My heart was pounding.  Somehow, do

My heart was pounding.  Somehow, doubts came back to me.  That ring showed how much Bryan valued me, or loved me.  Pawning it doesn’t say much about how much I valued him no matter what he did to me.  And God knows I did value him… too much!
 
The guy looked at me uncomfortably.  “I’m...”  He took a deep breath.  “I’m… sorry.  But we cannot buy this.”
 
“What?  Why?”  Nicole asked.
 
The guy lowered his voice so that only me, Dannie and Nicole can hear him.

“Because, I’m afraid that this is a fake.”  He said.  “The diamond is not real.”

“What?”  I asked in shock.  I knew my face was turning crimson.  “That can’t be!”
 
I picked up my ring and looked at the engraving inside to make sure that they did not switch it.  It’s still there—the date that Bryan proposed to me.
 
“Ma’am… this is cubic zirconia.  The value of which is… I don’t know… a couple of hundreds?”

“What?”  Nicole asked, completely shocked.

“You didn’t notice?”  The guy asked.  “I’m afraid that even the band… was just plated.”
 
“I’m not a jeweler, how am I to know?”  I asked sarcastically.

“I’m really sorry.”  The guy said.  He smiled at me ruefully.
 
I took my ring back.  I thought I was going to faint any minute.  How could I have been so stupid?  He proposed to me with a fake stone?  What?  He really thought I was so stupid that I wouldn’t notice?  That no one would notice?
 
How cheap did he take me for?
 
“Ma’am…”  The guy at the counter said.  “I’m really sorry.”  He handed me a card.  “Do come and visit us again.  We’re giving you a privilege discount card which you can use on your future purchases.”
 
I nodded, trying to prevent tears from rolling down my cheeks.  “Thanks.”  I said weakly.

“Let’s go.”  Dannie said to me.
 
I seemed to be floating mindlessly towards the exit.  I wasn’t looking in any direction, wasn’t actually seeing anything when I collided with another customer who was entering the store.
 
I caught a whiff of sweet masculine perfume as I felt strong arms wrap around me in an iron grip, preventing me from falling flat on my butt.  I leaned my head on his broad shoulder and for a moment there, I felt comfort… just when I needed it the most.  I held onto his shoulders and quietly let the tears seep out.  Because I needed it.  I needed a shoulder to cry on.  Someone to hold me as I let reality slice through me.  I needed someone to be strong for me at that moment when I felt the weakest… when the pain enveloped me ruthlessly.
 
“Are you alright, Miss?”  I heard him ask, his solid chest rumbled beneath my face as he spoke.
 
Slowly, I turned my head upwards and found myself staring at a pair of pitch dark sunglasses.  His black bangs fell over his dark brows, one of which is raised as he stared down at me.
 
My mind went blank as his face and his presence filled my senses.  I took in his handsome face, the sweet masculine scent of him, the hint of concern in his voice and the feel of his arms around me.
 
“Are.  You.  Okay?”  He repeated, this time louder and with more emphasis to every word.
 
I nodded as reality slowly returns to me.
 
Slowly, he released me, making sure I was steady enough to stand on my own.  Then he took a step back.  It was only then that I saw what he was wearing.  White shirt and black leather jacket.
 
“Take it easy, okay?”  He said.  And with a final nod, he went inside the store, leaving me standing outside, still in awe.
 
“Okay, enough embarrassment for the day.”  Dannie said, pulling me away.
 
“Gees, Ash.  For a moment there, I thought you were going to go hysterical in that poor soul’s arms!”  Nicole teased.
 
After walking one block with my friends, I finally snapped back to reality.
 
“That guy was real?”  I finally asked.
 
“Who?  Dark-haired Ken Doll?”  Dannie asked back.
 
I nodded.
 
“Yeah.”  Dannie replied.  “And he is sooooo hoootttt!”  And for a while, I thought Dannie was going to cry.  “I haven’t seen him before!”
 
“Big city.  You can’t know everybody who lives here!”
 
Then I remembered how his arms wrapped around me.  In that instant, I felt warm, comforted… safe.  I felt the comfort that I have been looking for since I found out about Bryan and Geena. 
 
I looked at the ring that I still clasp in my hand and I remembered how Bryan made me believe his ring was real… along with his love.
 
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.  I started crying again.
 
“It wasn’t even a real diamond!”  I wailed.
 
“Oh, God!  Here we go!”  Dannie rolled his eyes and pulled me with him and Nicole.
 
“Did you hear what the guy said?  It was worth only a couple hundred bucks!”  I continued crying.  “How could he do this to me?  I thought he loved me then!  And this ring… this ring was the symbol of how much he valued me, that wretched son of a bitch!”  And I threw the ring on the street.
 
“What are you doing?  You could have sent it back to him to tell him that you already know!”  Nicole said, running after the ring.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Hatiku berdebar. Entah bagaimana, keraguan kembali ke saya. Cincin itu menunjukkan betapa Bryan bernilai saya, atau mencintaiku. Pawning itu tidak mengatakan banyak tentang betapa aku dihargai tidak peduli apa yang dia lakukan kepada saya. Dan Allah tahu saya apakah nilai dia... terlalu banyak! Laki-laki memandang saya tidak nyaman. "Saya" Dia mengambil napas dalam-dalam. "Saya minta maaf. "Tapi kita tidak dapat membeli ini." "Apa? Kenapa?" Nicole bertanya. Laki-laki merendahkan suaranya sehingga hanya saya, Dannie dan Nicole dapat mendengar-nya."Karena, aku takut bahwa ini adalah palsu." Katanya. "Berlian itu tidak nyata.""Apa?" Aku bertanya shock. Aku tahu wajahku berubah merah. "Tidak mungkin!" Aku mengambil cincin dan memandang ukiran dalam untuk memastikan bahwa mereka tidak beralih itu. Masih ada-tanggal yang Bryan usulan saya. "Bu... ini adalah cubic zirkonia. Nilai yang adalah... Aku tidak tahu... beberapa ratusan?""Apa?" Nicole bertanya, benar-benar terkejut."Anda tidak melihat?" Pria bertanya. "Aku takut bahwa bahkan band... hanya berlapis." "Aku tidak perhiasan, bagaimana aku tahu?" Aku bertanya sinis."Saya benar-benar menyesal." Orang mengatakan. Dia tersenyum padaku ruefully. Aku mengambil cincin kembali. Saya pikir saya akan pingsan sebentar. Bagaimana bisa saya telah begitu bodoh? Ia mengusulkan kepada saya dengan batu palsu? Apa? Dia benar-benar berpikir aku begitu bodoh bahwa saya tidak melihat? Bahwa tidak ada seorang pun akan melihat? Bagaimana murah dia membawa saya? “Ma’am…” The guy at the counter said. “I’m really sorry.” He handed me a card. “Do come and visit us again. We’re giving you a privilege discount card which you can use on your future purchases.” I nodded, trying to prevent tears from rolling down my cheeks. “Thanks.” I said weakly.“Let’s go.” Dannie said to me. I seemed to be floating mindlessly towards the exit. I wasn’t looking in any direction, wasn’t actually seeing anything when I collided with another customer who was entering the store. I caught a whiff of sweet masculine perfume as I felt strong arms wrap around me in an iron grip, preventing me from falling flat on my butt. I leaned my head on his broad shoulder and for a moment there, I felt comfort… just when I needed it the most. I held onto his shoulders and quietly let the tears seep out. Because I needed it. I needed a shoulder to cry on. Someone to hold me as I let reality slice through me. I needed someone to be strong for me at that moment when I felt the weakest… when the pain enveloped me ruthlessly. “Are you alright, Miss?” I heard him ask, his solid chest rumbled beneath my face as he spoke. Slowly, I turned my head upwards and found myself staring at a pair of pitch dark sunglasses. His black bangs fell over his dark brows, one of which is raised as he stared down at me. My mind went blank as his face and his presence filled my senses. I took in his handsome face, the sweet masculine scent of him, the hint of concern in his voice and the feel of his arms around me. “Are. You. Okay?” He repeated, this time louder and with more emphasis to every word. I nodded as reality slowly returns to me. Slowly, he released me, making sure I was steady enough to stand on my own. Then he took a step back. It was only then that I saw what he was wearing. White shirt and black leather jacket. “Take it easy, okay?” He said. And with a final nod, he went inside the store, leaving me standing outside, still in awe. “Okay, enough embarrassment for the day.” Dannie said, pulling me away. “Gees, Ash. For a moment there, I thought you were going to go hysterical in that poor soul’s arms!” Nicole teased. After walking one block with my friends, I finally snapped back to reality. “That guy was real?” I finally asked. “Who? Dark-haired Ken Doll?” Dannie asked back. I nodded. “Yeah.” Dannie replied. “And he is sooooo hoootttt!” And for a while, I thought Dannie was going to cry. “I haven’t seen him before!” “Big city. You can’t know everybody who lives here!” Then I remembered how his arms wrapped around me. In that instant, I felt warm, comforted… safe. I felt the comfort that I have been looking for since I found out about Bryan and Geena.  I looked at the ring that I still clasp in my hand and I remembered how Bryan made me believe his ring was real… along with his love. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. I started crying again. “It wasn’t even a real diamond!” I wailed. “Oh, God! Here we go!” Dannie rolled his eyes and pulled me with him and Nicole. “Did you hear what the guy said? It was worth only a couple hundred bucks!” I continued crying. “How could he do this to me? I thought he loved me then! And this ring… this ring was the symbol of how much he valued me, that wretched son of a bitch!” And I threw the ring on the street. “What are you doing? You could have sent it back to him to tell him that you already know!” Nicole said, running after the ring.