Chapter 188: Chapter 188 The Ring in the Trash
Author
When the police showed up at Sophie’s door, Tommy completely lost it.
He called Elara over and over. Straight to voicemail. He left four messages, each one more desperate than the last.
"Elara, it’s your uncle. Please pick up. The police are here."
"Elara, this is ridiculous. She’s your cousin. We can sort this out without involving the law."
"Come on, sweetheart. I know you’re mad, but this is too far."
"Elara, please. She’s crying. She’s my little girl. Just tell them it was a mistake."
They’d said she had until tonight. Why’d she call the cops so fast?
Sophie was terrified. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t even hold her phone. She kept dropping it, picking it up, dropping it again. "I didn’t take it! We have money. Why would I steal a ring?"
"Then explain this photo." The officer held up a printed screenshot of Sophie’s selfie—the ring on her finger, catching the light, unmistakable. "Who took it? Whose ring is that?"
Sophie’s face went red. A blotchy, ugly red that crept up her neck. "This... I bought it myself."
"Lots of people have the same ring. It’s not that unusual."
"Ms. Grant, if you can provide a purchase receipt, that would help. This particular design is from this year’s new collection. Limited release. Only a few hundred were made."
"I... someone gave it to me. I don’t remember who."
The officer’s eyebrow went up. He’d been doing this job for twenty-three years. He’d heard every lie in the book. "Ms. Grant, that’s not very convincing."
"I want my lawyer! I have the right to remain silent!"
The officer didn’t flinch. He just nodded slowly, like he’d been expecting that. "That’s your right, ma’am."
--
Tommy was losing his mind. He didn’t sleep a wink that night.
The next morning, he dragged his wife to the café below Elara’s office building.
They sat at a corner table, nursing two cold lattes, waiting.
When Elara finally walked in at 9:15, Tommy shot up so fast he nearly knocked over his chair.
When Elara saw Tommy, she let out a cold laugh. "What, ready to return the ring now?"
"Elara, we’re family. ’Stealing’ is such an ugly word. Your cousin just liked it. She borrowed it for a bit."
"Really?" Elara picked up the ring and, right in front of them, dropped it into the trash bin.
"This ring is contaminated. I don’t want it anymore. But it wasn’t cheap. Instead of wasting time here, you should be hiring your daughter a good lawyer."
Tommy’s wife’s voice shot up to a hysterical pitch. Several heads turned their way. "No wonder Jack called you a curse! Elara, are you trying to destroy us? We’re family! How do you sleep at night?"
"Or maybe now that you’ve married up, you think you’re too good for us? Mark my words—that Mr. Wolfe will see your true colors eventually and throw you away!"
Elara looked at the coffee on the table. A half-empty latte, still warm. Without hesitation, she picked it up and threw it in Tommy’s wife’s face.
Coffee splattered across the woman’s white blouse, dripping down her chin. "You—" The woman sputtered, coffee dripping from her hair. "You threw coffee at me!"
She grabbed the other cup, ready to retaliate, when a hand clamped around her wrist. Nancy’s grip was surprisingly strong for someone her size. "Throwing coffee isn’t very classy, ma’am."
"Who the hell are you? Didn’t you see she threw it at me first?"
Nancy smiled pleasantly. "Actually, I didn’t see that. All I heard was a woman screeching like a banshee."
Elara’s voice was ice. The temperature around her seemed to drop. "Today it was just coffee. But if you come near my office again, next time it might be something much worse."
"You can’t raise your daughter properly, so let the legal system teach her how to be a decent person."
Tommy’s wife opened her mouth to fire back, but Tommy grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the door.
She stumbled in her heels, shooting Elara one last look of pure venom as they disappeared onto the street.
Elara watched them slink away in disgrace. She waited until the door swung shut behind them.
Then she pulled out her phone and contacted the café manager about security footage.
After everything was handled, she smiled at Nancy. A real smile, tired but warm. "Thanks for that."
"It was nothing."
Nancy had just come from the cemetery.
She’d spent the morning at her parents’ graves, the grass still wet with dew, staring at headstones she didn’t remember.
She’d brought flowers, but she didn’t know what kind they liked.
She stood there for an hour, trying to feel something for two strangers who gave her life.
She felt nothing. Just cold.
"Are you free? Let me buy you lunch," Elara offered.
Nancy shook her head. "That’s not necessary. But there is one small favor I wanted to ask."
She hesitated, her fingers curling around the strap of her bag.
Then she pushed forward. "Do you happen to know any good therapists?"
