d avoided him.

I sighed, cleaning up, making him porridge, doing his laundry, cutting up apples, nursing him back to health. He’d taken my hand. “Don’t avoid me, Avery. I’m serious. I’ll get you a ring within ten years.” He made a gesture with his fingers. “A huge rock.”

I laughed. “Why not now?” He went quiet. After a while, he said quietly, “I have some unfinished business to take care of.”

He pulled me down beside him, holding me close. “Avery, I’m serious. Wait for me. Ten years.”

I looked at his face, saying nothing. He held me tighter, as if afraid I’d disappear. “So, it’s settled then. Ten years.”

I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Heartbeats didn’t lie. Ten years later, on my wedding night, Daniel and I barely slept.

The next morning, while he was still asleep, I blushed as I went downstairs to dispose of the evidence of our passionate night. Ethan was standing by his Ferrari. He had stubble on his chin, his eyes bloodshot, the ground around him littered with cigarette butts.

He’d been there a while. He glanced at the clear plastic bag in my hand and looked away, his voice raspy. “I waited all night, Avery. Watched your lights go out.”

The usual arrogance was gone. His eyes avoided the bag, but not the red marks on my neck. The proud Ethan, the rich kid, looked like he’d lost his most prized possession, his eyes welling up. “Avery, I’m sick. I feel awful.”

If he’d said that before, I would have dropped everything to take care of him. Cooked for him, cut up apples, given him medicine, checked his temperature. Now, all I could say was, “Go buy some medicine.”

He swayed, tears spilling down his cheeks. He didn’t bother to wipe them, just stared at me. Ethan’s family was wealthy, and afraid he’d be kidnapped, they’d enrolled him in self–defense classes from a young age.

He prided himself on being tough, despite being a spoiled only child. Now, he was crying in front of me.

“Avery, when I saw how you smiled at Daniel, I thought a lot. I could treat you like that too.” He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. “Even if I was a replacement. Replacements can become the real thing, can’t they? I can’t… I can’t handle you being with someone else like that…”

I held up my right hand, showing him the wedding ring. It wasn’t a huge diamond, but I’d designed it myself. His face paled.

“Avery, take it off. Are you going to take it off, or do I have to do it for you?” His voice was a desperate plea. “I’ll buy you any ring you want, just get rid of that one. Please.”

I shook my head. “I can’t, Ethan. This is my wedding ring.” I looked down at it. “Daniel gave it to me. I love it.”

He choked back a sob. “Don’t say that, Avery. It hurts. It really hurts.”

I sighed. I didn’t resent Ethan. His face had helped me through the darkest period of my life. I wanted him to move on. I was searching for the right words to comfort him when a familiar figure appeared.