Chapter 12

I boarded the plane to America.

Thus began a journey unlike any other.

My mentor was a woman of remarkable charisma, in whom I saw the purest radiance of femininity.

Confident, independent, strong, and bold...

She echoed Neve's words: jewelry is never a medium for love.

It can carry rich emotions and inspire a woman's inherent confidence and charm.

Only then did I realize I had been trapped in a vicious cycle all along.

I no longer sought excessive approval in those shiny metals, but hoped they could shine with their own unique brilliance.

One afternoon, I told my mentor the story of Forever Promise.

I thought she would furrow her brow and criticize my narrow-mindedness.

To my surprise, she said the exact opposite.

She told me that although the relationship was fraught with deception, I hadn't done anything wrong.

The Forever Promise I designed was pure, filled with love, perfect - just like me.

In that moment, I suddenly felt liberated.