DOMINATED THE IN-LAW

ROWANNE'S POV

Who thought that a small box would lead to the discovery of the husband I thought he wasn't? To me, he was my world, but was I his?

I wanted the water from the shower to burn. I wanted it to peel away the ache, the memories and the name that still lived in my bones.

Jett. Even in death, he still owned me.

I pressed my forehead against the tile, the sob breaking from me in a soundless shudder. The world outside the shower no longer made sense. People had moved on. But me? I was still here shackled to a ghost.

By the time I dragged myself out, steam clung to me and the water drops traced down my bare skin as I walked to the closet. Our closet.

The moment I opened the door, the familiar scent hit me. His cologne. His soap. Him. My chest caved inward as my gaze travelled over the space we once shared.

His side though. It looked untouched yet somehow alive with his suits hung in order.

I reached for one of his jackets. My fingers were trembling as I slid it from the hanger. The fabric was smooth but all I cared about was the faint trace of him that still lingered. His scent. My knees weakened as I pulled it to my chest, burying my face in it, sobbing into the silence.

"God, I miss you," I whispered into the clothes. "I miss you, Jett!"

The tears blurred my vision and for a moment, all I knew was the ache of grief. Until something pressed hard against my ribs and I froze.

My breath caught as I shifted the jacket, my fingers quickly fumbling along the lining. I felt it again. It was small yet solid, and definitely not fabric.

It was a box.

My stomach dropped. My fingers shook as I dug deeper, panic thrumming in my veins until I pulled it free. A velvet square and it felt heavy in my palm. An engagement ring box?

I stared at it, the world narrowing to the soft black velvet and the way my trembling hands barely managed to hold it steady. My chest rose and fell in jagged bursts. Jett never gave me this.

I had my ring. The one he slipped on my finger seven months ago, the one I kissed every night before bed, the one I still wore like a chain of loyalty. This was different, it was new and untouched.

I pushed open the lid.

The diamond glared back at me from its bed of satin. A design he would never choose for me.

Something inside me cracked open, and it wasn't grief this time, but something more aching.

The tears slowed. My hand tightened around the box until I saw a logo I recognised. The store.

For days, the ring had bothered me so much even when I refused to look into it. I lingered in my mind. There's no way