"Pack it up. We're taking it."
As they walked out of the boutique, the sun hitting the pavement, Yanna felt the ring on her finger. She hadn't even noticed Camille putting it on.
It wasn't a diamond.
It was a band of black steel. Heavy. Industrial. It looked less like jewelry and more like a component of a machine—a washer, or a coupling nut.
Engraved on the inside, biting into her skin, were two words.
NON REFUNDABLE.
Yanna stared at it as the valet brought the Porsche around. The sunlight glinted off the matte black metal, swallowing the brightness rather than reflecting it. It was a black hole on her finger.
"Stop staring at it," Camille said, slipping her sunglasses back on. "It isn't going anywhere."
"It's... tight," Yanna whispered.
"It's supposed to be tight," Camille replied, opening the car door. "If it slides off, it means you've lost weight. And if you lose weight, you lose value."
She shoved Yanna into the passenger seat.
