She approached me with tear-filled eyes and a sugary tone, gripping my hand. "Ms. Chapman, I'm really sorry. I didn’t realize this ring meant so much to you. I only asked Alan for it because I thought it was lovely."

"I assumed you had plenty of rings, unlike me with none. I thought you wouldn't mind. Please, don’t be angry; I'll give it back to you right away."

She then attempted to remove the ring from her finger, but after struggling for a while, her hand turned red.

I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of frustration and amusement.

This wasn’t an apology; it was a clear attempt at provocation.

If she were truly sorry, she wouldn’t have strutted in wearing my engagement ring so boldly.

Her act was probably to draw attention.

As expected, Alan approached us next.

He gently took Izabella’s hand, looking concerned.

“If it’s stuck, just leave it. Don’t hurt yourself over it. How about this, Inaya, I’ll give you $300,000 for it.”

Upon hearing this, Izabella looked at Alan with emotional, tender eyes.

I stood right in front of them, watching their display, and felt my anger rise.

“It’s not for sale. I designed this engagement ring myself. Take it off immediately!”

Alan frowned, clearly displeased.

Izabella clung to his arm, pretending to feel guilty, "Alan, this belongs to Ms. Chapman. I should return it."

She went to the bathroom, used some soap, and returned the ring to me.

I reached out to take it, but as soon as I saw it clearly, my anger escalated.

“You changed the ring’s size?”

She shrank back a bit, hiding behind Alan.

“It was a little too big, so I had it resized.”

“I’m so sorry, I’ll find a designer to fix it right away.”

I couldn’t hold back my anger any longer and slapped her.

“Now that you’ve made it smaller, how do you expect to fix it?”

“Izabella, you’re truly contemptible.”

“Inaya!”

Alan shouted, stepping protectively in front of Izabella.

“Don’t overreact! I’m the one who gave it to her. Why blame her instead of me?”

I looked at him coldly, momentarily forgetting his involvement, and slapped him too.

Alan’s expression turned dark instantly.

“Do you think you don’t disgust me? Both of you make me sick.”

“Get out, and don’t ever show up in front of me again.”

With those words, I walked away with the movers, indifferent to their reactions.

After moving into my new place, my best friend Summer came over to help me unpack. As soon as I saw her, all my emotions spilled over. I hugged her, and the tears came pouring out.

“Summer, the ring I spent six months designing is now on that awful woman's finger.”

She cursed sympathetically and soothed me by patting my back. “There, there, it’s going to be okay. How about I help you make a new ring?”

It took a while, but eventually, I managed to stop crying. The new apartment was a mess, so I wiped my eyes and began sorting through my belongings.

Even the safe was chaotic, with all the jewelry tangled together. My eyes landed on the engagement gift Alan had given me, now shattered into fragments. It was a beautiful diamond bracelet, once so brilliant and now lying in pieces. Just like our broken relationship.

Alan and I were brought together through his mother's matchmaking efforts. My mom and Melanie Owens, Alan's mother, were college friends. When I was a kid, my mom often took me to visit Melanie. She always welcomed me warmly and would joke that I should be her daughter-in-law, encouraging Alan to hang out with me.

Our family’s social standing wasn’t as high as the Armstrongs', and my mom often pushed me to befriend Alan and try to keep him happy. But Alan was distant, preferring to keep to himself, and most of the time we’d just sit quietly in a room doing our own thing.

Despite that, as a young girl, I admired this handsome, albeit cool, older boy. I thought he’d remain indifferent to everyone. That was until he turned seventeen and met Izabella.

Their relationship at school was intense and dramatic. It was hard to believe that Alan, groomed to be the perfect heir, would skip classes and get into fights for Izabella.

Matthew Owens, Alan’s father, tried to break them up, even threatening to send him to Europe. But Alan was steadfast, declaring, “Izabella is the light of my life. I won’t have anyone but her.”

However, Izabella’s family background was an issue. Her mother was the mistress to a wealthy man, making Izabella an illegitimate child. The Armstrongs wouldn’t accept someone with such a background into their family.

So Melanie used her influence, offering Izabella half a million pounds to study abroad in exchange for breaking up with Alan. Izabella took the money and left.

Alan’s resentment toward his mother deepened. For half a year, he was despondent. Then, suddenly, just before the university entrance exams, he got his act together, intent on succeeding, and returned to his old ways. He became less affectionate with his family, though.

I was twenty-three when, out of nowhere, Alan agreed to explore a relationship with me. We naturally transitioned into dating, got engaged, and moved in together.

Now, he’s a recognized success, the one in charge of the Armstrong family empire. With his old flame back in town, Alan quickly reignited their romance.

Tears fell steadily. I picked up the bracelet and threw it into the trash.

When you hesitate to act, chaos ensues. It’s better to make a clean break.