just as I reached the edge of the table.
The look on his face moved through three quick stages. Surprise first, then a flash of calculation, then that familiar charming recovery he had practiced for years. It almost made me smile.
Almost. But I said nothing.
Instead, I reached for my left hand and slowly slipped off the engagement ring he had given me a year earlier. I let the silence stretch as I held it for a moment between my fingers.
Then I placed it on the white tablecloth, right beside his glass. The sound of the small ring meeting the table felt impossibly loud in the sudden quiet.
The laughter died instantly. Every face around the table changed. Some looked embarrassed, some looked tense, and one or two looked annoyed that the moment had become something real.
Evan stood up halfway from his chair. “Claire,” he began.
I
Comments