He Gave My Ring Away,So I Built My Own Kingdom

The day Garrett Whitmore finally agreed to come home and meet my parents, my mom slaughtered the hog she'd been raising for two years to put on a big family dinner.

Then he took a phone call at the table, said something urgent had come up at the company, and left.

The next morning, I saw his social media post. My engagement gold bracelet was clasped around the wrist of his assistant, Leonora Manning.

The caption readLeonora's wrist is so slender, it fits perfectly.

My mom called to ask when he was coming back.

I told her not to wait.

I packed Garrett's things into a box and left it at the front desk of the office.

When he came looking for me, Leonora was right behind him.

Garrett only stayed because he was worried about me being home alone with no one to look after me. Please don't be mad, Jocelyn Fox.

She made a show of reaching for the bracelet on her wrist, all false sincerity.

I let out a cold laugh.

Don't bother taking it off. Keep it.

Consider it my parting gift to you both.

The color drained from Garrett's face.Who said anything about breaking up?

I did.

I slapped my employee badge down on the desk and walked out.

I'm going home. That hog's already been slaughtered, so someone might as well enjoy the feast.

Jocelyn, are you done with this tantrum?

Garrett stormed after me and seized my wrist.

Heads poked out of offices all along the hallway.

I looked at him calmly.

Let go.

Over a bracelet? Really? Garrett kept his voice low, laced with the same irritation I'd heard a thousand times.

I put up with your dramatics every other day, but we have a major client today. You're walking out right now? Is this blackmail?

Leonora click-clacked over in her heels.

She tugged timidly at Garrett's sleeve.

Garrett, this is all my fault.

Maybe I should just give the bracelet back to Jocelyn.

Her eyes welled up as she spoke.

Garrett pulled her behind him, his frown deepening.

She'd throw a fit whether you returned it or not.

Jocelyn, Leonora just started here. What's wrong with me looking out for her as her boss?

You always complained that bracelet was too big on you. I lent it to her for a few days to go with an outfit. You're really going to blow this up into a breakup?

I stared at the man I'd spent five years with.

Standing there so righteous, so sure of himself, he looked like a complete stranger.

Garrett, that was an engagement bracelet.

I know it's an engagement bracelet.

He frowned slightly, his tone equal parts exasperation and entitlement.

But Leonora has that meeting with Grandview today and she needed a piece of jewelry that would hold the room. I lent it to her for one day. It's not like you lost a limb.

Seeing not a flicker of emotion in my eyes, he mistook it for stubbornness, sighed, and pulled out his phone.

If it bothers you that she wore it, fine, let her keep it. I'll take you to the store tomorrow and pick out something more expensive. We can look at wedding rings while we're at it.

He swiped open a transfer screen with practiced ease and held it up to my face.

Here, ten grand to start. Go pick whatever you like. If it's not enough, I'll add more.

I didn't respond. I just looked at the number glowing on his screen.

He understood perfectly well what he'd done. He simply believed that the promises I treasured, the lines I'd drawn, could all be appraised and swapped out at his convenience.

Jocelyn, don't be upset with Garrett. He was just thinking about the company's image. Leonora chimed in from the side.

Shut up. I didn't spare her so much as a glance.

Leonora flinched and ducked behind Garrett.

That set him off.

Jocelyn, don't push it.

I'm pushing it? I smiled.

Yesterday was the day my parents set aside to meet their future son-in-law.

My mom got up before dawn to boil water. She slaughtered the hog we'd been raising for two years for the big holiday dinner.

You sat at the table, took one phone call, and left.

You told me the company servers had crashed.

So what really happened?

I pointed at the bracelet on Leonora's wrist.

A server crash required you to personally go put a bracelet on your female assistant?

Garrett froze for a second, his gaze shifting away.

Leonora was moving yesterday. She twisted her ankle and was crying alone in her apartment.

I went to help her deal with an emergency.

Your family can do the hog roast anytime. If nobody looked after Leonora with a sprained ankle, something could've gone really wrong.

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

I nodded.

You're right.

So I won't hold you up from playing the hero anymore.

I yanked my hand free.

Garrett stared at his empty palm. His expression darkened.

Jocelyn, the handover takes three days. Use those three days to cool off.

After that, come back to work like a good girl, and I'll pretend today never happened.

He was certain I couldn't leave him.

And why wouldn't he be? For five years I'd turned down offers from top firms to stand beside him, building his company from a busted garage into what it was now.

Every professional connection I had was tied up inside his business.

I didn't argue. I just bent down and picked up the box of personal belongings I'd dropped on the floor.

Fine. I'll finish the handover.

I held the box against my chest and walked toward the elevator.

Garrett stood where he was. He didn't come after me.

I heard Leonora's soft voice behind meGarrett, is Jocelyn really upset?

Garrett let out a cold scoff.

She's stubborn, but she knows what's good for her. She's just waiting for me to go coax her back.

The elevator doors slid shut.

I took out my phone and rescheduled my train ticket home to three days later.

That evening, I went back to the condo Garrett and I shared.

My traces were everywhere. The succulents on the balcony. The matching mug set in the kitchen. The hand-stitched throw pillows on the couch.

I pulled out a large suitcase and began packing my things into it, one by one, in silence.

At ten thirty, the lock clicked open.

Garrett walked in reeking of liquor, a takeout container of congee dangling from one hand.

He didn't so much as glance at the suitcase on the floor. He set the congee on the dining table.

Still mad?

He came up behind me, reaching to wrap his arms around me out of habit.

I stepped aside.

His arms closed on nothing. He frowned.

I went all the way across town to get you that scallop-shrimp-crab congee from your favorite place.

Come drink it while it's hot, and we'll put the whole thing behind us.

His tone was generous, magnanimous, like he was granting me a way to step down gracefully.

I walked to the table and opened the container.

The thick, unmistakable smell of peanut butter hit me full in the face.

I looked up at him.

Garrett, I'm allergic to peanuts.

Did you forget?

Garrett went still. Something unnatural flickered across his face.

II could've sworn you used to eat it.

That's Leonora. She's the one who likes peanut butter in her seafood congee. I placed the lid back on, my voice even.

This afternoon, I saw her post on the company group chat. She said she was sick and craving that special congee from the place across town.

Caught dead to rights, Garrett's expression went cold.

Jocelyn, are you addicted to checking up on me now?

Leonora had a rough day at the office. She didn't even eat dinner. I grabbed her a bowl on my way. Since when is that a capital crime?

I bought an extra one for you. Is that really worth making a federal case over?

He stood there completely self-righteous, as if I were the one being unreasonable.

I didn't argue.

I'm not hungry. You eat.

I turned back to packing my clothes.

Before, something like this would have sent me into a fight. I would have yelled, cried, demanded to know who he actually put first.

But now, all I felt was exhaustion.

The bone-deep exhaustion of fighting over someone who was never really mine.

Garrett watched my calm back and sensed, vaguely, that something was off.

What are you doing? Packing a suitcase in the middle of the night?

Going back home in a few days. I didn't turn around.

Still throwing a tantrum? He let out a cold laugh.

Fine. You want to go sulk at your parents' place for a few days, go ahead.

The company's slammed right now anyway. Leonora can't handle everything on her own, so I won't have time to come get you.

Whenever you're done with this little act, you can come back on your own.

He finished talking, slammed the bedroom door, and went to take a shower.

I folded the last coat and placed it in the suitcase.

Listening to the rush of water from the bathroom, I pulled out my phone.

I opened the realtor's text thread.

Mr. Wang, that condo under my name. At the floor price you quoted, I can sign the transfer contract tomorrow.

That was the apartment I'd bought with my parents' retirement savings back when Garrett was first starting the company.

I was letting it go overnight.

Every last thread tying me to him. I didn't want a single one left.

The next day, I went to the office as usual to finish my handover.

The entire planning department knew I'd blown up at Garrett the day before. The atmosphere was strange.

I had just finished organizing the files for my key client accounts.

That's when Leonora walked in with Garrett's secretary.

Jocelyn, Garrett said you should hand over the Grandview Corporation account to me.

She was wearing a Chanel tweed jacket today, and my gold bracelet still glinted on her wrist, impossible to miss.

I looked up at her.

The Grandview account is one I've been building for six months. We're about to close. You just came off probation. You can't handle it.

Is Jocelyn doubting my abilities, or just reluctant to give up the commission? Leonora covered her mouth with a soft laugh.

This was personally authorized by Mr. Whitmore.

The secretary placed a document in front of me.

Garrett's bold, sweeping signature sat at the bottomApproved for transfer.

I stared at that signature and felt a wave of bitter amusement.

Garrett wasn't just taking my heart. He was taking every ounce of work I'd poured in and laying it at Leonora's feet like a stepping stone.

I said nothing more. I signed the handover form without hesitation.

Take it.

Leonora scooped up the files, triumphant.

Thanks, Jocelyn. Garrett was right. You've got a temper, but when it really counts, you know how to be sensible.

Oh, and Garrett wants me to take over your private office. He said I'll need a better workspace now that I'm handling the major accounts.

She pointed at the personal items on my desk.

Jocelyn, if you could clear all this out today, that'd be great.

Coworkers clustered outside the door, whispering.

Everyone thought Garrett had gone too far.

Kicking out the fiance who'd helped him build everything from nothing, replacing her with a fresh college grad.

I picked up the photo of Garrett and me from my desk.

It was from the first year of the startup. The two of us in a rented basement, eating instant noodles, grinning at the camera.

In the photo, his smile was so genuine. He'd promised to build me a home.

I slid the photo out of its frame and fed it into the shredder beside me.

Click. It came out the other side in ribbons.

Leonora flinched.

That was when Garrett walked in.

He saw me packing and his brow furrowed deep.

Jocelyn, what are you doing?

You told me to clear out the office. I didn't even look up.

His face tightened. He lowered his voice.I told you to move to one of the open desks for now! The client at Grandview specifically requested Leonora as their point of contact. She needs a proper office!

Do you really have to make this difficult right now?

Just be reasonable. Once the deal closes, I'll split the commission with you fifty-fifty. Isn't that enough?

He was barely containing his anger, but the tone was pure condescension, like he was doing me a favor.

I placed the last framed photo into the cardboard box and looked up.

Mr. Whitmore, the handoff checklist has been signed.

I don't want a cent of the commission.

I picked up the box, stepped around him, and walked out.

Jocelyn!

He called after me. There was a thread of panic in his voice that he himself hadn't registered.

Don't burn every bridge!

I didn't stop.

I wasn't the one who'd been burning them.

On my last day, Garrett threw a celebration dinner at the five-star hotel across from the office to mark the Grandview Corporation deal. By all rights, all I had to do was stop by finance that afternoon to collect my final paycheck and leave.

But his secretary called and said Garrett was requiring my attendance at the dinner.

Mr. Whitmore says this was your account. If you don't show, he'll take it as a personal slight.

I looked at the suitcase I'd already packed. In the end, I changed into a simple blouse and jeans and went.

The ballroom was loud with clinking glasses and easy laughter.

Leonora was in a couture evening gown, drifting between clients with a champagne flute in her hand.

Garrett stood at her side, intercepting drinks on her behalf, his eyes soft with adoration.

Jocelyn! You came dressed like that?

Leonora had materialized beside me, her gaze sweeping over my white blouse and jeans with exaggerated surprise.

I thought you weren't coming at all.

She held a glass of red wine and clinked it lightly against mine.

Director Wang from Grandview complimented my proposal. Garrett said he's buying me a car as a reward.

She gave her wrist a little shake.

The gold bracelet struck the crystal glass with a bright, clear ring.

I lifted my gaze and let it settle on her face, cold and level.

Good for you.

My indifference set her off completely.

Her foot slipped. The entire glass of red wine landed squarely on my chest.

The white blouse soaked through in an instant, stained a spreading, ugly crimson.

Oh no! I'm so sorry, Jocelyn! I didn't mean to!

Her shriek turned every head in the room.

Garrett strode over and pulled Leonora behind him in one swift motion.

He glanced at the mess on my shirt, his brow knotted, his voice already laced with reproach.

Jocelyn, I already let it slide that you showed up in casual clothes. Do you really have to cause a scene here too?

He hadn't asked a single question. He'd already decided I was the one making trouble, picking a fight on purpose.

I stood, pulled a few napkins from the table, and blotted the wine stain off my blouse. My hands were steady.

She poured her wine on me. I stated the fact.

Leonora didn't do it on purpose. Do you have to stand there acting like the victim? Garrett's voice was clipped with impatience.

It's a cheap blouse. I'll buy you ten of them.

Leonora's the one who closed the deal tonight. Can't you just be gracious about it?

He kept Leonora shielded behind him, guarding her like I might so much as touch a hair on her head.

I looked at the man in front of me.

Through his expensive suit, I could still see the boy from five years ago, the one who'd pulled off his jacket in a downpour and wrapped it tight around my shoulders.

That boy had promised me once that even if the whole world turned against me, he'd be on my side.

Too bad that boy was long dead.

Killed off by status and ambition, buried under the weight of his own swelling arrogance.

The last hidden flicker of hope in my chest turned to ash.

Forget the dry cleaning.

I tossed the wine-soaked napkin onto the table.

You know what, Garrett? You're right. It's just a cheap blouse.

Just like this relationship. Once it's ruined, it's ruined.

I turned and grabbed my purse.

Jocelyn! Where do you think you're going? Garrett's voice cracked like a whip behind me.

He was so used to me caving that he assumed I was only walking away to make him chase me.

Home.

You walk out that door, don't ever come back! He hurled a wine glass. It shattered somewhere behind me.

Fine.

I walked out of the banquet hall without looking back.

I pulled out my phone, called a car, and headed straight for the train station.

This time, I meant it.