“DONOVAN”

As I looked intently at the ring in my hand, I took a deep breath, it’s a refined band and shimmering gem showing memories that felt both far and achingly close. The view from last year repeats showing in my mind with stunning clarity. It was Marius down on one knee. His eyes were full of love and hope as he asked me to marry him. His words had been tender, filled with promises of a future together. I recalled how my heart had soared. How I had felt like the luckiest woman in the world at that moment.

But that dream had deteriorated. Crushed by the sudden and unwanted intrusion of truths I wasn’t prepared to face. Each revelation had fragmented away at my confidence. My insecurities simmered to the surface like venom. I couldn't help but compare myself to another woman who had once held Marius’s heart.

Lana, my sister-in-law, was the woman Marius had loved first. The knowledge of his feelings for her back then fed my jealousy and self-doubt. How could I compete with someone who had su