Page 54 of The Ring
The ring was a family heirloom from the Victorian era, passed down from TJ’s mother’s side. All of TJ’s money comes from his father’s side. His mother didn’t have much when she married his father, but she came from generational wealth. However, her parents weren’t the best at managing investments and somehow lost it all. One of the few things she managed to keep was the ring. It was very important to her. So TJ asking for his family ring and giving it to me was a big deal.
The ring was almost as if it were meant for us. Made of yellow gold, with a large oval sapphire at the centre—sapphire being TJ’s birthstone—surrounded by diamonds, which happens to be my birthstone. It resembles Princess Diana’s engagement ring, but with a lot more diamonds. The ring was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery I’ve ever seen.
I was so moved by it, and I remember thinking he was the moon and the stars—the whole universe to me. What a joke that was.
Since the day he gave me the ring, I never took it off until this day.
I took it off and, without thinking, threw the ring through the open window. I regretted it the moment I did.
I shouldn’t have thrown it out. If I didn’t want it anymore, I should have given it to Laurie—it was from his family, too. But it was too late. In a way, I needed to get rid of it, to have some definite closure, so I wouldn’t be tempted by it. Still, I regret it deeply. I guess those things aren’t mutually exclusive.
TJ stared at me in shock, then bolted to the window and looked down. “What the hell did you just do?” The sound of his voice in that moment still haunts me. It sounded like something dying. I think it was us dying—him and me. Our relationship dying.
“Like I said, we are done for good,” I said, sounding as distant as I could. I didn’t want him to know how much this was costing me or how painful it was seeing him. How much it hurt me, too, losing that ring I used to look at and just smile about, thinking of him. How much all of this was destroying me.
People often talk about the pain of loving someone who doesn’t love you back. However, what’s less talked about—and, in my opinion, more painful—is the pain of leaving someone you know you can never unlove.
TJ didn’t say anything—he just looked at me, sad and defeated, then turned and walked away.
After he was gone, I immediately rushed to the window, scanning the ground below for the ring. But it was nowhere to be found.
Still, that didn’t stop me from spending all afternoonsearching for it, and during my entire stay in Paris, every time I was outside the flat, I kept scanning for it. But I never found it.
That ring had survived two world wars, multiple marriages, and divorces—but it didn’t survive us.
Chapter 28
Cornelia
I’m woken up by someone entering my room, singing “Happy Birthday.” Technically, I’m already about sixty percent awake, but Anthony likes to be the first to congratulate me on my birthday, and waking me up is part of our tradition. I slip out from under the covers, turn to the other side, and see Anthony standing there, like every birthday I’ve spent in London.
“Happy Birthday,” he says, leaning in to hug me.
“Thank you,” I reply, smiling against his chest.
Following tradition, a maid enters with a food cart carrying breakfast and sets it in front of my chaise longue.
I get up, walk over to my chaise longue, and sit down, glancing over the food on the cart. It has all my favourite breakfast items—waffles with chocolate chips, matcha, chai, pastries, and avocado toasts. I know the toast doesn’t fit with the sweet theme, but if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would most likely be avocado toast. But just avocado on plain toast, nothing else—no eggs, no extras.
I pick up a croissant and take a bite.
“You know, breakfast on a sofa doesn’t hit quite as good as breakfast in bed,” Anthony teases.
“I know, but this way I don’t have to sleep with crumbs in my bed.”
He smiles at me fondly, and as if he doesn’t mean to say it, he murmurs, “You’re twenty-one,” like he can’t believe how fast time has gone.
I nod. “Now I can legally drink everywhere in the world.”
He gives me a pointed look. “Yes, but with moderation.” Not the biggest drinker, my brother.
“Don’t worry,” I quip, a smile tugging at my lips. “Now that it’s legal for me to do it everywhere, it’s less appealing. I liked it more when it was illegal.”
He rolls his eyes playfully and glances at his watch. “I have to go. I’ve got a few things I need to do before your party.”
“Are those things birthday-related?”
“Perhaps,” Anthony says, leaning in to give me a quick kiss on the top of my head. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he adds before exiting my room.
