My Vengeful Former Lover

“We are still investigating, madam. But please don’t worry, the commander is a strong man. He’ll be safe.” his firm voice appeared made him sound more reliable.

Deatrice was still on her knees, draped in rags and saying her prayers.

This was the usual action that a wife does when her husband was in danger. But unlike before, she wasn’t doing this as an act to fool the eyes inside the manor.

Her prayer was sincere, and so was her earnestness.

You promised me that you wouldn’t get hurt.

She had embroidered that handkerchief with utmost reverence. He promised not to get hurt and even hugged her for a long time before he left. But looking back, all the promises made between them had always been like that.

The first engagement between them that set their hearts aflutter… The vow to love each other forever…

Both were eventually broken.

As Deatrice watched the candles flickering as they floated on holy water, she remembered the moment they had promised to marry.

He had proposed at night, beneath the glittering stars as they reflected on the placid surface of the lake. The moonlight shone on their figures and illuminated the devout expression on Lucius’ face.

“This ring… It was originally meant to be Dixie’s, but I stole it.” He knelt down and when he looked up, his face was as full of confidence as ever.

“The ruby on this ring… I wanted you to have it because it resembles my eyes and it is a testament to my oath that I shall always look after you. To always protect and cherish you…”

But soon, his smile cracked.

Because as he pulled out the ring from his pocket, his hands were terribly trembling.

Lucius clenched his fists and smiled sheepishly. Soon after, he opened the small box and took out the ring. And as he said, the ring adorned with diamonds around its body had a blood-red ruby situated in the center, the exact same shade of his irises.

He kissed one of her hands and closed his eyes briefly. Lucius reached for her hand, and after a few moments of calming himself, he lifted his head and spoke in a low, hoarse voice.

This was a moment that would forever be etched into her mind.

“My love, will you marry me?”

The ring was like the fruit of their love for each other. A representation of their emotions changing into something more tangible, embodying the significant promise made between the two of them.

A proof.

Deatrice’s future, should she choose to be with him forever, flashed in her mind, and her tender heart became full to the brim. Even his playful remark about stealing the ring from his sister did nothing to break the beautiful fantasy she has conjured.

She breathed in and nodded her head repeatedly.

“Yes… yes!”

With her consent, Lucius got up and kissed her and as if he couldn’t stand it any longer, he rained kisses unto her lips one after the other.

“Lucy…” When she called out his name in deep intoxication, Lucius came to his senses. Deatrice felt this and pressed her palm against his chest, touching her lips that were numb from his kisses.

He said.

“The ring… you need to wear it.”

Deatrice smiled and reached out her hand, then he kissed the back of her palm as he gazed deeply into her eyes. Slowly, the ring slipped onto her finger, tickling her skin, and Deatrice glanced down to admire the way it looked in her hand.

Similarly, Lucius lifted her hand to appreciate the ring that had found its way into his beloved’s hand. He raised her chin with his index finger and stared at her intently.

“Even when I am with you, deep down, there was always this lingering anxiety that I could lose you at any moment. But for some reason, now that you have this ring on your person, I feel greatly comforted…”

He deeply breathed in the scent of the skin on her hand.

“With the happiness flooding my heart tonight, I would have no regrets if I died tomorrow.”

His breathing grew chaotic, and Deatrice swore that she would never take this ring off as she embraced him when his body started falling over hers.

But fate was cruel.

After a certain incident, she was unable to uphold her oath and eventually had to take the ring off to send it back to Lucius’ mansion.

The ring that Lucius had given her this time when he proposed wasn’t the same. The last time she checked, Dixie’s wedding ring wasn’t that ruby ring either. Perhaps the ring disappeared along the way, or Dixie could not stomach wearing a ring that Deatrice had worn for some time and kept it locked away somewhere.

She did what she thought was the right thing at that time, but was it worth it?

What if she kept that vow and hadn’t removed the ring? What if she just ran away with him and lived in another country…

She shook her head.

Futile thoughts, meaningless imagination—all of it.