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Robert glanced at me briefly and said indifferently, “Don’t talk nonsense. Diana is destined to be a violinist.”
His words cut deeper than I expected. He neither denied their supposed compatibility nor acknowledged me, his actual fiancée. All he did was highlight her career aspirations as if that alone justified everything. How could I have been so blind? How could I have wasted years loving a man whose heart had always belonged to someone else?
Diana bit her lip, her gaze turning toward me. “Trudy, don’t listen to them. They’re just joking. Don’t take it to heart, okay? Oh, I got
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you a little gift! I hope you like it.”
She handed me a jewelry box, her face glowing with an innocence that felt carefully rehearsed. I opened it to find a pair of earrings. They looked familiar, too familiar. So I raised my eyes at Diana. Then I noticed that aquamarine necklace draped around her
neck.
I froze for a while. That wasn’t just any piece of jewelry. It had been custom–designed by Robert to match my preferences. It was a symbol of his supposed sincerity and commitment to our engagement. I remembered the designer mentioning some small leftover gemstones so they would be used to make earrings and they were
thoughtful gifts.
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At the moment, my supposed engagement necklace was on Diana’s necklace, while “the leftover” earring was gifted to me.
I couldn’t suppress the bitter laugh that escaped my lips. When Robert’s friends, who looked down on me saw this, one of them smirked in a low voice, “Look at her.
Treasuring a pair of scraps like they‘ re something special.”
Across the room, a girl exclaimed in admiration. “Diana, your necklace is stunning!”
Diana touched the aquamarine centerpiece delicately and cast a shy glance at Robert.
“Oh, it’s just a welcome gift from Robbie. He said he’d give me an even more beautiful
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one after my concert to celebrate my accomplishment.”
I let out a deep sigh and said, “Wow, Robert, you’ve really outdone yourself. This necklace, if I’m not mistaken, was cut from the Lockman Family’s heirloom gemstone. It took six months to make, didn’t it? It‘ s meant for the future daughter–in–law of the Lockman Family. Robert, you certainly have a feeling for Diana.”
Robert looked a bit uneasy while the other people in the room also realized something was not right and the room went silent.
Everyone caught the implication. The heirloom necklace was meant for the future
Lockman Family daughter–in–law, who was
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me, Robert’s fiancée. However, at that moment Diana flaunted that it was given to Diana. The implication was clear.
Diana raised to her feet in an awkward manner. Though her hand still lingered on the necklace, her eyes had turned red. Then, with trembling hands, she lowered her head and tried to open the clasp of the necklace, “I’m sorry, Trudy. I had no idea this was meant for you. I shouldn’t have worn it. How could I be so careless?”
As she said that, tears rained from her eyes. Her shaking hand and the hair that tangled with the hair made her fail to take off the
necklace. She ruthlessly pulled the hair off and with a cracked voice, she cried helplessly, “Robbie, please take me off.”
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Then, he turned to me and stared angrily at me, “It’s just a sapphire, Trudy. I didn’t realize the Peyton Family’s eldest daughter was so petty. She is making a scene over a piece of jewelry.”
“This stone belongs to the Lockman Family and it was passed down to me,” he continued coldly. “I’m the one who decides who gets it. Since you and I aren’t married yet, don’t ever think you have any claim to it. Frankly, I think it suits Diana better.
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He continued, “I’ve already agreed to marry
you. Isn’t that enough? Does it really matter if I give a necklace to someone else? The position of Mrs. Lockman is yours. What more could you possibly want?”
Diana’s tears shimmered in her eyes as her lips curled into a faint smile. “Really? My concert gown happens to be blue. This necklace will match it perfectly. Thank you, Robbie. You‘ re the only one who truly
understands me.
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I raised my feet and said, “Forgive me. I don’t have any intention. I was just marveling at
how deeply you feel for Diana. You don’t have to overreact.”
As I said that, I pushed the jewelry box
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toward Diana. “These earrings are made from the leftover of the same gemstone of the Lockman Family’s heirloom. Since they‘ re part of the set, you should keep them too. After all, it wouldn’t feel right to break up such a perfect match.
