Chapter 2

Emily then continued to forward to me a ton of photos shared by Mia.

[These are all the crafts Caleb and I made together.

[We made these with love. We need a good spot to display them!]

I texted Emily back. [Just tell her.]

Before I put my phone away, I randomly clicked on her Instagram Reels.

It was nothing like the explicit romantic videos she posted on Twitter.

In her reels, they looked like a sweet couple.

“Today’s craft, made with my beloved!”

I saw the pinned video and smiled bitterly.

Three months ago, Caleb returned from his business trip with a plaster doll.

He made me take out the liquor we kept for special occasions from the display case and put the doll there as if it was very precious to him.

Ever since then, he had been bringing home more crafts.

I never thought much of it. I always assumed they were gifts from clients.

Looking at Mia’s posts felt like a slap in the face.

When I did not reply, Caleb urged me without even looking up.

“Mia said she reached out to you. Just tell her which spot to reserve.”

My heart ached, but I still nodded briskly.

Only then did he look up from his phone and stop smiling.

He put his arm around my shoulders. Then, he generously offered to drive me to work as though he was doing me a huge favor.

I did not respond. I just stared blankly at his hand and asked, “Where’s your ring?”

Caleb’s face changed. He quickly pulled his hand back and said, “I couldn’t find it after drinking last night. I must have left it somewhere.”

Seeing that I was still upset, he softened his tone. “It’s just a cheap ring. We can buy a nicer one another day.”

A cheap ring? I designed it for him five years ago.

The man I had designed the ring for and the one who had promised to love me forever when he gave me a ring had changed.

“Okay. You don’t need to drive me. I’ll head out first.”

He was taken aback when he saw that I was not going to press him further.

He was about to say something, but I had already turned to leave. He stayed quiet.

The entire day, I was busy coordinating the arts and crafts competition with Emily.

It was not until after work that I saw Caleb waiting for me downstairs at the office.

“Serena, why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

That was when I finally checked my phone and saw that he had asked what time I would finish work.

Before I could say anything, he said, “Let’s go get a ring.”

I was surprised that he remembered. I thought about it for a moment and agreed.

However, when we were picking out rings in the store, his phone rang.

When he saw who was calling him, Caleb instinctively looked at me.

“Serena, my boss needs me. I have to head back…”

I nodded and calmly watched Caleb leave.

Then, I picked out a ring I liked and paid for it.

After I was done paying, the sales assistant handed me two gift boxes.

She said, “One of these is a custom wedding ring Mr. Caleb ordered a month ago.”

That was when I realized I had used the secondary card linked to his account.

A customized wedding ring? I could not help but open the box.

To my shock, it was an engagement ring with Caleb and Mia’s names engraved on it.

That moment felt like a heavy blow to my head. My mind went blank, and I was in a daze.

Caleb had already bought a wedding ring and was planning to propose to her.

The sales assistant handed me a tissue and asked if I was okay.

I shook my head and said I was fine. Then, I took the ring and left the store.

I thought about the five years I spent with Caleb and how I once dreamed of our wedding.

I casually brought up our marriage once, and he had gotten really upset.

He thought I was pressuring him and said he did not plan to marry so soon.

I never brought it up again.

He was a few years younger than me, so I thought maybe he just needed more time.

I thought he was not ready to get married, but it turned out he just did not want to marry me.