She was completely different from Sarah's willful boldness.

Charlotte's humble background had made her somewhat timid, always choosing her words with care.

During his most frustrating times, when Sarah's persistence had worn him thin, Charlotte's gentle nature had easily touched his heart.

Unlike his previous relationships where women actively pursued him, he had met Charlotte by rescuing her from a difficult situation.

Men's hero complex being what it is, his feelings for Charlotte were entirely different from his past casual relationships.

"I heard Sarah's back..." Charlotte's eyes reddened before she could finish. "I'm worried." She bit her lip, lowering her head. "Henry, will we be able to have our engagement ceremony today?"

"Don't overthink it." Henry gripped her shoulders gently, trying to comfort her. "I'll handle it now."

But Charlotte caught his sleeve. "Henry, I'm scared." Her tears began falling rapidly. "I'm afraid you'll regret breaking off your engagement with her..." Her small, fragile figure stood there, looking as if she might shatter at any moment.

"Don't worry Charlotte, Henry never had feelings for Sarah," Emily interjected, a smug smile flickering in her eyes. "She's just a spoiled rich girl who throws tantrums. Henry's been sick of her for ages. She won't succeed."

Emily had never hidden her contempt. Ever since Sarah's engagement to Henry, Emily's once-loving parents had placed Sarah on a pedestal.

Though they always claimed she was their future sister-in-law, insisting the Crawfords were just being polite for appearance's sake, Emily couldn't stand her.

All these years, her greatest pleasure had been watching Sarah make a fool of herself. Now that Sarah had been publicly jilted and left Silverbrook Haven alone in shame, Emily couldn't be more delighted.

She'd support anyone marrying Henry except Sarah.

Henry suddenly turned to Emily. "Weren't you always close with her?"

"How could I be close to her? I've been hoping you'd break off the engagement." At this point, Emily didn't bother hiding her true feelings anymore.

Her past friendliness had been just to gain trust, to manipulate Sarah into actions that would annoy others. Now that she didn't need to pretend anymore, what a relief.

Emily, not noticing Henry's darkening expression, continued, "Henry, how about this - you stay with Charlotte, I'll go deal with her. Don't worry, I'll make sure she loses face completely."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Have security throw her out! Her parents must be rolling in their graves..."

Before she could finish, a sharp slap echoed through the hall. Everyone froze, especially Charlotte, who frowned as she watched Henry's eyes grow increasingly dark.

"Henry, why did you hit me!" Emily held her face, crying hysterically.

"She was once my fiancée in name." Henry's expression was terrifying. "You should respect her. She carried the title of my fiancée for all these years. When you humiliate her like this, where does that leave the Crawfords' dignity?"

"Why are you defending her?" Emily sobbed. "Didn't you hate her the most? If you hadn't led us in disliking her, how would we have acted this way?"

He fell silent for a long time. Did he really despise her as they said?

But when he first met that girl, their relationship was the closest.

When she fell down, he was the one who carried her to the hospital.

When she was bullied, he was the first to rush to the scene and stand up for her.

Even when she got her first period, he was the one who went to buy necessities late at night.

She saw him as her support, and as she grew up, he became her whole world. He actually liked her dependence on him. When did things start to go wrong? Henry suddenly felt lost.

Charlotte's sobbing brought his thoughts back to reality.

Yes, she was the one who changed first.

After she grew up, she was spoiled by her family until she became uncontrollable. Her personality became increasingly willful, domineering and controlling. She wouldn't let him associate with any girls and would throw tantrums over nothing.

So he grew increasingly annoyed and distant from her, even insisting on sending her to study in Silverbrook Haven despite her tearful protests. He did this only hoping she would grow up and become sensible.

Once she fixed her bad temper, he would go get her. With so many years of feelings between them, how could he truly let go and leave her adrift alone in a strange place?

But now it seemed she hadn't improved at all. She even dared to continue acting willfully at such an important occasion. She was really something - she had barely arrived and already thrown the Crawfords into chaos.

Henry pulled Charlotte into his arms. "Go fix your makeup first, let the makeup artist redo it. I'll come find you after I handle this. The engagement ceremony will start on time, don't worry." Only after wiping away Charlotte's tears did Henry turn to leave.

Charlotte stood there, watching Henry's retreating figure. For some reason, she felt uneasy.

Emily was right earlier. Everyone knew he was cold towards her, yet he slapped his own cousin over a few words about her. Did he really hate her? Or was she still special to him?

Henry walked to the front gate. He didn't see her, only her pink BMW parked there. And standing by the car was her best friend.

Henry's steps suddenly halted, his heart seemed to be pulled down by something. That's when he remembered - before leaving Verdancliff, she had already given this car to her friend.

Seeing him, she immediately walked over. Henry saw she was holding a gift. Her expression was cold as she got straight to the point, "She asked me to bring gifts for you and Charlotte."

But Henry didn't reach out to take it. She frowned, "There's one more thing."

"Speak."

"She left in such a hurry, never got a chance to see you. I've tried contacting you many times but couldn't get through. So I never had the chance to get this back from you."

"Remember that ring she gave you on your birthday? It was a family heirloom from her grandmother."

Eleanor Mitchell said with an unfriendly expression, "Sarah told me this ring was meant for her future husband. It's not appropriate for you to still have it. Could you give it to me? I'll return it to Sarah when I see her in Silverbrook Haven."

Henry suddenly looked down at the understated ring on his ring finger. This morning while changing clothes, he had inexplicably put on this ring. It didn't really match his suit, but he hadn't taken it off. Yet now, looking at this ring, it only felt jarring.

For her future husband? His heart inexplicably unsettled at the thought of Sarah spending her life with someone else, sharing days and nights, growing old together. An indescribable discomfort welled up in his chest.

How could someone who once loved him so deeply marry another? Her avoiding him now and sending Eleanor to retrieve it was clever. He had to admit, this move had truly disturbed his thoughts.

"Mr. Crawford?"

"Tell Sarah for me."

"I never take back things I've given away."

"Of course, if she insists, she's welcome to come discuss it in person."

Henry turned to leave after speaking.

But Eleanor quickly called after him.

"Mr. Crawford, wait, I'll get Sarah to talk to you right now."

What a joke. Sarah was about to enter marriage. How could this ring, carrying such special meaning, remain in another's hands? Sarah had repeatedly urged her to retrieve the ring before the wedding. She wanted to personally put it on her husband's finger at the ceremony.

Over the years, Eleanor's disgust for Henry had grown daily. Yet Sarah had been so blindly devoted, it was almost unreasonable. Wasting her youth waiting, only to be heartlessly abandoned. Every time Eleanor thought about it, she wanted to slap Henry twice.

Fortunately, she finally saw reality and found a better destination. Eleanor was genuinely happy for her friend. This time, she must fulfill her mission.

When I received Eleanor's call, the car was almost at the Barnes'.

"Eleanor, what's wrong?"

"Sarah, I went to ask Henry for the ring as you said."

"But he won't give it to me, and says if you insist, you must come talk to him yourself."

I unconsciously glanced at William beside me, feeling somewhat nervous. We were still unfamiliar with each other. Though he appeared gentle and courteous, his presence was impossible to ignore. Earlier in the car, he took a work call, switching effortlessly between three languages, giving orders decisively. That natural air of authority made me feel childish and naive.

I'm not usually a quiet person, but around William, I became inexplicably reserved. Before I could respond to Eleanor, Henry's voice came through the phone.

"Sarah, do you truly want the ring back, or do you have other motives?"

I was stunned, then laughed bitterly.

"If you're trying to ruin my and Charlotte's engagement ceremony, don't waste your effort."

"If you want the ring, come get it the same way you gave it to me."

"After all, such a precious item shouldn't be handled through others."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Eleanor is my closest friend, just give it to her."

"I'll take all responsibility."

Henry chuckled, "Sarah, must I be more explicit?"

"Come get it back the same way you gave it to me."

The call abruptly ended.

I felt angry and embarrassed, my cheeks flushing red. How had I given him that ring?

It was on my graduation day. I gathered my courage and kissed him under the campus tree. It was my first time initiating a kiss. He seemed surprised but didn't push me away.

In that moment, I thought I'd finally found the right timing. Trembling, I took the ring from my pocket and gently placed it in his palm. I told him the ring's meaning. After a moment of silence, he accepted it.