“Yes, that’s right, ” he replies. “And I’m saying thank you for it.”
“You don’t need to say thank you for it,” I try to assure him, but he shakes his head.
“That’s not true, Cass. All appreciation deserves recognition, sweetheart. You deserve yours.” He pauses. “Open it, please. I hope I’ve chosen well.”
It feels seedier than ever, being rewarded for being a slut. I just wish he’d have waited until morning, rather than thanking me with a gift box while my pussy still leaks with other men’s cum.
My fingers fumble with the ribbon, so Ant helps me open it. The present inside is so ridiculously stunning that I let out a gasp.
It has to be a real diamond glistening in the centre of the beautiful pendant. I’ve seen more than enough engagement rings over the years to recognise one. It must be worth thousands. Holy shit.
Ant lifts it from the box for me.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it?! I love it! But I don’t need it… I don’t need a thank you.”
“You don’t need a thank you. You deserve a thank you.”
He walks around the breakfast bar and fastens the beautiful gold chain around my neck, planting a kiss on my cheek before he spins me on the stool to look at the necklace on me.
“Just like I thought. It really suits you.”
“It would look amazing on anyone.”
“Not like it does on you, Cass. I knew it was made for you the moment I saw it.”
So, it’s a one-off piece. It must have cost an absolute fortune.
“Let me get you a mirror,” Ant says, and takes a jog to the downstairs bathroom. I put my hand on the pendant, still trying to make sense of it. It’s the most dramatic expression of love in a gift I’ve ever seen, but how will I ever be able to look at it without remembering how I achieved it. Is it an achievement? That’s what rewards are for, after all. They’re for achieving something.
Ant returns with one of the vanity mirrors that glows with lights around the edge. Fuck, the pendant looks divine as I stare at my reflection. Reward or not, it’s absolutely beautiful. My eyes well up at the thought that this is mine. He chose it for me.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very, very welcome, princess,” he says, and takes my hand to kiss it. “You did better than I ever hoped you could tonight. It’s the very least I could do to show it.”
I turn myself in the mirror and the diamond sparkles. This is mine. This is my necklace. It’s something I’d never expect to own in a million years – but neither is someone like Ant, or a place like this, or even a bottle of De Chante.
Ant’s expression is weirdly sad when I turn my stare back to him. His elbows are on the counter and his eyes are on me, but he looks like he’s feeling sorry for me, despite the fact I’m smiling with a diamond pendant around my neck.
“What?” I ask him. “I love it, I promise.”
“I know you do,” he replies. “It’s just, well. Has nobody ever shown you they love you like this?”
“Yeah, definitely. My parents are amazing, and so is my sister, and my friends. My school teachers were great, too. Have they bought me stunning one-off gifts made of gold and diamond, though? No, definitely not.” I laugh. “That’s just you, Mr Perfect.”
“It’s not about the expense of the gift,” he says, and he’s not laughing along with me. “It’s the way you recoiled against being rewarded. I’d hate to think you undervalue yourself.”
“I don’t feel like that,” I assure him. “I don’t undervalue myself, don’t worry.”
I figure his line of topic will be done at that, but it isn’t.
“Has Jack leaving you left its mark on your self-worth? That would be totally normal, and it’s ok.”
I smile. “Definitely not now that I’ve met you. Believe me, Jack’s the last thing on my mind.”
“You have a tattoo about him on your wrist, baby, so he must have meant an awful lot before he fucked you over. I hope you’re right about how you feel about yourself, but if not, we’ll work together and get your self-esteem right up to the level you deserve.”
It feels like years ago when I was sitting on my sofa in my PJs, scared of the hurt I’d feel at looking at Jack’s wedding pictures, but maybe Ant’s right. Maybe I have undervalued myself since Jack left me.
“Thanks,” I say, and reach out for his hand because he’s just so caring. “It’s a beautiful thing to know you see me and us like that.”
“That’s why you need this gift as a memento.” Ant smiles. “See it as a mark of just how valuable you are, and how much you mean to me. Please, wear it every day. Let it shine for the world.”