Chapter 34
Chapter 34:
She had been thinking about Azalea’s advice. Balance the scales. She glanced toward her purse, where the Centurion card sat cold and heavy. She thought of the simple platinum band he had placed on her finger — a beautiful but entirely unilateral gesture. Using his own money to buy him something felt hollow. Whatever she gave him needed to come from her. A sign that she was bringing something of her own into this arrangement, however small.
“I want to buy us new wedding bands,” she said.
Dallas went still. His hand paused on the tablecloth. Something shifted in his eyes — the ice softening, just around the edges. “You want to buy rings?” he asked quietly. “With your own savings p>
“Yes,” Eliza said firmly. “You provided the house, the car, the protection. I should provide the symbol. One we choose together, even if it’s simple p>
Dallas leaned back in his chair. A hint of amusement touched his lips, though his eyes remained serious. “Very well,” he agreed. “Surprise me p>
𝖳h𝗲 𝘣𝖾s𝗍 𝗋eа𝖽iո𝘨 e𝘹𝗉𝘦𝗿𝗂𝗲ո𝘤e 𝗼𝗻
Dinner continued, but the atmosphere had shifted. The anxiety in Eliza’s chest had been replaced by a strange, quiet sense of purpose. She wasn’t simply a victim anymore. She was a partner — a junior one, perhaps, but a partner nonetheless.
Later that night, Eliza sat in bed, her phone screen glowing in the dark.
She opened her banking app. The balance stared back at her. It was modest. Painfully so.
The Solomon accounts were gone. Her allowance from the Hyde trust had been cut off. All she had were the small savings she’d scraped together from tutoring before the marriage.
She couldn’t afford diamonds. She couldn’t afford platinum. She couldn’t afford anything close to the standard of gold Dallas was accustomed to.
She bit her lip and searched: Simple Wedding Bands.
She scrolled past the luxury brands and found a site specializing in alternative metals. Tungsten. Silver. Durable. Real. She clicked on a set of plain silver bands — clean, unpretentious, honest.
Engraving options available, the screen read.
Eliza hesitated. What do you engrave on a ring for a fake marriage that is starting to feel dangerously real?
She thought about the contract. She thought about Anson’s accusations. She thought about the way Dallas had said safe like it was the only word in his vocabulary that truly mattered.
She typed into the box.
Ring 1 (Size 10): Fortune Ring 2 (Size 6): Prosperity
It was a nod to their business arrangement. Almost a joke. But beneath it was a genuine wish — that this deal would bring him something good, since he was risking so much for her.
Her thumb hovered over the Order button. She stopped.
A picture on a screen wasn’t enough. She needed to hold them. She needed to feel the weight of the metal in her hand, to be certain it was real — the way this marriage was quietly, undeniably becoming real.
She locked her phone. She would go to the jewelry district in the morning. She would find the right pair herself.
She lay back against her pillows. For the first time in weeks, she felt purposeful. She had a task. She had a way to pay him back, on her own terms.