Chapter 2

Ella couldn't hold back anymore, noticing we were still lingering. She spoke up, "David, don't you have an appointment for an examination soon? Shouldn't we get going?"

She even winked at the doctor standing nearby.

"Oh, right," David reluctantly pulled away from me, looking impatiently at the doctor. "How come I didn't know about this?"

"Oh, David, you've been through so much with your treatments. Don't worry. I'll take care of these things for you," Ella said, affectionately linking her arm with David's and helping him get up.

David was half-dragged, half-assisted by Ella and the doctor toward the door. He turned back one last time, anxiously asking me, "Alyssa, aren't you coming with me for the check-up?"

I wiped my hands discreetly and smiled, reassuring him, "You're in good hands with Ella and the doctor. I still have some work to finish. I'll head off now."

As I turned to leave, walking in the opposite direction, the tears I'd been holding back streamed down my face. Years of love had deeply embedded themselves in my heart, and now, it felt like I was digging out pieces of myself, piece by piece.

I could hear David struggling behind me, but when I looked back, I saw him quietly letting Ella smooth his hair.

I felt rooted to the spot, unable to move. I stood there, torturing myself by watching them laugh together, disappearing from my sight.

Was this really all just to help Ella avoid being sold off to another man? Was their relationship really just friendship?

The answer seemed clear.

David must have spent so much time, energy, and money on that wedding ring for me. When I returned to my rented apartment just three hours later, I noticed that the ring had already attracted a lot of attention.

A kind girl told me that the value of the ring was far higher than the five thousand dollars I had listed it for. If I didn't want to lose too much, I could have it appraised at a high-end jewelry store.

I played with the ring, my mind drifting back to the time when David had given it to me.

"Alyssa, I made this ring myself. But the stone, I had it set by someone else," David had said, holding my right hand gently. He carefully ran his fingers over the simple band with the dark green gem on my finger.

I remembered what he'd said. "Alyssa, I know you've had a hard time with me these years. But I promise you, one day I'll make sure you live a good life."

His eyes, sparkling like a puppy's, gazed at me earnestly, making those words seem more believable.

The next day, I took the ring to a high-end mall in the city center. Everything in the store was priced so high I could lose everything I owned just by walking in.

The staff at the jewelry counter examined the ring. "The stone is really valuable. From the color and quality, I'd say it's worth around 300 thousand dollars."

I stood by the counter, feeling awkward as I waited for the appraiser. Despite preparing myself, I was still shocked by the price. Three hundred thousand dollars, more than I had earned from three jobs combined.

I had the staff remove the stone and sold it to them on the spot, keeping only the plain band. As expected of a high-end store, the money was transferred to my account immediately.

As I was preparing to leave, I saw Ella at another counter, browsing jewelry and talking on the phone.

"David, you got that 300 thousand dollars stone for Alyssa. How about buying me some jewelry too?" Ella's voice was sweet and playful.

I couldn't hear David's reply, but I saw Ella hang up the phone and proceed to buy all the jewelry she had picked out, happily swiping her card.

"Got everything, thanks, Mr. Huber," she cooed as she sent him a voice message, her voice dripping with affection. "All for two million dollars."

I felt a bitterness rise in my chest. When I was with David, spending two hundred dollars at once felt extravagant. Now, Ella was spending two million as if it were nothing.

Without thinking, I walked back to the staff and handed them the cash in my pocket. "Can you ask that lady over there if she'd be interested in buying my stone? I think it would suit her."

The staff took the stone over to Ella. She immediately commented, "Oh, can you set this stone into a ring for me? I'll take it. I'll come pick it up in a few days."

Ella, the well-mannered young lady, could easily recognize the value of the stone at a glance.

I couldn't help but imagine how David would react when he saw that same stone on Ella's finger.