Chapter 3 The Real Diamond

My ears started ringing.

I swallowed hard before forcing the words out. "That's impossible. You offered to buy this ring from me before. You said it was worth two million."

The jeweler hesitated. "The ring you wore at your wedding was absolutely real, Mr. Fraser. But this one..."

He cleared his throat and added, "This one is fake. I'm sure of it."

My mind went completely blank.

Then, I opened Nathan's Instagram, almost out of instinct alone.

A few days ago, he'd posted a photo of a diamond ring. I hadn't thought much of it then, but now the caption beneath it made my stomach turn.

"Fake people deserve fake diamonds; real love gets the real thing. I guess this is what it feels like to be the favorite."

My hand started shaking as I saved the photo and sent it straight to the jeweler.

A few minutes later, his reply came through.

"This diamond is real."

I stared at the words on the screen.

It was my diamond. The same one Melissa had slipped onto my finger when she promised I would be the only man she'd ever call her husband.

And now, she'd given it to Nathan.

It felt like something had closed around my heart and squeezed. I could barely breathe.

I was still staring at the photo when the bedroom door opened. Melissa walked in with a scowl on her face. "Do I not give you enough? What the hell possessed you to try to sell your wedding ring?"

She noticed my red-rimmed eyes and apparently assumed they were from the beating. So, her stiff expression softened slightly. "If you really need money, then do something for me tomorrow."

I looked up at her.

"It's my mother's birthday gala. Let Nathan attend as my husband. It'll make her happy." She said it as casually as if she were asking me to lend him a jacket. "When it's over, I'll give you 30 million."

I stared at her, barely able to believe what I was hearing.

Once again, Melissa was putting a price on something I'd once believed meant everything to us.

Whatever warmth I still had left for her disappeared.

I told myself, 'Melissa, once I bury Mom and that plane takes me away, you and I are finished for good.'

…

The next evening, I arrived at the Mills Estate for her mother's birthday gala.

Relatives who used to greet me warmly barely acknowledged me when I walked in. The very few who did only bothered long enough to jeer at me.

"He can't even hold on to his place as Melissa's husband. Yet, he still had the nerve to show up?"

"Mrs. Mills never liked him anyway. He brings nothing to the family. Even worse, they have to pay his mother's medical bills. The two of them have been leeching off the Mills family for years."

"He should've stepped aside sooner. Maybe Melissa would've paid him more to disappear."

Their mocking laughter followed me as I made my way through the room, but I didn't flinch.

Across the room, I saw Nathan standing with one arm draped around Melissa's waist. The diamond ring on his finger was the Blue Star—my ring.

Now that I was seeing things without the rose-tinted glasses, I realized it suited him perfectly.

Nathan caught me staring and smiled. "Mr. Fraser, maybe I'll ask Ms. Mills to give you a little spending money later."

His eyes swept over my wrinkled clothes before returning to my weary face. "Next time, buy yourself something decent to wear. This is Mrs. Mills' birthday, after all. You could've at least brought her a proper gift."

Everyone's attention immediately shifted to the fruit basket in my hand upon hearing his words.

Melissa's expression darkened. "My mother has treated you well all these years, and this is how you repay her? Do you have no shame?"

I almost laughed, thinking, 'I don't even have a penny left in my account. What exactly does she expect me to buy?'

I was about to set the basket down and leave when a loud crash sounded behind me.

I turned to find the antique jade serving platter Nathan had been holding shattered across the marble floor.

"Oh, God!" Nathan exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock. Then, he turned to me, his expression quickly shifting to hurt.

"Mr. Fraser, that was for Mrs. Mills. I know you don't like me, but you didn't have to ruin her birthday because of it."

His voice trembled just enough to make the accusation sound convincing.

Every disgusted stare and frown in the room shifted to me just like that.

Melissa's mother sank back into her chair, visibly furious.

Nathan quickly lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mills. I should've been more careful." Then, he gave her an apologetic smile. "It was worth several million, but don't worry. I'll replace it."

Melissa immediately turned to comfort him. "You were only trying to do something nice for her. None of this is your fault."

However, the tenderness in her expression vanished when her eyes fell on me. She had always had the final say in the Mills family, and this time was no different.

"You broke the platter, so you'll pay the three million it cost."

A bitter laugh escaped me. "You seriously think I have three million?"

She paused at my retort. Then, she shrugged as if the answer were obvious. "Sell your mother's house if you're so strapped for cash. You were willing to sell your wedding ring, weren't you? What's one run-down old house?"