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Chapter 6
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He Put a Ring on Me, Then Chose Her Chapter 13
A year flew by, and I had a larger floor-to-ceiling window installed in my studio.The walls were covered with photos clients had sent of their restored wedding rings, and two plants I was struggling to keep alive sat on the windowsill. Brooklyn winters were still bitterly cold, and on mornings when I overslept, I'd shuffle around the apartment in my slippers, hunting for the socks I'd tossed aside.Even with savings now, I hadn't changed one bit. When I saw a bag I liked, I still asked the price. When I saw a stunning piece of jewelry at an auction preview, I still stayed up half the night poring over the catalog.Alexander came with me to an auction preview once. Standing in front of the glittering display cases, he smiled and offered to buy me a necklace."Let's wait and see." My eyes stayed on the cut of the stone. "For that price, I'd rather upgrade my restoration equipment first.""You're not crazy about jewelry anymore?""I still love it." I glanced at him. "I just like buying t
He Put a Ring on Me, Then Chose Her Chapter 12
We saw each other a few more times after that, but we didn't rush into living together again.Sometimes we had dinner on weekends. Sometimes Alexander came by to pick up a piece I'd finished and walked with me for a while. We bickered about how hard it was to get a reservation, and we laughed out loud, too. He still wasn't used to me insisting on charging him my full rate, and I had no intention of giving him a lifetime free pass."After five years together, I still don't get a discount?" he joked once."Did you forget how things ended the last time I gave you special treatment?"He raised both hands in surrender. "Fine. Full price."I could see that he was changing. But I knew the real test came when other people were around.Every year in late spring, the Hall family gathered for a commemorative family photograph in the hotel's old exhibition hall, inviting relatives and major donors.For five years, I'd attended every time, repairing loose earrings, adjusting the lighting to reduce
He Put a Ring on Me, Then Chose Her Chapter 11
That spring, I restored an old pair of wedding rings for an elderly woman.The rings weren't expensive. An anniversary date was engraved inside the bands, nearly worn away. When she came to pick them up, she brought along a yellowed note her husband had written when he was young. She smoothed it out carefully to show me."We've spent our whole lives arguing," she said with a gentle smile. "Two years ago, during one of our fights, he threw his ring onto the floor. He regretted it terribly afterward. Now that it's fixed, we're going out for dinner this weekend."I couldn't help laughing. "Then you'd better tell him not to throw a ring next time.""I told him if he has to throw one, it had better be his own." She put on her ring and admired it in the mirror for a long time.Before leaving, she asked about my love life. When I told her things had been complicated, she waved a hand kindly."Take your time. Don't rush to settle things just because you want an answer. Some things need to be w
He Put a Ring on Me, Then Chose Her Chapter 10
Three months later, when I saw Victor outside the courthouse, I still couldn't stop shaking.He wore an ill-fitting coat, and for once, his hair was neatly combed. From a distance, he looked like any other middle-aged man. No stranger would have guessed what he was capable of. Some might even have mistaken him for a father who'd been unfairly judged by his daughter.Claire handed me a bottle of water. "Take your time. Nadia says we don't go in until it's our turn. There's no rush.""I know." I unscrewed the cap, but my throat was so dry I could barely swallow the first sip.When I was young, I worked up the courage to call the police once. At 18, I sat in a police station with his bruises still on my face and told them everything, forcing out every word. When I got home, Victor slammed his hand on the table and yelled that I had no business airing the family's dirty laundry.Now I was 28. I had my own lawyer, a safe place to live, and enough money to cover my medical bills. But the mom
He Put a Ring on Me, Then Chose Her Chapter 9
Lydia's name had been removed from the charity event lists, but the gossip circulating through New York showed no sign of dying down.Some claimed she'd been an innocent victim. Others insisted she and Alexander had simply parted on good terms. Most still blamed me, accusing me of using our past relationship to drive away his legitimate fiancée.I had no interest in defending myself against every accusation.Restoration commissions kept coming in, and when the studio got particularly busy, Claire had to help organize my appointments to keep them from overlapping.Then another letter from a lawyer arrived, forcing me to put down my tools.It wasn't from Lydia. One of the Hall family elders had a lawyer send me a so-called friendly settlement. It offered me compensation in exchange for a promise never to speak publicly about my history with Alexander.At first, I assumed it was just a standard agreement to protect everyone's reputation. Reading the attachments more closely, I found the t
He Put a Ring on Me, Then Chose Her Chapter 8
I spotted the missing antique brooch in a photograph attached to a restoration inquiry from another business.A long-established consignment house in Manhattan had contacted me to ask whether a solder mark on the back of an emerald brooch could be repaired. The photograph was clear enough that when I zoomed in, my whole body went rigid.I would know that solder mark anywhere. The tiny ridge at the edge of the joint was the mark I had left with my own hands at my workbench five years ago. Back then, Alexander had refused to have it melted down and recast. He wanted the keepsake kept as close to the original as possible.I compared the photos again and again. Then I sent a routine business email asking the consignment house to hold off on any sale until the documentation could be verified, and to delay the repair too.They replied that the brooch hadn't been sold. The consignor had signed a declaration affirming their right to sell it, but the house couldn't disclose their identity for p
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