On the Day He Proposed, His First Love Returned to Crash the Wedding

Madeline has loved Zachary since he rescued her from a beating years ago, and after five years together she believes his long-awaited proposal is finally coming. Instead, the private room she enters holds a welcome party for Emma, a girl from Zachary's childhood who has just returned from abroad, and on Emma's finger sits the limited-edition diamond ring by designer D. Armstrong that Madeline had found hidden at home and taken as a promise meant for her.

Zachary waves Madeline off without a glance, and she wanders the streets alone, past the school they once shared, recalling the grandmother who raised her and the necklace that began their love. Emma's easy claim on Zachary's past leaves Madeline doubting where she stands, while a stranger named Lily Turner greets her as a design-school idol. At home she cooks for two, though Zachary has never stayed out this long.

When Zachary kneels with a larger ring, begging her back, the man beside Madeline steps in and flaunts an engagement ring she designed herself.