Inside the tiny space was a piece of paper, folded very tightly. I carefully took it out and unfolded it, my eyes widening as I read the two short, blunt words written in sharp, tiny letters: “Hate you.”
I froze in place.
I went back through all of our interactions, playing them over in my head like a movie. I couldn’t remember a single time when Sarah had seemed anything but friendly. She laughed at my jokes, praised my work, and even brought me my favorite cookies one day after I casually mentioned liking them. None of it made sense.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt uneasy. If it was a joke, it was incredibly unkind. If it wasn’t, what had I possibly done to deserve it? The thought of Sarah carefully picking out the ring, writing those words, and sealing them away, knowing I would eventually find them, made my stomach turn.
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