My voice drops, gravel-thick. “It doesn’t belong to her.”
“But it was meant for her,” she says, eyes searching mine.
I feel the old anger rise, instant, wanting to rile me up, but I force it down.
“Yes,” I admit. “I bought that ring for her. But Katya forfeited her right to it. Now it’s yours.”
“And tomorrow, it’ll belong to someone else,” she says quietly, staring at the mattress. I could tell she is spiraling.
“If you don’t want the ring, little bunny, I’ll get you one you want. Just say the word.”
She looks at me, then groans, this deep sound from somewhere in her chest.
“That’s not the point, Alek,” she says. The way she says my name, soft, worn out, made me want to kiss her.
“Then what is?” I ask, still relaxed. I know she has her worries, but all of it can be solved easily.
