“From further embarrassment,” I finish smoothly, hoping my voice doesn’t betray the pounding in my chest.
“You invited that embarrassment when you threw away your engagement ring the way you did.How the fuck did you end up finding it again, by the way?”he asks, his question laced with suspicion.
My heart stops.Cold sweat breaks out on my forehead.I can’t tell him the ring was in Matthew’s front yard.
“I—I went back to the club,” I stammer, grasping for a plausible lie.“Retraced my steps and found it in the alleyway.Hidden behind some garbage bags.”
James’s face flushes.His jaw clenches.He grips the stem of his wineglass so tightly that his fingertips whiten.
“Under garbage bags?”he sneers.“The diamond ring I bought for you was lying with some garbage bags?”He stares at me, his eyes narrowed, waiting for my response.
“Lucky me, huh?”I force a casual shrug.“Otherwise, someone else would’ve surely found it.”
He continues to stare, his silence a suffocating weight.I can feel my heart pounding, palms growing clammy.He takes a deep breath, composing himself, a muscle jumping in his jaw before forcing a smile.
“I suppose I should be grateful you found it at all.”His smile vanishes.“Not that digging through garbage is punishment enough for what you did.”He takes a long sip of his wine, eyes fixed on me over the rim.
I meet his gaze, my expression unwavering.I set down my glass, the crystal clinking against the fine china.
“You think so little of me,” I say.“Anyway, maybe now that you have the ring, you won’t destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for.”
He lounges back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips.“Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart,” he purrs, swirling the wine.“That café wouldn’t be yours without me.”He takes a sip, eyes gleaming with amusement.
“I’m gonna pay you back every penny,” I retort, my voice shaking.“Just watch.”
James arches an eyebrow, his smirk widening.“With what money?The meager profits from a soon-to-be-empty space?Or did you forget the little lease renewal issue with your landlord?”
“I’ll figure it out,” I say, keeping my voice steady.“I built it once.I can do it again.I just want out.”
He throws his head back and laughs.A cold, jarring sound.“Out?”he repeats, his voice dripping with mockery.“You’re only out when I say you’re out.”
I go cold.“You can’t keep me trapped forever,” I say, my voice shaking but firm.
He leans forward, his gaze pinning me in place.“I always get what I want, Mimi.”
My breath hitches.Ice creeps down my spine, but I refuse to let him see my fear.
I lift my chin, meeting his gaze with a defiance I don’t entirely feel.“And what exactly do you want, James?”I ask, my voice trembling slightly.
A slow smile spreads across his face.“I want you,” he murmurs, his voice smooth but menacing.“I want things to be the way they were.”
He seizes my hand.His touch sends a shudder through me.I try to pull away, but his grip tightens, his fingers digging into my skin.“I love you in my life, Mimi.Together we look like the perfect couple.”
His declaration is a poison whisper against my skin.
He doesn’t love me.He never did.It was always about control.About possession.About his precious image.The realization lands with crushing force.
Each bite of food feels like a betrayal.The forced smiles and empty conversations a hollow echo of the intimacy we once shared.I stab at a roasted potato.Even the rosemary, my favorite herb, can’t mask the bitterness coating my tongue.James, oblivious, continues to drone on about his day, his voice a monotonous hum against my silent fury.He talks about the important meetings and urgent phone calls, dripping with self-importance.Then, he moves on to plans for the future.Painting a picture of a life that feels as fake as he is.The house we’ll buy, the vacations we’ll take…
Lies designed to trap me.
As the last of the wine disappears, James reaches into his pocket.
No…
The diamond ring glitters under the soft candlelight, its sharp facets amplifying the dull ache in my heart.
“I know I fucked up,” he says.His remorse is a performance.“And I really regret it.You know I love you, Mimi.”
