Chapter 2

Jocelyn's POV

I went ahead and started packing.

There really wasn't much in this house that was actually mine. Aside from a few changes of clothes in the closet, the only thing that truly belonged to me was the solid quartz ring Mom had left behind.

It had been her wedding gift from her parents, and she'd worn it her whole life. Before she passed, she'd carefully pressed it into my hand. She'd said she hoped I'd find a man just like my dad—someone who would genuinely love me and cherish me.

Too bad I'd let her down.

I turned the whole vanity upside down but still couldn't find Mom's ring. Instinctively, my gaze dropped to Mandy's hand.

When she noticed where I was looking, she lifted her right hand and flaunted it at me, smug as could be. "Pretty, isn't it? It's a marriage gift from Cal. Gotta say, he really knows how to treat a woman."

I bit down hard on the tip of my tongue until I tasted blood.

Calvin knew perfectly well that ring was the only keepsake Mom had left me, and he'd still handed it over to another woman as a marriage gift.

Was he trying to humiliate me, or my whole family?

Calvin reached over and ruffled my hair, perfunctory and careless. "Mandy almost never likes anything, so I decided to give it to her. It's not like you care about jewelry, anyway."

Christine rolled her eyes and eyed me with contempt. "Josie, think about how much you've milked from Cal over the years. Mandy just wants a ring—do you have to be this stingy? It's not even worth that much."

I just stared at her, feeling like a hand had wrapped around my heart and squeezed it hard. It hurt so much I could barely breathe.

We'd grown up thick as thieves—we'd slept in the same bed, eaten out of the same plate, and even taken turns wearing each other's new clothes.

When my cramps were so bad I'd passed out, she'd skipped an exam just to carry me to the infirmary. When she'd started her own business, I'd emptied my savings without a second thought to bet on her.

Later, when I started dating Calvin, Christine and I had met Mandy. Bit by bit, Christine had drifted away from me and grown closer to Mandy.

I'd kept telling myself it was fine, that Christine was just trying to fit in with my friend group. Now, I finally got it. Christine had never been trying to blend into my circle—she'd been defecting to Mandy's side from the very beginning.

I could give Calvin to Mandy, but I was getting Mom's ring back.

I lunged forward in a rage and grabbed Mandy's wrist, prying at her fingers to yank the ring off.

Calvin and Christine each clamped down on one of my arms, pinning me in place. Pain tore through my shoulders like they were about to be ripped out of their sockets.

In the struggle, the ring flew off Mandy's hand, hit the floor, and shattered. Along with that ring went the last bit of whatever feelings were left between Calvin and me.

Mandy clicked her tongue, her face twisted with annoyance. "What kind of cheap crap breaks the second it's touched?"

Calvin knew exactly how much that ring meant to me. Guilt flickered in his eyes as he bent down, reaching to pick up the pieces—only to be stopped by Mandy's shrill scream.

"Ow! I think Jocelyn hurt me!"

Calvin spun around right away and scooped her into his arms, looking like he was hurting with her. "Come on. I'll take you to the hospital."

Christine and Chester hurried after them in a panic.

The bridal suite that had been all smiles and celebration during the day now looked like a war zone.

I crouched on the floor and picked up the shards of the quartz ring one by one. Once I finished packing, I called a cab and moved back into the faculty dorms.

…

Early the next morning, Mandy updated her social media.

"Look who's official!"

Calvin, who usually hated taking pictures, had actually cooperated this time, posing with her through a full three-by-three grid.

Down in the comments, our mutual friends piled on with congratulations. Compared to them, my own wedding—where nobody had even bothered to offer a blessing—felt like an utter joke.

My phone screen lit up. A new email dropped into my inbox.

"Josie, this opportunity to further your studies is really hard to come by. Think it over one more time."

The year I finished grad school, I'd also had the chance to go abroad for further studies. But when Calvin had driven me to the airport, I'd turned back to see the tears in his eyes. In the end, I couldn't go through with it—I'd dropped everything to run back to him.

Back then, I'd cared more about staying with him than about my future.

This time, there was nothing holding me back.

I replied almost immediately, "I'll go."