Page 17 of Destroying My Ex

“You’re wrong about that. Come with me.” I followed him from the study to another wing of the mansion to a room that seemed to be made up of vaults.

He opened one of them and slid a drawer out. “Here, you’ll propose with this.”

“Whoa!” The diamond had to be the size of a robin’s egg. I almost asked him if it was real. The tear-shaped diamond shone in the room like the midday sun.

“Yes, this is one of the best pieces from our family collection. My great-grandfather was Persian, and our family had been among the nobles there for generations, so they were quite wealthy. When my family relocated her and Europe, they brought all that wealth with them and as if the Persian way, everything goes to the firstborn son.”

“My sister got her share of course, but most of the family wealth came to me. My wife and I only had one son, more’s the pity. He might have been a disappointment, but my granddaughter more than makes up for it.”

“As her husband, one day, all this will be yours and hers. I can trust you with this, can’t I, son?”

“Of course.”

“I thought so. My wife is a great judge of character, and she swears you remind her of a young, robust me. Personally, I think she likes your vengeful side. The Greeks, the Italians, eh! Their history is steeped in it.”

“Aren’t you Persian? The land of Xerxes?”

“You know my people.”

“Yes, outside of finance and business, world history is my favorite topic. I love their philosophies.”

“Like Machiavelli.”

“Kind of, yes.”

I knew that he was referring to the part of the plan that had been shared with him. That he was hinting that I was a bit Machiavellian, so I waited to hear what else he was going to say. After all, no matter the rift or the cause, this was their son and his family, their other granddaughter.

“Don’t look like that; I won’t scold you. I understand your need for vengeance; they emasculated you or tried to. This isn’t the first time my son has disappointed me with his actions. When he left his wife and daughter, I thought I couldn’t get any more disappointed in him, but what he did to you is a new low. He used the company my ancestors gave their lives to build to threaten a young man with that person he raised.”

“Do you know why we have nothing to do with the mother and child? Do you see your Lily’s mother? She was the woman we watched exchange vows with our son. The one we gave our blessings to. She was carrying our grandchild when he committed that filthy act against her, against her and a child of my blood. I will never forgive.”

“Family is everything. Do you understand what I am telling you, son? When you take vows, you must uphold them, or what was done to you would pale in comparison to what would become of you. Men break vows too easily these days; they mean next to nothing anymore. Do not live your life like that, son. Do not ever lose that thing that I can see in you.”

“What’s that?”

“A pure heart.” He almost brought me to tears with his words.

I’d taken the ring home, afraid that something would go wrong or I’d lose it. I couldn’t believe that he’d just given it to me like that. I could run away and live off the sale of this thing for the next fifty years.

I put it away safely until I could rent a safety deposit box at the bank to keep it there, but then I was afraid to let it out of my sight. It wasn’t time for that yet. At least, I told myself that since we were working off of a timetable. But it looks like we’d have to rearrange some things.

I felt around in the little welcome basket with the champagne on ice along with a cheese platter and found the box I had hidden there. I was still buried inside her, still feeling the slight twinges from her pink walls, when I reached for her hand to remove the promise ring.

“What’re you doing?”

“Shh!” I slid the engagement ring onto her finger, and it beamed in the moonlight.

“Wait a minute. Is this great-great-nana’s ring?”

“I think so; your grandfather gave it to me. What’s the matter? Don’t you like it?”

“Are you crazy? Do you know what this means?”

“No, but you’re starting to freak me out.”

“This is like the biggest blessing. Oh my goodness, this is beyond…. This means they’ve accepted you and approved.”

“Why are you so excited? Didn’t you always know they liked me?”

---