Chapter 1

In the sixth year of our marriage, Garrett Holloway promised me the lavish wedding we never had.

He flew all the way to London just to custom-design a diamond ring worth a small fortune.

My heart fluttered with anticipation as I took the velvet box, but the moment my fingertips grazed the inner band, I froze.

My name, "Rowan Sinclair," was engraved in crooked, uneven strokes.

Worse, a harsh, jagged scratch slashed right through it.

Bianca Croft, the jewelry designer, gasped and covered her mouth in faux horror.

Her eyes brimmed with innocent shock.

"Oh, Rowan, I am so sorry! That scratch… my hand slipped while I was practicing the engraving! I wanted yours to be as flawless as Garrett's…"

She glanced timidly at Garrett.

"Garrett always says true art embraces 'accidental beauty.' Doesn't a scratch like that just symbolize leaving the old behind for something new?"

The final thread of my sanity snapped.

I hurled the heavy ring straight at her face.

The sharp edge caught her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

Bianca shrieked, clutching her cheek as she stumbled backward.

Garrett immediately shielded her with his body, his eyes locking onto mine with icy fury.

"It's just a ring! What the hell is wrong with you?"

I grabbed his left hand and ripped the matching band off his finger.

Engraved on the inside, in delicate, flawless script, were the words: "Garrett & Bianca."

Leaning against Garrett's back, Bianca looked up at him with tearful, trembling eyes.

"Garrett… whenever I tried engraving your name, my stylus just kept drifting."

"It felt like… like it naturally found where it belonged."

1

Garrett picked up the women's ring, placing it on the counter near my hand.

His face darkened, though he kept his voice low.

"Rowan, take the ring. We'll talk about this at home."

I stared at him in silence, a wave of nausea washing over me.

A chime above the door broke the tense silence.

"Mr. Holloway, Mrs. Holloway, you're still here!" Greg Warren's voice boomed as he walked in with a wide grin.

"We heard you two were picking up the wedding bands, so we dropped by to share the joy!" Peter Lehman chimed in, following closely behind. "A vow renewal after all these years is the talk of the town."

Warren chuckled, pointing a finger at Garrett. "Back when we were eating cheap takeout on dusty construction sites, this guy swore that everything he made belonged to Rowan. It's rare to see a man stay so devoted!"

They both turned to me with warm smiles.

"Where are the rings? Let us see them!"

My fingers remained frozen; I didn't move an inch.

The boutique fell dead silent.

Bianca stepped forward, offering an apologetic, demure smile.

"Please don't mind her, gentlemen. Mr. Holloway took this design very seriously. During our three months in London, we worked together late into the night almost every day…"

The smiles on Warren and Lehman's faces instantly froze.

Their eyes darted between the three of us, finally realizing something was terribly wrong.

Garrett scowled, cutting her off abruptly. "Bianca!"

He turned back to me, slipping into his usual composed facade, though his voice was laced with irritation.

"Rowan, Bianca is a high-end designer. Some artistic concepts might be a bit too avant-garde for you right now."

"Let's not make a scene over something you don't understand. Give me some face and drop it, okay?"

Looking at his impatient expression, I suddenly remembered a rainy night seven years ago in our leaky rental.

He had held my hand just like this, whispering, "Rowan, I swear I will never let you suffer a single grievance."

How laughable.

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

Then, I opened my hand.

Garrett's ring slipped through my fingers and hit the hardwood floor with a sharp clink, rolling to his feet.

I didn't bother looking down. Instead, I pulled a sanitizing wipe from my purse and methodically wiped every finger that had touched his ring.

One by one, with meticulous care.

I tossed the used wipe into the trash bin.

Lifting my chin, I swept my gaze past Garrett's thunderous expression and Bianca's stunned look, before giving Warren and Lehman a polite nod.

"Excuse me."

I turned and walked out of the boutique without looking back.

The heavy glass door swung shut behind me, muffling the voices inside.

Warren laughed awkwardly. "Mr. Holloway, your wife…"

Then came Garrett's calm, dismissive voice.

"Let her go. Where else could she possibly run?"

Lehman glanced at the ring on the floor, hesitating. "Mr. Holloway, about that ring…"

Before he could finish, Bianca's timid, remorseful voice chimed in.

"It's all my fault… I just wanted to make Garrett's vision perfect. I made her misunderstand… Garrett, maybe I should go apologize to Rowan?"

"No need," Garrett replied without a second of hesitation.

"Why should you apologize? She's had it too easy for too long, and now she forgets who she is."

His tone softened, dripping with tender pity.

"Bianca, you're just too soft-hearted. Not everyone in this world knows right from wrong."

"If I don't protect you, who will?"

Standing under the pale glow of the streetlamp, I cast my eyes down.

The very last ember of warmth in my heart died out.