The Wedding Ring Read online

  After that fateful night, Earnest took the time to call Gwendolyn every day. Two weeks passed, and a gathering was held at one of Earnest’s business partner’s mansion. There, the host introduced Earnest to everyone. It was only then that Gwendolyn knew who Earnest really was. She got scared and ran out of the mansion. She didn’t care if she lost her job or if someone tries to kill her for being so close to such a rich and powerful man.

  Gwendolyn hurried home and packed her things. She decided to live with her friend for a while.

  Earnest knew that Gwendolyn found out who he was the wrong way, and he wanted to make things right. He never stopped looking for her until one day, he finally found her buying vegetables in a local market. Right then and there, Earnest McKinley went down on his knees and proposed to Gwendolyn Fyre. Tears flowed from Gwendolyn’s eyes as she said yes to the only man she loved.

  The two got married after a week and settled in Earnest’s New York mansion. It was very hard for Gwendolyn to attend so many functions with or without Earnest. But every time she did, Earnest made sure that she had his love.

  As a practicing archeologist, Earnest needed to go to other countries to study artifact sites. He always took Gwendolyn with her. He didn’t dare to leave her alone in that huge mansion. They may not have had any children, but Gwendolyn was his life. Earnest wouldn’t know how to go on if something happened to his wife. When information about the community grave in Egypt reached Earnest, he knew he had to be the first one there. He assembles a team of archeologists and decided to fly to Egypt immediately. The informant told him that there was a special and powerful ring in that grave. All that Earnest wanted was to get that ring for Gwendolyn. It was supposed to be a surprise, so he left Gwendolyn at the Majesty Hotel until he acquired the ring. However, on his way to the site, there were thieves that were being apprehended by the law. Earnest got caught in the exchange of gun shots and died before he arrived at the Emergency Room. Gwendolyn was devastated by the horrible news. Earnest’s assistant and confidante was the one who told her everything.

  From then on, Gwendolyn told herself that she would never stop until she held that ring in her hands. Even if she didn’t believe in the powers that the ring had, all that counted to her was to hold it as if Earnest’s hand was in hers. Gwendolyn and Earnest loved each other so much. Earnest invariably made sure that no matter how busy he was, he would always go home to his wife, so they could spend the night together. He didn’t believe in prioritizing work over marriage. It was always Gwendolyn that came first.

  Gwendolyn cuts the cake, eats the pasta, and drinks the wine that she tells one of her servants to bring up to her before she goes to bed. After eating, it was ideal for her to be awake for two or three hours before she sleeps. Gwendolyn stares at the ring in the small box on her bed. It’s like having Earnest lay beside her again. She decided not to re-marry because no one could ever deserve the love that she gave Earnest.

  A few days pass after Gwendolyn finally acquired the ring. Kyra suddenly becomes too busy because of her new mini-dachshund puppy named Michelle and the upcoming annual auction. Kyra wonders how Gwendolyn is doing now that she has the ring that her late husband planned to give her. She tries to call her up but Gwendolyn strictly instructed everyone at the mansion not to accept any calls.

  An entire week goes by and there’s still no word from Gwendolyn. Kyra gets to the highest level of worry and drives up to the mansion herself. Everyone at the mansion tries to stop her from entering the master’s bedroom. They tell her that Gwendolyn is not to be disturbed. Kyra just cannot shake the feeling of dread in her chest. Her breathing was painful because of her is pounding against her chest with every step she makes. When Kyra makes it to the bedroom door, she knocks heavily and calls to Gwendolyn. There is no answer. After half an hour of doing the same thing, she asks the Butler for the key. The Butler's face is full of worry. He knows that he has no choice but to open the door.

  The door swings open, revealing Gwendolyn, lifeless in bed, still wearing the ring. Beside her is a note she scribbled before wearing the ring.

  I know that the ring has powers to turn back time to correct mistakes. If I could return to the time when my Earnest wanted to go to Egypt, I could simply stop him so I could still hold him in my arms to this very day…

  Kyra can’t explain how she feels at that very moment. Tears well up in her eyes after reading the note. She passes her hand over Gwen’s eyes to close them. Gently, she removes the mystical ring from Gwendolyn’s ring finger. If the ring’s power is indeed activated by true love, it only made things right for Earnest and Gwendolyn. The ring knows that it cannot turn back time that far as the Gwendolyn wants. The only way to bring the couple together and set things correctly is through death.

  A shiver crawls up Kyra’s spine. She didn’t know that Gwendolyn had this kind of plan. She feels that it’s her fault that Gwendolyn ended up this way. Kyra tells the Butler to contact the authorities and tell them the whole story. She tells the entire household to omit the story of the ring so that Gwendolyn’s life or death will not be laughed at. Everyone agrees to that so Kyra leaves and immediately contacts Aisha.

  “I need you to find out the real story behind that ring, Aisha,” Kyra says, trying to control her crying. Aisha senses the urgency in her voice and doesn’t ask questions anymore.

  “I will send you information, as soon as I get it, Kyra. Calm down, all right?” Aisha says before she hangs up.

  Kyra wipes away hot tears that keep on interrupting her driving. She decides to pull-over and cry.

  The bright morning sunshine wakes Kyra up. She fell asleep in her car last night, exhausted from all the stressful events that took place. She decides to go straight home and shower. Kyra calls in sick after the cold bath. She knows she couldn’t possibly accomplish anything at the museum, so she just calls her assistant and delegates some of her tasks for the day.

  Kyra goes down to her kitchen and makes hotcakes and blends up a triple espresso smoothie. She has to be fully awake that day if she’s to find answers about that ring. She gets in contact with Earnest’s assistant who’s now living in Boston. She immediately books a flight that day after finding out that he still lives in his old address.

  “Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Morgan,” Kyra says as she shakes Rafael Morgan’s hand. “I need to find out vital information about the ring I procured from Egypt.”

  “I’ve heard how Gwendolyn acquired the ring,” Rafael says. “I can’t, in any way, blame you for what happened. Gwendolyn has been trying to find ways to get her hands on that ring, ever since Earnest died.”

  “She wanted to turn back time, knowing what she and Earnest had was true love,” Kyra says. “My theory is that the ring cannot return that far through time. That’s why the fastest means to set things right for Gwendolyn and Earnest was to be together in death.”

  “You’re right,” Rafael retorts. “The ring can turn back time but only for a few days. It was just enough to correct simple things that couples make mistakes about like infidelity, lying, anger, and mistrust. However, it can never turn back time and raise your partner to life.”

  “But how did Gwendolyn establish that story?” Kyra asks.

  “This ring was supposed to be a surprise for Gwendolyn,” Rafael says as he examines the ring’s intricacies. “All that Earnest told her was that it could turn back time. He meant to talk to her about it if he succeeded in getting it. But it wasn’t supposed to be activated that way. True love from both parties should be present.”

  “I know I’m not in the position to say this, but what if Earnest’s ghost lingers in their master’s bedroom, Rafael?” Kyra says.

  “Probably,” Rafael reflects a while. “Maybe that’s why it turned out that way.”

  Kyra wonders if the ring possesses the same kind of power that it has before or perhaps some entity is using it. She doesn’t want to put any more complications on the ring’s powers. Kyra thanks Rafael once again and leaves for New
York. Her phone rings just as she gets into her rented car.

  “I am trying my best to find more information, Kyra. You’ll hear from me as soon as I get some more,” Aisha says.

  “I’ve got some news for you, my friend,” Ebo tells Ramil while he packs his books. He and his team are bound for New York the next day. They were able to acquire the artifacts that Lyla’s grandfather told her about. Gerry has been trying to exchange seats with Ramil so that he could be next to Lyla even just for the entire trip back, but Ramil said that he would think about it (which actually means NO). Ebo has been fishing for any kind of information he could get about Kyra and Aisha’s sponsor.

  “What about, Ebo?” Ramil asks without any interest. “The mission is over. Everything’s clear. We’re going home tomorrow, you stay here in Egypt.”

  “Ramil, Miss Porteza’s sponsor died the other day when she wore the ring,” Ebo starts. “I was intrigued by the news, so I dug up even more information about that ring. The mummified couple that we dug up was the first and only couple that has ever possessed the ring. Legend says that the ring was given by an old traveler with a warning. Everytime the couple made a relationship mistake and hurt their marriage, the woman unintentionally turned the ring on her finger, and they automatically went back to the time they were happiest, giving them time to avoid the mistake. This happened two times. Then on the third time, the ring took their lives at the same time to prevent the marriage from being broken.”

  Ramil falls silent. Kyra’s sponsor might have made a mistake.

  “I’ve been thinking, too,” Ebo adds. “How can a widow, who didn’t remarry, be interested in that ring, wears it, turns it, and dies?”

  Ramil knows that he needs to warn Kyra about the ring. He then wishes to move the flight earlier at that very moment. Admittedly, Ramil has never encountered such a case in his entire career. To him, all artifacts have a story to tell and these stories have proven themselves true in the past. All those years of being concealed in time have engraved the stories in history. For Ramil, that is enough to state as significant for the items that he unearths and studies. But for the actual artifacts to remain powerful after centuries of being locked up in tombs, well, Ramils is yet to find truth about that.

  Deep inside him, he knows that the ring’s power is true and that lives are in danger. He doesn’t want people to die because he is unable to warn them. Ramil knows that he has to make sure that he reaches Kyra at the soonest possible time. He may not have known Kyra’s sponsor but he is certain that Kyra could directly help avoid deaths by controlling the auction. It’s her museum after all.

  Kyra boards the plane back to New York.

  Somehow, she doesn’t have the peace that she hoped she would get after talking to Rafael. As she tries to make herself comfortable in her first class seat, Kyra asks the flight attendant to give her some red wine and a low fat black forest cake. She needs something to make her feel calm at the moment. Somehow, a bit of alcohol will definitely help.

  Kyra falls asleep after her night cap.

  The smooth flight to New York is filled with a dreamless slumber.

  Kyra wakes up at the announcement that the plane is about to land.

  Chapter Eight: Auction

  “What?” Kyra is on the phone with her assistant. “Why didn’t you inform me? I need to pull out that item from the auction.”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Kyra,” the assistant starts.”But the couple just walked out with the item.”

  “Don’t you leave town or change numbers, you hear?” Kyra tells her assistant as she hangs up.

  During her trip to Boston, her assistant wasn’t able to send a press release that the ring was supposed to be pulled out. The auction went on without Kyra, and the ring has been bought but the reception wasn’t able to get the buyer’s address.

  Kyra is going frantic. Everybody knows that most buyers don’t give their real names at auctions. The ring could already be activated if the buyer shares true love with a partner.

  The plane to New York lands safely as Ramil racks his brain on how to warn Kyra about the ring. Gerry didn’t get to exchange seats with him so he was stuck for forty-eight hours right next to Cynthia. Lyla slept during the whole trip and didn’t feel like talking to anyone during flight. When the plane lands, Ramil immediately runs to the newspaper stand and checks the Times. He realizes that he’s too late because the auction has already been concluded yesterday. Even so, Ramil still wants to see Kyra to personally talk to her about the ring.

  Ramil says goodbye to his team and immediately hails a taxi home.

  “Well, I guess, we just have to wait for his emails, SMS, or calls then,” Cynthia heaves. “Anyone up for some after-flight ice cream or something?”

  “I think I would love a banana split right now,” Lyla says, surprising the others.

  “All right, my treat!” Gerry declares. He has never treated Nomia and Cynthia to anything in their entire working relationship. This is definitely a first. Plus, Gerry is going to buy Lyla, probably one of the richest women in the world, a banana split. Nomia and Cynthia roll their eyes as they follow Gerry to the airport ice cream parlor, Berg, known for their large servings.

  “I wonder how he thinks this will get him to Lyla’s good side,” Cynthia whispers to Nomia, who stifles a giggle.

  “Let’s just see,” Nomia answers.

  “Yes, this is Dr. Ramil Geoffreys,” Ramil calls Kyra’s office, but she is still in Boston. “Is it possible for you to give me her personal number? It’s urgent. Maybe you can call her, so she’ll know?”

  Kyra’s assistant calls Kyra but her number cannot be reached. It’s possible that she’s on the plane to New York already. As Ramil hung up the phone, he becomes filled with regret for not asking Kyra her number when he had the chance in Egypt. He has to find a way to meet her and the only way he could think of is her museum.

  By the time Kyra makes it to her car, her phone rings again.

  “Did he leave his address?” Kyra asks her assistant.

  “He didn’t but I saved his number,” the assistant gives Kyra the number that Ramil used. Kyra immediately hung up and dialed again.

  “Hello, Dr. Geoffreys? It’s Kyra Porteza,” Kyra says. “Please meet me at my museum in half an hour. Thank you, Doctor.

  The auction took place just when Kyra flew to Boston. Kyra left last-minute instructions to remove the ring from the items to be auctioned out, but her assistant’s hands were very full at the time to remember it. The rainy auction night didn’t discourage the patrons from attending. There were even new clients that appeared, and two of them were about to get married in three weeks time.

  They attended the auction with the hope that they will be able to find some antiques that would fit into their new home. But when the ring was presented, the two realized that they didn’t have a wedding ring yet. The bride-to-be was very picky. She didn’t want the usual jewelry designs. They have been to twenty jewelers from five states, but she still hasn’t made the choice. When the ring was presented, it was called “The Wedding Ring”. It intensified the bride’s wanting to have the ring even more. The groom-to-be only wanted what could make his future wife happy, so he bought the ring for a hundred thousand dollars, no questions asked.

  Some bits of the ring’s story were revealed but like any contemporary couple, they just regarded them as the ring’s history. As soon as they made the payment for the ring, the couple left the museum.

  “What do you mean you have no idea who purchased the ring?” Kyra asks her assistant in a raised voice. They are in Kyra’s office, trying to figure out who bought the ring. They both check the log books and the receipts issued. Ramil sees them frantically rummaging through so many documents that he doesn’t know how to interrupt them politely. So he just quietly stands by the door to the office, hoping that one of the ladies would eventually notice him.

  “Oh! Dr. Geoffreys,” Kyra says apologetically as she stands up and reaches out to shake Ramil’s
hand. “Please do sit down. We’re trying hard to trace the buyer of the ring.”

  “Please, just call me Ramil,” he says. “Maybe the registration could help. You can try to call them one by one. It’ll take time but at least you’ll know for sure.”

  The assistant grabs the registry and looks at Kyra.

  “I’ll get three more to help me with this, don’t worry,” Kyra’s assistant says. She exits the office immediately, leaving Ramil and Kyra to talk.

  “It really doesn’t make any sense at all, Ramil,” Kyra starts as she pours whiskey into two glasses. She approaches Ramil and hands him one. “I hope you drink whiskey. It’s all I got for now.”

  “No problem,” Ramil says as he accepts the glass of whiskey. “So, what do you plant to do when you find out who bought the ring? Go to his or her house and ask for it or grab it and go?”