He Humiliated Me For My Best Friend

When I got home, I started packing my things. An old box tumbled out of the closet, and inside it lay a dried flower ring—a silent relic of a different time, carrying memories that sent a dull ache through my heart.

It was six years ago, the night before I left, when we had our very first real argument. Leroy stubbornly insisted he wouldn’t come to see me off. But just as I was about to board the plane, there he was, breathless from running. He slipped the ring onto my finger, his tone almost like a command. “Winifred, promise me you won’t fall in love with anyone else. When you come back, trade this for a wedding ring, and we’ll get married and have a baby.”

Seasons came and went, and I held onto that flower ring for years. There was even a moment when I nearly lost my leg to a landmine trying to retrieve it. But when I finally came home, so eager to show him the ring, all he offered were excuses—he was busy, or he’d transfer money for me to buy one myself. Even the child I had hoped for was dismissed as inconvenient timing.

I kept waiting. And here I was today.

The sound of the door opening broke into my thoughts. Leroy came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “What are you doing?” he asked.

I pulled away from his arms. Leroy’s face fell, his tone suddenly impatient. “Winifred, is this because I didn’t go to the hospital with you today? You’re really going to give me attitude for that?”

He grabbed my wrist, reopening the barely healed wound. Something flickered in his gaze before he let go. His eyes dropped to the ring lying on the floor. He let out a low chuckle. “Aren’t we a bit too old for this? If you’re upset, fine—but don’t make a joke out of hurting yourself.”

In that moment, I caught a glimpse of the earnest, young man he used to be. But just as quickly, he was thirty-year-old Leroy again. The words I’d kept back for so long finally slipped out. “Let’s end this.”

Leroy said nothing. The quiet stretched until Zelda’s distinctive ringtone cut through it. His fingers fiddled with his phone, and then he spoke slowly. “Winifred, if you want some time away, I’ll send you the money. You have everything you need now. Don’t be greedy.”

Was I too greedy? Was it too much to want a ring that was already three years overdue—or maybe to hope for a husband I could lean on? I didn’t know.

Looking at Leroy, I could almost smell the lingering trace of Zelda’s perfume on him. My heart twisted painfully, but I pushed it down. “I’m not joking. Let’s break up, so you and Zelda can have space.”

Leroy snapped his head to me, his voice hard. “Winifred, are you really this twisted inside? Is this about some stupid ring, or the child? I told you before that I’m not ready for a child. And Zelda isn’t feeling well. Not everyone is as opportunistic as you, climbing the ranks at any cost.”

“I’m warning you—if you target Zelda again, I won’t let it slide,” he added.

The door slammed shut, leaving me in silence. I paused for a moment, then went back to packing. He had no idea that a big part of why I’d left in the first place was for him.

Back then, Leroy was just starting his business. He was under so much stress over a deal that he couldn’t sleep for nights. By a twist of fate, the client’s son happened to be part of my professional network. So I volunteered to take on an overseas assignment—one that would help Leroy secure what he needed. But due to confidentiality, I couldn’t tell him. He only saw it as me choosing ambition no matter the cost, and he held it against me.

My phone buzzed with a message from Zelda. Every word dripped with smugness and provocation.

“You really are something, can’t even keep what was handed to you, such an idiot~”

“But don’t worry, in the years you were away, I’ve even helped your dear Leroy with his baths. I’ll take good care of him~”

“Oh, and I forgot to mention, I’m pregnant with his child now. He’s told me to focus on a healthy pregnancy~”

How laughable. One moment he claimed he wasn’t ready for children, the next he was having one with Zelda.

I quickly typed back a reply: “Wishing you both a long and happy marriage.” Then I blocked and deleted her contact.

After that, I moved to a hotel.

Just then, a message from my editor popped up. “This overseas assignment could last at least three years. Have you thought it through?”

I tapped on the screen, leaving three simple words in the chat: “I’ve decided.”

This time, I truly had.