Josh and I had been living together for just over a year, and everything felt perfect. It was like life had finally aligned the way I had always dreamed. A few days before our anniversary, I was looking for something in his bag when I stumbled across\u00a0it.\n

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The ring!\n\n

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My heart stopped for a second. I stood there, frozen, holding the little velvet box, staring at the diamond inside.\n\n

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Is this really happening?\n\n

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I closed the box quickly, afraid if I looked too long, I\u2019d spoil the surprise. But still, I couldn\u2019t help myself. Josh was going to propose.\n\n

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This has to be it!\n\n

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The timing was perfect, and the anniversary dinner with his parents seemed ideal for him to pop the question.\n\n

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I had just wrapped up a huge project and submitted it to investors for review. My schedule was wide open now, and it felt like fate gave me this time to focus on\u00a0us.\n\n

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I planned a surprise for our anniversary: a weekend trip to Paris. I had saved up for months, cutting back on everything. I turned to Wayne, Josh\u2019s best friend. He had always been around, and I trusted him to keep the surprise under wraps.\n\n

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\u201cWayne, I want this to be special,\u201d I said, explaining my idea. \u201cDo you think you could help me organize everything? I\u2019m not great at keeping secrets, and Josh will notice if I\u2019m acting weird.\u201d\n\n

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Wayne nodded, though there was a hint of concern in his eyes. \u201cSure, Kate, I can help. But… don\u2019t you think you\u2019re going a bit overboard?\u201d\n\n

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\u201cMaybe, but I want it to be perfect. It\u2019s important to me.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cAlright, I\u2019ll make some calls and help set it all up. But just remember, sometimes the simplest things are the most memorable.\u201d\n\n

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I appreciated his advice, but I wanted Josh to feel how much he meant to me.\n\n

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***\n\n

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The following day, we arrived at Josh\u2019s family estate. The place was enormous, far beyond anything I had imagined. Josh’s mother, Darlene, gave Josh a quick hug, smiling warmly at him.\n\n

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\u201cJosh, darling, it\u2019s been too long,\u201d she said, holding his arm. \u201cI trust the city hasn\u2019t made you forget your roots?\u201d\n\n

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Josh chuckled nervously. \u201cOf course not, Mom.\u201d\n\n

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I stood there, waiting for some sort of greeting from her, but nothing came. She didn\u2019t even glance in my direction. I smiled, but it was like trying to break through a wall of ice.\n\n

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At dinner, things only got worse. Darlene glanced at me between bites.\n\n

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\u201cSo, Kate,\u201d she began, placing her fork down delicately, \u201cyou must be quite busy with\u2026 your work?\u201d\n\n

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\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve just finished a big project. I submitted it to some investors last week.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cOh, how\u00a0nice,\u201d she replied, her tone more dismissive than impressed. \u201cWomen in this family aren\u2019t just pretty faces, you know.\u201d\n\n

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Is this a compliment or a jab?\n\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re strategists,\u201d she continued, leaning forward slightly, her sweet smile deepening. \u201cWe know how to protect what\u2019s ours.\u201d\n\n

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Her words hung in the air, cold and heavy, like a warning. Josh, sipping his wine, seemed oblivious to the tension.\n\n

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Later, as we sat quietly in the living room, the tension from dinner still clinging to me, I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling of not belonging. Still, every time doubt crept in, I thought of the ring.\n\n

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No matter what, our love will withstand anything. The ring is proof of it.\n\n

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***\n\n

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The next day was our anniversary, and I woke up with butterflies in my stomach, excited for the dinner we had planned at a luxurious restaurant.\n\n

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\u201cToday\u2019s the day,\u201d I whispered to myself, smiling as I imagined the ring on my finger by the end of the evening.\n\n

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Surprisingly, Darlene was much more pleasant than the night before.\n\n

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\u201cI hope you slept well, Kate,\u201d she said over breakfast.\n\n

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By the time we were enjoying appetizers in the garden, something felt off. I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that everyone\u2019s attention was elsewhere. I glanced around, and that\u2019s when I noticed a woman I hadn\u2019t seen before.\n\n

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\u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d I asked, leaning toward Josh.\n\n

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He didn\u2019t even look up. \u201cOh, that\u2019s Linda. Childhood friend.\u201d\n\n

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She seemed to be the star of the evening. Everyone was hanging on her every word. When she finally reached us, her eyes swept over me once, and then she turned her full attention to Josh, smiling brightly.\n\n

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\u201cJosh, it\u2019s been too long,\u201d she said, her voice sugary sweet.\n\n

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Then, she glanced at me briefly, her smile turning sharp.\n\n

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\u201cThat dress\u2026 is not for such an event,\u201d she said, eyeing me up and down. \u201cBut you wear it\u2026 well enough.\u201d\n\n

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My cheeks burned with humiliation. I opened my mouth to say something, but the words caught in my throat. I suddenly felt out of place.\n\n

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As the evening went on, it became painfully clear that Linda wasn\u2019t just an old friend. She had a connection with Josh\u2019s family that I couldn\u2019t quite understand.\n\n

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A chill ran down my spine when I overheard Darlene whisper to Linda, \u201cEverything will fall into place soon.\u201d\n\n

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What does that mean?\n\n

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I barely had time to process it before Josh turned to me. \u201cKate, there\u2019s something I need to tell you.\u201d\n\n

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I stared at him, my stomach twisting with fear. \u201cWhat is it, Josh?\u201d\n\n

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He took a deep breath, avoiding my eyes.\n\n

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Linda and I\u2026 we\u2019ve been together for a long time. I tried to love you, you\u2019re wonderful, but\u2026\u201d His voice cracked. \u201cMy parents know better what I need. I can\u2019t disappoint my mother.\u201d\n\n

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I felt like the ground had disappeared beneath me.\n\n

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Before I could even react, Josh walked to the center of the room, where everyone was gathered, and got down on one knee. He looked up at Linda, and in front of everyone, he proposed to her.\n\n

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***\n\n

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I didn\u2019t know what to do. I ran from the estate through the garden, barely seeing anything through the flood of tears that blurred my vision.\n\n

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How could he?! How could Josh do this to me?\n\n

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I stumbled over the cobblestones, my shoes catching on the uneven path. Everything felt wrong as if the entire world had crumbled in a single moment.\n\n

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Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my elbow. I spun around, startled, only to see Wayne standing there.\n\n

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\u201cKate, wait!\u201d he called out, slightly out of breath. \u201cYou forgot your purse back at the hall.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cOh\u2026 thanks,\u201d I mumbled, wiping at my face with the back of my hand, embarrassed by how broken I must have looked.\n\n

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\u201cI saw everything,\u201d Wayne said quietly. \u201cI know how hard this must be. You shouldn\u2019t be alone right now.\u201d\n\n

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I wanted to push him away, tell him I needed to be alone. But the truth was, I had no idea how to stay alone at that moment.\n\n

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\u201cCome on. There\u2019s a little bakery around the corner. Let\u2019s grab some coffee and a croissant, yeah? You need to calm down.\u201d\n\n

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***\n\n

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We sat down at a small table by the window. Wayne handed me a cup of coffee. \u201cKate, there\u2019s something I think you should know.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\n\n

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\u201cLinda\u2026 She’s always been the one Josh\u2019s family wanted him to be with. They\u2019ve been talking about it for years, even when he was with you.\u201d\n\n

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Wayne’s eyes met mine, full of regret. \u201cJosh never spoke about you seriously. You were always\u2026 temporary.\u201d\n\n

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I felt my hands tremble as I gripped the cup. \u201cSo I was just\u2026 a placeholder?\u201d\n\n

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Wayne sighed. \u201cI know it hurts, but you deserve to know the truth. I stopped being friends with Linda a long time ago. She\u2019s\u2026 manipulative. But I came to the party out of respect for Josh\u2019s family.\u201d\n\n

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Anger welled up inside me, hot and fierce. I felt so foolish. I thought Josh and I had a future together, but I had been nothing more than a convenience.\n\n

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Before I could calm down, my phone buzzed. I glanced down and saw an SMS that changed everything.\n\n

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“The investors,” I whispered, “they said yes.”\n\n

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Wayne leaned in, his brow furrowed. “Wait, really?”\n\n

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“Yeah. My project… it’s happening.”\n\n

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His face lit up with genuine happiness. “Kate, that\u2019s incredible! I knew you had it in you.”\n\n

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I smiled. \u201cIt feels surreal. Everything I\u2019ve worked for… it\u2019s actually going to take off.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s this event next week,\u201d I said, glancing at him. \u201cA big one, with the investors. It’s like the official launch of my project.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cThat sounds… fancy.\u201d\n\n

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I laughed softly. \u201cYeah, it kind of is. But there\u2019s one small detail.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cOh?\u201d Wayne was curious.\n\n

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\u201cI need to bring a date.\u201d\n\n

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\u201cA date, huh?\u201d\n\n

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\u201cI can\u2019t think of anyone better to be there with me. You\u2019ve been there for me when I needed it most, Wayne. So… would you come with me?\u201d\n\n

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\u201cMe?\u201d He pointed to himself as if I could\u2019ve meant anyone else.\n\n

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\u201cYes, you.\u201d I smiled, feeling a little nervous.\n\n

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\u201cKate, I\u2019d be honored.\u201d\n\n

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***\n\n

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The night of the event came faster than I had expected. I stood in front of the mirror in a luxurious dress I had picked out, feeling different, confident, a completely new person. That was my moment.\n\n

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Wayne picked me up, looking sharp in his suit. “Wow, you look amazing.”\n\n

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\u201cThanks, Let\u2019s do this.”\n\n

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Josh and his family were there. They attended that gathering every year, and part of me had been bracing for the revenge encounter. But when I spotted Josh across the room, something strange happened.\n\n

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The anger, the need to prove myself, all the old feelings\u2026 they weren\u2019t there. I no longer cared.\n\n

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Wayne noticed Josh too. “You okay?”\n\n

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I nodded. “Yeah, I\u2019m fine. Actually\u2026 better than fine.”\n\n

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As I watched Josh and his family mingling with the other guests, I realized something important. I didn\u2019t need to prove anything to them. Not anymore.\n\n

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That wasn\u2019t about revenge or showing them what they lost. I wasn\u2019t that person anymore.\n\n

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Looking at Wayne, I understood something deeper. He didn\u2019t deserve to be part of any plan for revenge.\n\n

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“Let\u2019s get out of here,” I whispered to him, smiling. “Back to that our bakery, maybe?”\n\n

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His eyes lit up, and he smiled in return.\n\n

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“You sure?”\n\n

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“Absolutely.”\n\n

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As we walked out, arm in arm, I felt lighter. That night, I finally understood that my worth was something I found within myself. And with Wayne by my side, I could start fresh\u2014without the weight of the past holding me back.\n\n

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