When a public proposal ends badly, Chloe, a homeless woman, is left holding the discarded engagement ring. The piece of jewelry offers her an opportunity to get her life back on track, but instead, she returns the ring to its owner, never realizing how fate would repay her for her good deed.
Chloe's hair whipped in the wind as she crossed a Pittsburgh bridge, the cold biting into her skin. Homeless and starving, she approached people for help, only to be shunned or dismissed.
As she considered leaving, a tall, broad-shouldered man collided with her. He was clutching a bouquet of white roses, his hands trembling. "Sorry, didn't see you there," he mumbled gruffly.
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"Can you spare some change?" Chloe asked.
"Sorry, not now," he replied, walking towards a cafe nestled against the bridge.
Chloe watched as he proposed to a woman named Grace at the cafe.
"I'm asking the most amazing woman in the world to marry me," he said, getting down on one knee and presenting an engagement ring.
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Grace reacted with shock and anger. "No! I don't want to marry you," she exclaimed, throwing the bouquet he'd given her to the ground.
Chloe noticed the deep pain on the man's face. "But..." he said. "We talked about marriage and having a family, Grace. I've been working hard to get a promotion, doing everything I can to make sure we start right!"
Grace scoffed. "Right? This is your idea of 'right'? After weeks of vanishing into thin air? Working hard, yeah, that shouldn't mean I end up dating a ghost! Do you really think I wanted to be married to somebody I never see?"
The man looked disappointed. "Fine," he spat. "If that's what you want, Grace!"
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With a violent toss, he sent the ring sailing through the air, the red box carving a crimson arc against the sky. It landed at Chloe's feet. Her breath hitched, and the weight of the moment settled on her as she picked up the box.
The man, Dylan, stormed off, his footsteps echoing a final, desperate beat against the metal grid. Chloe dashed forward to intercept him.
"Your ring…" she said, holding the box out to him.
"Keep it," he snapped. "I don't need it anymore."
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Chloe clutched the velvet box against her chest as she watched him go. Sudden emotions of pity, anger, and a strange kinship swirled together in her heart. She couldn't keep the ring with her.
Chloe hurried after Dylan. Her heart raced as she called out to him. "Hey, wait."
He stopped abruptly and turned around. Chloe stumbled towards him, extending the box. "Dylan, right? I… I just wanted to return this."
"I told you to keep it," Dylan replied, his voice hoarse. "You need it more than me."
"No," Chloe insisted. "It's yours. You can't just throw it away like a broken toy."
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Dylan scoffed bitterly. "That's exactly what it is. A sign of a broken promise, a shattered dream."
"You're a quitter," Chloe accused him. "Why not fight for what you want with Grace?"
His eyes blazed with a sudden fire. "You don't understand the humiliation I felt when she rejected me in front of so many people!"
"Oh, I do understand," Chloe retorted, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "People reject me all the time. They turn away from my ragged clothes, my dirty face, and my outstretched hand. Every day, I'm reminded I'm not good enough."
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"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," Dylan murmured, his voice a whisper.
"No, of course not, because people like you don't even see people like me… I know because I used to be just like you, Mr. Bigshot Businessman, and I never thought I would end up on the street, but I had to sell my house to pay Mom's medical bills, and now…" Chloe raised her hand. "Well, who am I to stop you from giving up?" She pocketed the ring and walked away.
Dylan watched her leave, a mix of shame and respect stirring within him. Her words echoed in his mind. Why not fight for what you want with Grace? He followed her.
At a dumpster, Chloe was rummaging for food. Dylan approached her, feeling a pang of guilt.
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"Hey," he said softly. "I shouldn't have said those things."
Chloe eyed him warily. "Throwing tantrums isn't mature, Dylan."
"Look, I... I messed up. Can I make it up with lunch?" Dylan offered.
"Lunch? With you?" Chloe was surprised.