I gulped down the rejection that built in my throat again when I saw his face. It was filled with regret and sadness. He looked so defeated that all I wanted to do was hug him, but I held back. My eyes flickered at the ring again. As Nikolai extended his hand, offering me his mother's ring, I felt a surge of conflicting emotions washing over me. Guilt, like a heavy stone, settled in the pit of my stomach, weighing me down. How could I accept such a precious treasure, knowing the pain it might bring him? The memory of his mother, intertwined with this ring, made it infinitely more valuable than any piece of jewelry. So, with a trembling hand, I reached out to accept the ring. As our fingers intertwined, I felt the warmth of his touch, the unspoken reassurance that we were in this together.
