Part 2

My surgery didn’t take long. Once the anesthesia wore off, I slowly regained consciousness.

That’s when Jeffery suddenly barged into my hospital room, striding in with urgency.

For a brief moment, I thought maybe—just maybe—he had come out of guilt, or perhaps even love.

But instead, the first thing he did was grab my hand and yank out the IV, roughly examining my fingers.

When he didn’t find what he was looking for, his expression darkened with anger.

“Bella Ford, where’s your wedding ring?” he demanded.

“Hand it over!”

Pain shot through me as the IV needle tore at my skin, but I didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, I asked, “What do you want with my ring?”

That ring… I had designed it myself, painstakingly. It had taken me months to craft—every detail a symbol of the future I thought we’d share. Our supposed lifelong commitment.

“Fiona likes it,” he said flatly. “She wants us to have matching rings.”

“You can give it to her—just for fun. It’s a broken ring anyway. Not worth much without a bunch of diamonds.”

As he spoke, he spotted the ring resting at the corner of the bedside table. Without hesitation, he picked it up and turned to leave.

I stood up instinctively, forgetting for a moment that my leg was still immobile.

But I managed to snatch his wrist, my hand clamped tightly around the ring. “Give it back to me!”

Jeffery looked at me, disappointment flickering in his eyes.

“Bella, you used to be generous. When did you become like this—arguing over something so small?”

I stared at him, my voice steady. “If you insist on taking it, then we’re over.”

Jeffery froze.

He dropped to his knees, disbelief clouding his expression. “What… what did you just say?”

His voice trembled. “We’re mates. We’ve been together for ten years. How can you just say that—so easily?”

“Bella, I love you. I can’t live without you.”

I looked at him coldly, a hint of disheartenment in my voice.

“But Jeffery, you were the one who abandoned me for Fiona.”

Jeffery buried himself in my arms, clinging to me tightly.

“It’s not like that,” he murmured. “I just felt sorry for Fiona. She was so devastated… she tried to kill herself. I had no choice but to comfort her first.”

“Once she recovers, I’ll come back to you, and we’ll have the proper wedding we dreamed of. Please, trust me, Bella.”

Staring at his slightly agitated face, I gave a small nod.

Only then did he breathe a long sigh of relief—and leave, completely at ease.

But he took the ring with him and didn’t return it to me.

I absentmindedly touched my empty ring finger, picked up my phone, and dialed a former colleague abroad.

“Can you ask the professor if there is any vacancy in the lab? I want to come back and continue my research.”

The voice on the other end was filled with delight. “Really? The professor was so upset when you left. He’ll be thrilled to hear you’re coming back. I’ll ask him right away.”

“But weren’t you planning to get married? Won’t it be difficult living apart from your husband?”

For a moment, I wanted to make excuses for Jeffery, but then the absurdity of it all struck me.

So I answered flatly, “He’s dead. He won’t affect my work anymore.”

After hanging up, I immediately booked a flight ticket to go back to school.

Then, I discharged myself from the hospital and went home to recover alone.

Fiona posted about her love life on social media every day.

I saw her flaunting the customized clothes Jeffery had bought her, showing off the extravagant jewelry he gave her.

I saw her holding hands with Jeffery, wearing the ring that had been taken from me.

I saw them taking endless wedding photos together, with Fiona captioning them:

“Three years of a secret relationship, and finally we can love openly.”

Jeffery shared the post too, but quickly deleted it, likely afraid I would see it. Instead, he posted an invitation to his mother’s 60th birthday party—as if trying to cover up the truth.

Before the wedding, Jeffery had specifically mentioned his mother’s birthday to me, reminding me to attend to celebrate together as a couple.

Daisy Hoffman had even held my hand, warmly inviting me to visit their home.

Though the wedding never happened, I still brought gifts to Jeffery’s mother’s house, determined to keep up the appearance of normalcy.

But when I opened the door, I was met with an unexpected sight.

The banquet had already started, and all the relatives were present.

Jeffery and his mother were seated together, with Fiona sitting between them.

Daisy Hoffman, with a warm smile, placed shrimp in Fiona’s bowl and said, “Fiona, you’ve been losing weight lately. Eat more to build yourself up.”

Jeffery glanced at his mother and casually said, “Mom, she’s picky. She doesn’t want to peel the shrimp herself; I have to do it for her.”

Despite his words, Jeffery still peeled the shrimp for her and fed it to her personally.

I stood there alone, feeling particularly lonely and out of place.

Suddenly, someone noticed me and exclaimed in surprise, “Bella Ford?”

Jeffery’s expression changed instantly when he saw me. “What are you doing here? I don’t think my mom invited you today!”

Before I could respond, he quickly walked over and pulled me away.

Still relying on crutches because of my fracture, his pull almost made me lose balance. I struggled to shake off his hand. “Don’t pull me. I can walk by myself.”

Jeffery’s tone grew cold. “Bella, I don’t know what your purpose is in coming today, but no one told you about my mother’s birthday.”

“If you’re here to stake your claim and outshine Fiona, you’re not welcome.”

I was taken aback. “What are you talking about? You were the one who told me to come.”

Jeffery hesitated, guilt flashing across his face for a brief moment.

“I don’t remember. Who knows if you’re lying.”

Daisy Hoffman came out then and said, “Bella, Fiona’s been in a bad mood lately. I asked Jeffery to bring her over for a meal. Could you please leave so she doesn’t get upset seeing you?”

They seemed to have completely forgotten what they had once said to me.

But that was fine. If I wasn’t welcome, there was no point in staying.

I nodded, turning to leave. But just as I was about to step away, Fiona emerged.

She quickly stopped me, her voice sweet. “Mom, Jeffery, you’re overthinking. I’m not that petty.”

“Bella’s injured. It’s not easy for her to come all this way with a limp. She should stay for the meal.”

I ignored the smugness in her eyes and responded calmly, “No, thank you for your kindness.”

But Jeffery stepped in front of me, blocking my way, his displeasure evident. “You stay here.”

“Fiona doesn’t mind that you came uninvited. She even gave you a chance to leave without any trouble, and you still can’t be sensible?”

“If you dare leave today, our wedding is off.”

I froze, stunned by his ultimatum.