Before I could explain, Ryan snatched the suitcase from me and unzipped it.
His friends crowded around, sneering at my clothes and belongings.
“Look at these rags—flea market trash, and she brought them into the Hayes family?”
“And what’s this piece of junk—oh, a soda tab ring?”
The soda can tab ring Ryan had once given me as an engagement token was tossed into the trash by Sophia.
I stared at Ryan, searching for a flicker of recognition, but his face remained cold.
Just as they were about to reach the lining, Sophia suddenly pulled out a necklace and shrieked, “Here it is! My necklace! Evelyn, how could you steal from me?”
It wasn’t hers. It was my mother’s keepsake: a silver necklace with a tiny crescent moon pendant.
I lunged forward and snatched it back. “This isn’t yours! It’s my mother’s!”
“You’re lying!” Sophia turned to Ryan with tears in her eyes. “When Ryan gave it to me, the pendant had a diamond. She must’ve pried it out!”
Ryan gripped my wrist, forcing me to look up. His voice was like ice. “Evelyn, return the necklace to Sophia.”