“Enough!” Gretchen half yelled, forgetting the presence of the sleeping child as she turned to leave the room.

“I left the ring behind, Gretchen. It was one of the things Ethan took from me before throwing me out!” Juliet yelled as she reached the door. “It was his grandmother's ring—a gold piece with a diamond stud and the Williams' family crest inscribed on it.”

Forced to a halt by Juliet's words, she stood frozen by the door. Common sense told her to walk away, but doubt had managed to bury its fangs in her, making it impossible for her to leave the room. The sound of approaching footsteps drew near, until Juliet touched her shoulder.

“Ethan was to give the ring to the woman he loves and he did; he gave it to me. But the day Ethan woke up, deciding he wasn't in love with me anymore, he took it away. I fail to understand why he has withheld it from you.” Juliet's voice behind Gretchen caused her body to tremble with an emotion she couldn't even describe. “I will answer all of your questions someday soon, Lady Williams, as soon as you get the confidence to actually ask them. But I will tell you this; the ring is not the only thing Ethan has withheld from you, he has withheld the entire truth...” Gretchen shook her head then, tears filling her eyes. “And I came back to help you find the truth.”

Juliet released her hold on Gretchen's shoulder and walked around her. Pulling the door open, she turned to Gretchen, “you don't have to leave on my account.” Juliet flashed one final smile, before making her way out of the room.

**

GRETCHEN SHOOK HER head several times that day in a failed attempt to rid herself of Juliet's deceptive words. Her eyes kept wandering to the gold wedding band that graced her finger, and her mind kept wondering about the ring Juliet spoke about —did another ring even exist? If it did, why hadn't Ethan given it to her?

No, Gretchen, don't listen to her, She chastised herself over and over again.

It was impossible to keep her gaze off of Ethan as their dinner progressed, her mind plaguing her with thoughts of the elusive ring and the reason he had withheld it from her —was Juliet right about the other things Ethan was withholding?

Shaking her head in a vain attempt to shake the thought away, she turned her attention to Ellie who was seated in her lap, struggling with a spoon and making a mess.

A loud clanking sound filled the room after a few minutes, forcing her to tear his gaze off of Ellie. She raised her head up, shocked to find Jacob standing next to Ethan with an apologetic look on his face. Juliet sat on Ethan's left hand side, dismissing the butler with a wave of her hand as she rose to her feet and picked a napkin off of the table.