Bianca
"Is this what forever is supposed to feel like? Standing alone in a jewelry store, picking out my own damn wedding ring?"
I let out a small, dry laugh, staring at the rings in the glass case. This was supposed to be a special moment, something Jeremy and I should be doing together. But here I was, alone, making yet another decision for our wedding without him.
I checked my phone again. No calls. No messages.
Last night, he said, "I'm swamped at work, love. We'll go together tomorrow, I promise." That promise clearly meant nothing because not only was he not here, but he also wasn't picking up my calls.
"Miss, have you decided?" the jeweler asked, giving me a polite smile.
I sighed and pointed at a sleek platinum band with tiny diamonds. "This one."
She nodded and put the ring in a tiny soft box. I held it tight and walked out of the store into the warm air. I looked at the box for a bit and felt sad, but I took a big breath. Maybe Jeremy was just really busy at work. Tomorrow we would get married and laugh about this, so I didn't want to stay upset.
I slid into the cab and gave the driver Jeremy's office address. I needed to show him our new wedding ring, which I had just picked. I flipped open the ring box, admiring the way the tiny diamonds sparkled.
"This is nice," I murmured to myself, giggling. "I bet he'll love it."
I imagined walking into his office, pretending to be mad, then dramatically opening the box like some grand proposal. "Ta-da! Look what you made me pick out alone, you terrible fiancé!" He'd laugh, pull me into his arms, kiss my forehead, and promise to make it up to me.
I grinned at the thought.
Maybe I'd guilt-trip him into a surprise honeymoon location. Maybe Paris. Or London.
I let out a happy sigh and leaned back against the seat, tapping my fingers against my lap. The excitement was slowly creeping back in. I made it to his office in record time, bursting through the reception area and opening my mouth to call for Jeremy, but stopping dead in my tracks.
As I was about to walk inside his office, my stomach churned when I heard the unmistakable sound of moaning, accompanied by a steady thump thump thump as the chair collided with the wall. Worse than realizing that Jeremy was clearly in there with another woman was realizing who he was with.
I moved closer to see through the door that was left ajar. I knew that handbag, and I knew those shoes, they belonged to… Ella. Ella, my fellow work colleague and biggest rival.
I stood frozen in place, my fingers tightening around the ring box as my heart pounded fastly in my chest. I couldn't believe it, I refused to. The sounds coming from inside Jeremy's office made me sick, but what made it worse was hearing her voice.
Ella. My rival. The one woman I couldn't stand.
"Fuck! Are you and Bianca really getting married tomorrow?" she asked between breathless moans, without a hint of guilt in her tone, only amusement.
I felt my stomach drop.
Jeremy groaned in response, his voice was low but clear enough. "You know it's just for show. After a while, I'll file for a divorce, and by that time, I will have access to her family's wealth."
My breath caught in my throat. My body felt cold, like someone had dumped ice water over me.
Just for show? File for divorce? Access to my family's wealth?
I stared at the slightly open door, my mind refusing to believe what I had just heard.
Ella laughed softly. "So that's the plan? Marry her, wait a while, and then take what you need?"
Jeremy let out a lazy chuckle. "She's too blinded by love to see it coming. She trusts me completely. Once everything is in place, I'll walk away with more than just money."
I felt like I was going to be sick.
My fingers trembled around the ring box, but I held onto it like it was the only thing keeping me upright. The excitement I had felt just minutes ago had been crushed.
A part of me wanted to storm in, to scream, to throw the ring in his face and ask why? But another part, stronger, calmer, told me to wait.
To be smart about this.
I took out my phone and started recording this disgusting act. This was evidence, and I was going to make sure Jeremy regretted ever thinking he could play me.
With shaking hands, I hit the record button, capturing every disgusting word, every groan, every filthy promise he made to Ella. My heart was breaking, but my mind was already working.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself to stay quiet, to stay hidden. Storming in there now, letting my emotions take over, would give them the power. But if I played my cards right? I could destroy him.
I slipped my phone back into my bag, took a deep breath, and walked out of the building as calmly as I could.
I hailed a cab, sliding into the back seat with a strange sense of calm washing over me.
The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Where to, ma'am?"
I took a deep breath and forced my voice to stay steady. "Just drive for a bit. I'll tell you where to stop."
He just nodded and pulled onto the road.
My mind kept replaying everything I had just heard. Just for show. File for divorce. Take what I need.
I wanted to cry, to scream, to hurl the ring into the street.
Jeremy never loved me; he only wanted my family's influence and power. Because my parents never approved of him, my relationship with them grew cold. I was once a model but thanks to him, my modeling career slid backward as he always favored other girls and coaxed me to step aside for her. I would be a fool to let my emotions take over now.
Pulling out of the wedding now would hand him exactly what he wanted: a scandal with my name on it and whispers that I was unstable. The press would circle like vultures. My parents would never forgive the embarrassment.
So yes, tomorrow I would get married; I need those certificates to show to my parents. Canceling it would turn every whisper in our world into a roar, and I couldn't hand them that shame.
But Jeremy would never be the groom.
I tightened my grip on the ring box, mind racing through faces, possibilities, anyone who could stand beside me and make it look real. someone who could keep the secret until it no longer mattered.
The cab's headlights smeared the night into streaks of gold. I closed the box with a soft click and felt a strange calm settle over me.
Tomorrow there will be a wedding.
My parents will have their perfect ceremony.
And Jeremy will have nothing.
I don't yet know who will take his place, but I will find one.