As I was scrubbing the bathroom, I suddenly realized I still had my precious ring on. "How clumsy of me!" I exclaimed, quickly slipping it off my finger. This wasn’t just any ring—it was my engagement ring, the one my fiancé had trusted me to keep safe until our wedding, which was only a month away. As I went to set it aside, the unimaginable happened: it slipped from my hand and fell straight down the drain. I froze. I couldn’t scream, couldn’t cry. I was consumed by panic and disbelief. I had literally let it go down the drain—both literally and figuratively.

The first thing I did was call my plumber. "I need your help—it's an emergency!" I practically shouted into the phone. Unfortunately, he wasn't available, but he redirected me to a colleague. That plumber arrived promptly, and I was a nervous wreck the entire time as he tried to retrieve the ring. He worked diligently, but after what seemed like an eternity, he looked up at me with disappointment in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, but I couldn’t find it."

I sighed heavily, feeling a wave of despair wash over me. I tried to pay him for his time, but he refused the money, looking at me with genuine sympathy. "I’m really sorry about your ring," he said gently. "But I can’t promise you’ll get it back."

That night, I had to break the news to Ben, my fiancé. At first, he was calm, just like his usual self. But then, his expression changed, and suddenly, I saw a side of him I had never seen before. “Do you even realize how much that ring costs?” he yelled. “A fortune! Do you hear me? How could you even think of scrubbing with it? Have you completely lost your mind?”

I was already feeling guilty and his anger only made it worse. He had every right to be mad. I had been careless. The next day, he called again, this time to berate me even more. “I shouldn’t have trusted you with the ring in the first place. This is my fault for thinking you could handle something this valuable.”

“Ben, I’m sorry," I stammered, trying to calm him down. "I’ll find the ring, I swear."

Those words felt like a mistake as soon as they left my mouth. “You better find it because that ring costs a fortune!” His voice was cold. Then, out of nowhere, he added something that stung deeply: "I don't blame you—your mother never got a ring from your father. No wonder you don’t know its value."

That cut me to the core. My father had passed away before I was even born, and Ben knew this. I couldn’t believe he was using that against me. I was devastated, but I wasn’t ready to give up yet. Desperate, I called the plumber again, practically begging him to come back one more time. He came, even though we both knew it was hopeless. After another attempt, there was still no sign of the ring.

I was heartbroken. I spent days crying, and my anxiety only grew with each passing day. Then, a week later, Ben's mother called me. I thought maybe she was going to offer some kind words or ask what happened, but instead, she immediately attacked me. “I know you sold that ring. I never liked you from the moment Ben brought you home. I always knew you were only after his money.”

I was speechless, and her words cut deep. I didn’t know how to respond. All I could do was cry. I couldn’t let things end like this, though. Determined to make things right, I decided to dip into my savings and buy a new ring. It would leave me with nothing, but at least the ring would be replaced. It took me a week to come to terms with it, and I finally resigned myself to the decision.

Then, the night before I was set to buy the replacement, I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize. “Madam,” the voice on the other end said.

"Please call me Nayram. Who is this?" I asked, trying to figure out who was speaking.

“It’s Prempeh, the plumber. I came to help you look for your ring twice. You won’t believe what happened.”

My heart skipped a beat. "What happened?"

“I decided to clean out your gutter, just in case the ring had somehow ended up there. I did it for three days straight... and today, I found it.”

I screamed so loud I nearly lost my voice. My precious ring had been found! When Prempeh brought it to me that night, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I gave him half of what I was going to spend on the replacement ring. He only accepted a quarter of it, refusing to take more. His kindness and determination had saved me in ways I couldn’t even express.

I washed the ring thoroughly and placed it back in its box, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

The next day, I sent it back to Ben, 

He stood there, completely caught off guard. I could see the confusion and surprise written all over his face as he tried to process what I had just said. "How did you find it?" he finally asked, his tone calmer than before.

“The plumber did,” I replied simply.

He sighed, visibly relieved. “Finally, some relief. The wedding is in a few days, thank goodness.”

But I didn’t feel the same relief. Instead, I looked at him, my resolve firm. “I came here to cancel it. I don’t want to marry you anymore. Tomorrow, I’ll return the dowry.”

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The shock on his face was immediate, like he hadn’t seen this coming at all. His voice wavered as he began to apologize. “I’m sorry. My behavior—it was just because of stress. I didn’t mean what I said.”

I shook my head, feeling calm yet resolute. “Ben, I’m actually glad I lost the ring. If that hadn’t happened, I would’ve never known the kind of person you truly are. I thought I knew you, but when the ring went missing, so did the mask you’ve been wearing. I don’t ever want to be with someone like you.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked out the door. As I stepped outside, I drew in a deep breath of fresh air. For the first time in a while, I felt free. It wasn’t just about the ring; it was about realizing that God had saved me from a future disaster.