**The Other Ring**
Emma had a mountain of urgent work piling up and decided to skip lunch. Then her phone rangher mum.
Yes, Mum? Make it quick, Im swamped, Emma answered briskly.
Love Her mums voice was faint, as if coming from far away. I dont feel well
Emma thought the line had cut out, but after a pause, she heard a groan.
Mum? I can barely hear youMum! Im coming now! She grabbed her coat and dashed out of the office.
Cover for me, she muttered to a colleague before sprinting outside.
Only then did she realise she was still in her office heels. No time to go back. She ran to the car park, fumbling for the keys to her mums flat in the glovebox. The call had shaken her, and she drove recklesslyspeeding through amber lights, ignoring junctions. A fine was nothing if she made it in time.
When she burst into the flat, her mum was curled on the sofa, clutching her chest.
Your heart? Emma gasped.
Her mum winced but nodded weakly.
Hold on. Emma dialled 999, hands trembling.
She debated driving her mum to hospital herself, but what if she couldnt make it downstairs? The building had no lift. The neighbours? All elderlyno help mid-afternoon.
While waiting for the ambulance, Emma stroked her mums shoulder, murmuring reassurances. She left the door ajar. When the paramedics arrived, she stumbled over her words explaining the situation.
The medic checked her mums pulse and blood pressure.
Were taking her in. Jack, fetch the stretcher. Miss, gather her documents.
Whats wrong? Emma demanded.
Likely a heart attack, he said grimly.
Soon, Jack returned with the stretcher. Emma followed them to the ambulance, desperate to ride along, but the medic insisted shed only be in the way. He gave her the hospital details and told her to call for updates.
Emma headed back to workher lunch break long over. She wove through backstreets to avoid traffic lights. As she turned onto the main road, the car lurched. She pulled overa flat tyre. Perfect.
Now what? The spare was heavy. In trainers, she mightve managed, but heels? She fought back tears.
Standing by the boot, she debated calling roadside assistance. Too slow. Just then, an SUV stopped beside her. A man stepped out, took one look at the flat tyre and her impractical shoes, and sighed.
Got a spare?
Emma nodded, relief flooding her. He retrieved the wheel and tools from his own car.
Get in the caryoull freeze, he said without turning.
She obeyed. The autumn chill bit through her thin blouse, and rain had started. She rang James, but he didnt pick up.
The man seemed to take forever. Eventually, he tapped the window. Good to go. Just need to stow the flat.
Thank you. How much do I owe you? Emma asked.
He smirked. Where were you rushing to in those shoes?
My mum calledshe was taken to hospital. Heart problems. She handed him wet wipes.
How is she?
Stable, thankfully. Thank you again.
Dont mention it. Hope she recovers soon. He walked off.
Back at the office, her boss intercepted her at the lift.
Late from lunch, *again*, Emma? She tapped her wristwatch. One more slip, and its a formal warning.
Emma exhaled sharply.
She rang her friend Lucy, who worked at the hospital, for updates. Lucy called backeternities laterto say her mum was stable, no heart attack, just observation.
You alright? Lucy asked.
Left work in a panic, got a flat tyre, James wont pick up
Hang in there.
James never called back. At home, he was glued to his laptop.
Where *were* you? I called a hundred times!
Work. Meetings. Phone was on silent.
All day? Mum was in hospital!
Drive carefully next time. How is she?
They made up, but unease clung to Emma.
***
Shed met James two years ago at a café.
That blokes staring at you like youre the last biscuit in the tin, Lucy had whispered.
Emma glanced overhandsome, grinning. Hed approached, asked to join them. Lucy left. They talked for hours, walked through London, and Emma fell hard. Two weeks later, he moved in.
She waited for a proposal, hinted at it. James said living together was one thing; marrying into *her* flat felt wrong. Hed buy his own place first. That later stretched two years.
Her mum nagged: If he hasnt proposed yet, he wont. Emma ignored ituntil she found the ring.
While tidying, she noticed a bulge in James jacket pocket. A red velvet box. Inside, a diamond ring. It fit perfectly. She admired it, thenwith a sighput it back.
The next day, it was gone. She assumed hed hidden it.
Her birthday came. James gave a toast, slid a velvet box toward her. Her heart raceduntil she opened it. Earrings.
Her face mustve betrayed her, because James looked away.
Later, she confronted him. Who was the ring for?
A mates. He asked me to hold it so his girlfriend wouldnt find it.
She didnt believe him.
Didnt know you went through my things. Dont like the earrings? Fine, well get a ring tomorrow.
We will, she said coldly.
At the jewellers, the assistant asked, Another ring? Didnt she like the first one?
Emma froze. You *bought* a ring?
The assistant backtracked, flustered. James whispered, Ill explain.
Dont bother. Emma fled.
In the car, she sobbed. Hed been seeing someone else. The flat excuse was a lie.
A knock at the window. The same man from the flat tyre.
Again? He smirked, then saw her tears. They ended up in a café, where she spilled everything.
Maybe it *was* his mates ring? he offered.
Doesnt matter. He never wanted to marry me.
He brought her ice cream. Always worked when I was a kid.
***
She left James. The manOliverkept accidentally bumping into her. Films, weekends in Bath, York He stayed over sometimes, but she refused to live together. Slowly, she trusted him. Four months later, he proposed with a modest diamond. Small, but sincere. She never took it off.
Sometimes she wonderedhow long would James have lied if she hadnt found that ring?
Maybe some cupboards are best left unopened. And pockets? Definitely.
**Lesson:** Trust is fragile. Once broken, the pieces rarely fit the same way again. But sometimes, the right person helps you build something new.
