“Wait!” Zamora caught up and grabbed my hand.
She smiled softly, but her voice rose just enough for everyone in the office to hear. “Issy, don’t be upset. Ross can be sharp-tongued, but he really cares about you.”
“You’ve been by his side for years—at home, at work. That’s loyalty, that’s love. The way he’s treating you now, it’s his fault.”
She paused delicately, then added, “But now that I’m here, Ross doesn’t need you anymore. Don’t cling to him like this, or use resignation to guilt-trip him, alright?”
Gossiping eyes turned our way, sharp as knives.
I could practically hear the rush of blood in my ears.
“Zamora,” I snapped, “whatever’s between me and Ross has nothing to do with you.”
I tried to pull my hand free, but she cut me off again with that same soft tone.
“Don’t be like that. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Then she leaned closer, her voice laced with pity, as if she were talking to someone who’d already lost everything.
“You’ve always wanted to marry him, haven’t you? Then let me be generous—try on a ten-carat diamond for once.”
Before I could react, she actually slipped the ring off her own finger and tried to shove it onto my middle finger.