Stranger With a Ring

Whenever we fought before, he would give me the silent treatment.

I was always the one to apologize first.

However, this time, I told the butler not to let Jim in again.

After I got rid of everything he had given me, I felt a little better.

But then, he got into a car accident on his way home.

Rowena called, her voice sharp with blame. "What did you say to Jim? He got distracted and crashed. This is all your fault!"

"You’re really holding a grudge over a few texts? How can you be so heartless?"

I was stunned. I found out where Jim had been taken and started getting ready to go see him.

He had left my place just before the accident. I needed to see him to ease my mind.

Just as I was about to leave, my parents came home.

They heard I wanted to go out and immediately stopped me.

"Edward Shaw, the eldest son of the Shaw family, is coming back tomorrow. He doesn’t care about that silly scene you made," they said.

"Why waste time on Jim when you have a fiancé like Edward?"

"Besides, we checked—Jim was distracted because he was talking to his childhood friend on the phone. It wasn’t your fault!"

Their words snapped me out of it. I quietly put the car keys back.

Seeing I had calmed down, my parents exchanged a relieved glance.

Their tone softened. "You’re our only child. All we want is for you to be happy."

"Your wedding is in seven days. Meet Edward tomorrow to pick out your wedding dress."

I nodded and went back to my room, where Rowena’s messages were still coming in non-stop.

[Jim’s awake and asking for you. Why haven’t you gone to see him?]

[You don’t actually think playing hard to get will work on Jim, do you, Ella? Don’t end up regretting it!]

For a moment, I couldn't tell how Rowena really felt about Jim.

If she truly loved him, why was she so eager for me to visit him at the hospital?

I didn’t want to overthink it, so I set her messages to ‘Do Not Disturb.’

That night, the Larson family came over.

"Jim was foolish before. He didn’t know his own heart. After the car accident, he finally realized who he truly loves."

"He asked us to deliver this ring to Ms. Cunningham. He says it’s his turn to confess his love and wants to know if Ms. Cunningham will accept."

My parents were about to refuse but stopped when they saw the look I gave them.

I took the ring—not because I was moved, but because on my last birthday, I had wished for a diamond ring from Jim. He had promised, then kept putting it off.

But when I saw the initials ‘RS’ engraved inside the band, all my remaining patience vanished.

"Tell Jim I don’t accept his confession."

"And make sure he knows exactly who that ring was meant for."

The Larsons looked like they’d seen a ghost. When they read the initials engraved inside the ring, they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything else to convince me.

At the hospital, Jim was dumbfounded as the Larson family returned with cold, sarcastic expressions.

He couldn’t believe it. "How could Ella turn me down?"

It never crossed Jim’s mind that I would look closely at the ring.

Whenever he gave me something in the past, I was always thrilled, never once questioning or even using it.

His fists clenched, eyes darkening with anger.

"I’ve been too soft lately—that’s why Ella’s gotten so bold."

"Spread the word: I’m getting engaged to Rowena in a week. I dare Ella to ignore that!"

The next day, I went to the airport to meet Edward.

The moment our eyes met, I was completely stunned.