“Thank you,” I say softly.
He shrugs.“It’s just something that I discovered helps.”
“I meant for everything,” I say.“You had every right to kick me off your property.”
He shakes his head firmly.“Not me.Never.”
I nod slowly, a genuine smile spreading.“You have a lovely home.”
“It’s a house,” he says, his smile fading.“Too much house for me, honestly.”
“Why choose it then?”
“Long story,” he says after a heavy pause, his eyes clouding with an unreadable sadness.
Not wanting to pry, I change the subject.“Maybe once you finish furnishing it, it’ll feel more like home.”
He chuckles dryly.“So you’re an interior designer?”
“Oh, no, not even close.”I laugh.“I just noticed the empty room on my way out here, that’s all.Are you still in the midst of moving in?”
He glances at me sideways with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.“Long story.”
I blush, turning back to the water.
“How about you?”he asks.“You live in a house?”
“Apartment.Novo Building downtown.”
“Fancy.”
“Not mine.My fiancé’s.”The words are a bitter reminder.
He nods slowly.The muscles in his forearms tense as he tightens his grip on the edge.
“How exactly did your engagement ring end up in my front yard?”
Shame heats my cheeks.“I threw it,” I confess quietly.
I feel his gaze but can’t bring myself to look at him.
“How long have you been engaged?”
“Longer than I should have.”
Silence falls.
How do I even begin to explain the mess that is my life?
“It felt very real… our love,” I finally say.“He used to be so good to me.I still remember how overjoyed he was when I moved in with him.He’s the reason I became a business owner.I couldn’t have afforded it otherwise.”I pause, remembering the excitement and the way my hands had trembled as I signed the ownership papers.“And when he proposed… It was so romantic.So grand.So… James.”
Matthew listens, gaze fixed on the water.
“It all played out like a dream,” I continue.“But then I woke up and realized he had me right where he wanted me.Trapped.”
“Trapped?”Matthew turns to me, brow creased.
“It’s not just the ring.It’s the…” I hesitate, the weight of the truth heavy on my chest.“The two hundred grand he invested in my business.As long as we’re a couple, all is well.But if that ever changes…” I trail off, unable to voice the fear that claws at me.
