Chapter 3 Even the Ring Wasn't Mine

Neil really kept me entertained the entire evening.

He took me to the same restaurant where we had gone on our first date and reserved the table by the window that I had loved back then. He remembered how I liked my steak cooked and even had the usual dessert replaced with a salted caramel one because he knew it was my favorite.

For once, his phone stayed off.

Halfway through dinner, Neil reached into his jacket and placed a dark blue velvet box on the table between us. "Open it."

I looked at him before slowly lifting the lid.

There was a ring inside.

The diamond was modest, but I recognized it immediately. It had been recut from the stone my mom had left me before she passed away.

For a long moment, I could only stare at it.

My mom had worried about my future until the very end, especially whether I would ever find someone to build a life with.

Three years ago, I gave the diamond to Neil because we had talked about setting it into a ring someday. Whenever I brought it up afterward, he always told me he was too busy to go with me.

Eventually, I stopped asking.

I had assumed he had forgotten about it completely.

Neil reached across the table and took my hand.

Without asking, he slid the ring slowly onto my finger. "You can pick the wedding date. Maybe then you'll stop driving yourself crazy every time another woman gets too close to me."

I looked down at the ring without answering.

Neil reached over and lightly pinched my cheek. "What? Did I actually manage to leave you speechless?"

I asked, "Why do you suddenly want to get married?"

"It's not sudden." He leaned back in his chair, looking completely at ease. "You've been with me all these years, Gabriella. Who else would I marry?"

It was hardly a romantic proposal.

Still, something tightened in my throat.

Neil must have noticed, because the teasing faded from his expression. "Come on. You know you're the one I'm going to marry."

Of course I knew.

That certainty was exactly why I had stayed so many times before.

Neil reached for me and drew me against his side before pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Consider this the grand prize for our seventh reconciliation."

His voice turned teasing again. "Now stop talking like you're going to walk away from me. I don't like hearing it."

I rested my head on his shoulder, and for one fleeting, dangerous moment, I almost told him the truth—that I had already decided to leave and had booked a ticket for the following week.

For the first time since making that decision, I wondered whether I had given up too quickly.

The server arrived with dessert a few minutes later, and Neil excused himself to use the restroom.

His phone was still lying beside his plate.

The screen suddenly lit up.

A message from Shelley appeared.

'Did you give her the ring yet? Was Gabriella completely touched?'

Before I could look away, another message followed.

'I told you she'd be easy to win over. Resetting her mom's old diamond would feel way more thoughtful than buying a new one, and she'd finally stop asking you about it.'

My eyes remained fixed on the screen as another notification appeared.

'Don't forget what you promised me. I want to use my 100% Favor tomorrow at the launch. Whatever I ask for, you can't say no.'

The warmth I had felt only moments earlier disappeared.

I looked down at the ring on my finger.

So, even this had not come from him.

The restaurant, the dessert, the ring made from my mom's diamond—all of it had felt like proof that somewhere beneath the indifference, Neil still remembered what mattered to me.

Instead, Shelley had simply taught him which memory to use.

By the time Neil returned, the ring was sitting on the table.

His expression darkened the moment he saw it. "What now?"

I pushed his phone toward him.

Neil glanced at the messages, then locked the screen without the slightest trace of embarrassment. "She gave me an idea that she thought would make you happy. What exactly is the problem?"

"That diamond belonged to my mom."

"I know. That's why I had it made into a ring."

He picked it up and reached for my hand, forcing the ring over my knuckle. The metal scraped painfully against my skin, and I instinctively tried to pull away, but he did not release me until the ring was back in place.

"I canceled two meetings to spend tonight with you. Are you seriously going to ruin the entire evening over a couple of messages?"

I stared at him. "Tomorrow, if Shelley asks you for something, are you really going to give it to her?"

"I made her a promise. I'm not going back on it."

"What if she asks for you?"

Neil studied me for a few seconds, then he laughed. "Then she can borrow me for the day. I'll still come home to you afterward."

I said nothing.

Neil adjusted the ring until the diamond sat perfectly centered. When he spoke again, the warmth had disappeared from his voice. "Gabriella, I'm marrying you. That should tell you exactly where you stand.

"What I choose to give Shelley is between her and me. If you don't like it, learn to live with it."

He stood and reached for his jacket.

"Keep the ring on. After tomorrow's launch, we'll go look at wedding venues."

Then he walked away as though the conversation had already been settled.

I remained at the table, staring at the diamond on my finger.

The diamond still caught the restaurant lights whenever I moved my hand, but there was no warmth left in it.

For the first time, the ring did not feel like a promise.

It felt like a lock.