One Point Short of Love

The wedding ring sank straight to the bottom of the wine glass with a sharp clink.

Hallie Shaw stared down at it for a moment, wrapped a napkin around her fingers, and fished the ring out.

"Throwing a public tantrum: eighty points," she said, setting the ring on the table, her voice cold. "Scott, stop making everyone uncomfortable."

The surrounding laughter instantly died down.

Miles Allen quickly wiped his wine-splashed trousers and hurried to step between us.

"Hallie, don't blame Scott. He just cares about you too much," Miles said with a meek expression. "Rings shouldn't be thrown around like that, Scott. You should put it back on."

I looked at his outstretched hand, but didn't move.

On his pinky finger sat a blue diamond ring.

I had designed that ring myself last year. Hallie had claimed the finished piece had flaws and wasn't good enough for me, so she had sent it away to be destroyed.

Turns out, "destroyed" just meant it ended up on Miles' hand.

"What a nice-looking ring," I commented softly.

Miles instinctively pulled his hand back. "It's just an anniversary gift from Hallie. If you like it, I'll take it off right now."

Hallie stopped him. "A gift given is a gift kept. Scott, you have plenty of jewelry. There's no need to fight over everything."

I let out a dry laugh. "It's my design. Why shouldn't I fight for it?"

"Because it belongs to Miles now." She pushed the wedding ring back toward me. "Put it on, apologize to him, and we'll let this go."

"I'm not apologizing."

Miles gently tugged at her sleeve. "Forget it. It's just a shirt. Scott has been out of work for a long time, so it's only natural he's a bit sensitive."

Hallie’s expression softened. "You're always sticking up for him."

She picked up the microphone and announced the final promotion at the anniversary party to the guests. "Starting today, Miles will serve as the head of the International Business Division, taking full charge of Project Dawn."

Applause broke out across the room.

Everyone knew the International Business Division was a project I had spent two full years building. The clients I secured before resigning, the four languages I learned, the hundreds of pages of proposals I wrote—all of it had become Miles' perfect track record.

Hallie passed the microphone to him.

With reddened eyes, Miles said, "Thank you, Ms. Shaw. And thank you, Scott. Even though he didn't participate in the later stages, he gave me a lot of inspiration."

A few guests laughed and cheered.

"Mr. Wilson is so generous, handing over his own project like that."

"Well, they're married. With Mr. Wilson staying home and living off her success, why would he need to compete with Mr. Allen for a career?"

Hallie looked at me. "Hear that? No one is discounting your efforts. Miles is simply a better fit."

I squeezed the medical report inside my bag, my fingertips slowly turning cold.

Tonight, I had planned to tell her I was diagnosed with early-stage stomach cancer. The doctor said it was progressing fast, advising me to stay calm and schedule surgery as soon as possible.

Instead, I crumpled the report into a ball and pushed my chair back.

Hallie grabbed my wrist. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Put the ring on first."

"It's dirty. I don't want it."

Her grip tightened, though her tone remained calm. "Scott, know that there are limits to my patience. The bigger scene you make, the lower your score goes."

"What if we divorce?"

She stared at me, then suddenly laughed. "Using divorce to threaten me isn't as smart as you think."

Miles walked over and handed me a document. "Scott, this is the equity authorization for Project Dawn. Hallie said that if you sign it tomorrow, everyone will forget about tonight."

I flipped to the last page.

My fifteen percent voting rights would be transferred entirely to Hallie. Once I signed, I wouldn't even have the right to say no at the company.

I closed the folder. "What if I don't sign?"

Hallie pressed the wedding ring into my palm. "You will."

"Why?"

"Because this marriage is the only accomplishment you have left."

She let go of my hand and turned to straighten Miles' collar.

Just then, the crumpled medical report slipped out of my bag and fell to the floor.