"I know this is nothing compared to what you've suffered..."
Jeffery spoke slowly, each word weighing a thousand pounds. By the end, his whole body trembled uncontrollably, his voice choked with broken sobs.
Yet he stubbornly kept that ring raised.
I paused, then extended my hand.
Jeffery's eyes lit up instantly, reaching almost desperately to take my hand.
"Ava, I swear from now on..."
But my fingertips bypassed the velvet box entirely, hooking instead the small wooden carving from his pocket.
"Mr. Shepard." I pulled my lips into a nearly cruel smile. "You misunderstood. I wanted my mother's carving, not you."
Without giving him time to react, I briskly clapped my hands.
Two rows of black-suited men immediately flooded through the door.
"Miss Jones, the car is ready," the leader
