The Billionaire\'s Regret

d been together, six years of me, Ava, trying to be the supportive girlfriend. I worked a junior role at his Silicon Valley startup, "Innovatech," keeping my art

one buzzed with a notification. A friend's Instagram story. My breath caught. It was Ethan, down on one knee, not in our cozy San Francisco apartment, but at "The Vineyard Terrace,"

route was a blur. I had to see it, to make it real. The restaurant buzzed with a low hum of expensive chatter and clinking glasses when I arrived. And there they were, at a prime table, Isa

y head and backed away. The sounds of their celebration, the murmurs of "congratulations," followed me out. Heartbroken, humilia

's wrong,

e cracking, "Ethan... he

m. Liam Hayes. His family are old friends, good people. They've been

e West Coast venture capitalists. I v

red, the fight draini

hing Ethan and Isabella bask in their stolen moment. The nois

n New York now, but he can

e calm settling over the

own on his face as if he'd seen a shadow, then he turned back to Isabella,

taurant – none of it had ever been for me. In six years,

jewelry, gush to another, "They're perfect! Ethan always kn

im. The ring box I'd found, the one I thought was for me, was now a symbo