Two Years of Marriage, I Never Got My Wedding Ring Chapter 17

Two Years of Marriage, I Never Got My Wedding Ring Chapter 17

Alessio stood in my entryway for a long time, holding that invitation.

I watched his fingers trace the line I had written and felt a pang of regret.

I should have thrown these away years ago.

But I never had.

Like so many things past their expiration date, you know they’re useless, but you can’t quite bring yourself to let them go.

Alessio’s voice was very low.

“Who was this for?”

“My college roommate.”

He looked at me.

“Why didn’t you invite her?”

“The Ricci family’s guest list was full.”

I took the invitation from his hand, placed it back in the wooden box, and closed the lid.

“Your mother said my friends weren’t the kind of people she was used to hosting, and that seating them would be a problem.”

“She said we could invite them to something else later.”

Alessio’s fingers tightened into a fist.

“I didn’t know.”

I looked up at him.

He had said those three words a lot tonight.

He didn’t know about the ring.

He didn’t know about the head table.

He didn’t know about the invitations.

He didn’t know my room had been cleared out.

He didn’t know about the twenty-seven events I had attended wearing a $29.99 ring.

That was the problem.

I didn’t answer. I just put the box away in a cabinet.

Alessio stood by the door, the damp chill of the rain still clinging to him, making my small apartment feel even quieter.

After a long moment, he placed the paper bag on the console.

“Don’t forget to take the medicine.”

I didn’t respond.

He glanced one last time at the cabinet where I’d put the box, as if he wanted to say something more. In the end, he just said, quietly, “I’ll go.”

After the door closed, the only sound was the faint hiss of the kettle.

I poured myself a cup of hot water and sat on the sofa, watching the rain streak down the windowpane.

My phone lit up.

A message from Alessio.

“I won’t bother you again tonight. I’ll show you what I find tomorrow.”

I didn’t reply.