He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 01
After the engagement, the six of us—Nico, Alessia, Marco, Leo, Sofia, and I—planned a pre-wedding trip to the Caribbean.
On our first night, my best friend, Alessia, suggested we play a game: “Twenty-Four-Hour Partner Swap.”
Anyone who drew cards with a matching symbol had to act like a couple for the day. Whoever drew a blank card was stuck taking pictures and carrying the bags.
In the first round, I drew a blank.
Nico Santoro and Alessia drew the moon.
They held hands and walked to the beach to watch the sunrise. I followed behind, all three of our beach bags slung over my shoulder.
In the second round, I drew a blank again.
They drew the rose.
The rule for that card was a one-minute hug.
Everyone stood around laughing while I stood to the side, timing them.
Third round. Fourth round.
Seven times in a row, I drew a blank card.
Every single time, I was the odd one out.
Leaning against Nico’s chest, Alessia smiled at me. “It’s just a game, Virginia. You’re not actually upset, are you?”
Nico lifted a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
“Don’t mind her,” he said. “She always takes things too seriously.”
On the last night of the game, they drew the wedding dress card.
The rule was simple: stage a mock beach wedding.
Alessia put on the backup gown I’d brought for our real wedding.
Nico took my engagement ring off my finger and slid it onto hers.
The others stood nearby, chanting, “Kiss her! Kiss her!”
A second later, Nico lowered his head and kissed her.
While everyone was cheering, I walked over to the box of cards and opened it.
Every card in my designated stack was blank.
Every card in Nico’s and Alessia’s boxes was a perfect match: the moon, the rose, the wedding dress.
This wasn’t bad luck.
The whole game had been rigged from the start.
I smiled, then deleted every wedding-related link I had saved on my phone.
There had never been a place for me in this circle. So there was no reason to keep a place for them in my future.
…
Just as I finished deleting the links, another burst of cheers rose from the group.
Nico let go of Alessia’s waist.
Her face was flushed, one hand still resting on his shoulder.
Someone shouted, “Do it again!”
Nico laughed and shot back, “Get lost.”
But he didn’t step away from her.
It wasn’t until Alessia’s eyes met mine that she seemed to remember something. She glanced down at the ring on her hand.
“Virginia, it’s kind of stuck. I can’t get it off right now.”
She gave her hand a little shake, her tone light and airy.
“Can I just wear it for tonight?”
Nico had given me that ring on my birthday.
He’d told me it was custom-made at Tiffany, in my size.
Now, it fit Alessia perfectly.
I didn’t say any of that out loud. I just nodded once.
“Sure.”
Nico glanced at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, as if he hadn’t expected me to agree so easily.
His brow furrowed.
“Virginia Cross, don’t make that face.”
“We’re here to celebrate. Don’t ruin the mood over a game.”
I looked at him.
“I’m not.”
“Then smile.”
Marco had already lifted his phone.
“Come on, temporary bride and groom, look at the camera.”
The others quickly moved to stand beside Nico and Alessia.
The five of them leaned into each other, a casual, effortless formation.
Marco handed me his phone.
“Virginia, you take the best pictures. Get a few shots.”
I took the phone.
Nico stood in the center.
Alessia, wearing my wedding dress, had her arm looped through his.
Marco, Leo, and Sofia flanked them on either side.
The image looked exactly like a real wedding portrait.
“Virginia,” Nico prompted, his voice sharp with impatience. “Why are you spacing out?”
I raised the phone and pressed the shutter.
One shot, two shots, more than a dozen.
Not a single one included me.
By the time we got back to the resort, it was already two in the morning.
I had booked three ocean-view suites.
The other four would split two of them; Nico and I would share one.
As we were getting the room keys, Leo grinned.
“The game still has twelve hours left.”
“According to the rules, Nico has to stay with Alessia tonight.”
My hand, holding our key card, froze.
“Sharing a room is part of the rules, too?”
Alessia answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Just the suite. There are two beds in there.”
“We’re not going to do anything.”
Nico’s tone turned cold.
“There are five other people here. What exactly do you think is going to happen?”
I looked at him.
“Then where am I supposed to sleep?”
They glanced at each other.
Marco pointed toward the end of the hallway.
“The suite Nico and Alessia are in is a family suite.”
“There’s a sofa bed in the living room. You can sleep there.”
So I was supposed to sleep on a sofa bed, just outside the room my fiancé and my best friend were sharing.
Suddenly, the whole situation felt absurd.
“I’ll book another room.”
Leo immediately stopped me.
“Don’t.”
“It’s thousands of dollars a night here. There’s no point wasting money.”
“We’ve all known each other since we were kids,” he added. “We know who we are.”