Grace's POV
"Give me your ring."
I blinked several times at the man whose open palm waited before me. His words didn't register immediately.
"What?"
"I said, give me your ring. I will throw it away."
"T—Throw it away?!" I jerked my hand back, covering it protectively with my other hand. The fog in my mind cleared instantly. "Why would I throw away my wedding ring? Are you crazy?!"
"No, I'm not," he replied without hesitation. Those deep green eyes met mine, somehow calming me, silently telling me there was nothing to fear. "You told me that you don't want to reconcile with that scum, then let me help you move on by throwing that wedding ring away."
"What the—" His sudden demand caught me off guard. I thought he was joking, but his expression remained dead serious.
His palm stayed extended, waiting for me to place the ring there.
"Are you refusing because it's expensive?" he asked.
"No, I can buy ten or even twenty of this ring," I said, shaking my head. The price wasn't what held me back. It was the memories woven into that band of metal that made it invaluable.
I found myself stroking the ring unconsciously. "But this is my wedding ring… it holds history and memories…"
"I know, that's why I want to throw it away," he explained. "You told me that you don't want to reconcile with him after what he did to you. But you will keep thinking about him and what he did to you as long as you have that ring. So, if you really want to leave him, to move on from him, then give me your wedding ring."
I hesitated, considering his words. I'd be lying if I claimed my wedding to Charles meant nothing to me.
In the beginning, Charles and I truly married for love. We were childhood sweethearts who grew up together from elementary through high school. We'd always been together, and I was over the moon when Charles proposed after we graduated from university.
Who could have predicted that my marriage would fall apart after just five years because Charles cheated on me… and also because I was infertile.
I looked down at my wedding ring. A memory surfaced as I recalled when I first became a workaholic.
It was around the time I started working at this publishing company three years ago. I had asked Charles to come with me to the hospital for health and fertility tests to see what we could do so I could conceive.
But he scoffed and mocked me instead.
-
'Why should I do a check-up when you're obviously the one that's barren?' Charles had asked.
'W—Well, who knows there might be a problem for you as well. Let's do a check-up together and see what we can do.'
'Hah, I'd rather save the money for my next casting rather than go for a check-up for something so obvious,' Charles had sneered. 'Just accept it, Grace. It's the job of a woman to conceive a baby, and you have failed to do so, there is nothing to change about that.'
'Also, if you have the time to ask about something as useless as this, you have the time to work. Go to work and earn us some money. We're on a tight budget this month after a nepo baby took the lead role from me!' Charles had complained. His words left me crushed and heartbroken. I knew Charles was nowhere near being a lead actor. He was only good enough to play an extra or a one-episode character most of the time. But he had a point about our financial situation, so I worked harder. After all, if we had more money, Charles would be happier. So I worked my ass off until I got promotion after promotion, until I became the Chief Editor.
I managed to give him a comfortable life, and yet he still wasn't happy, wasn't grateful and cheated on me.
Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, so I quickly wiped them away. It was ridiculous for me to cry for that deadbeat, especially in front of a stranger.
"Grace?" The man called my name, pulling me from my thoughts. "Give me the ring if you want to move on."
"Mm, it can't be helped," I said before pulling the ring off my finger.
The moment that ring slipped off, I felt liberated. The burden lifted from my shoulders, and I knew I'd made the right choice.
I placed my ring on his palm and met his gaze. "Please throw it away for me. I want to forget about him. I want to forget everything about us. I want to be free."
The man closed his hand around the ring and looked back at me. He noticed a tear at the corner of my eyes, and something shifted in his expression. "You will find a man who will treat you much better than he ever did. You're beautiful. You should know that."
"Haha! Sure, whatever. Just throw that ring away," I said, feeling slightly better from his small compliment.
I usually laughed when someone complimented my looks. I was plain Belle at best. Charles wouldn't have even thought of cheating on me if I was truly beautiful.
"Alright, let me throw this away," the man turned around and walked to the glass pane facing the city. There was a small window in the corner, and he opened it.
The summer night breeze hit his face instantly. He clenched the wedding ring and threw it out the window.
I watched as the young man threw the ring away. I caught a glint of the diamond before the ring was swallowed by the darkness outside and disappeared from my sight.
I felt as though my heart was crushed and torn to pieces, but I also felt free at the same time.
'Goodbye, the love of my life. I hope I can forget you and move on.'