The morning after, my room was a mess-sheets tangled, clothes strewn across the floor. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the small, empty space on my nightstand.

My purity ring. Gone.

Panic clawed at my throat. I tore through the sheets, checked under the bed, even dumped out my purse.

Nothing.

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. My dad had given me that ring. It wasn't just jewelry, it was a promise. A vow. And now, after last night... after him... it was missing.

I barely had time to process before I was called into the meeting. My father's voice echoed in my ears as I walked in, my head pounding from lack of sleep.

And then I saw him.

Bucky Barnes.

Sitting at the table, completely at ease.

My enemy. My mistake.

His shirt was unbuttoned just enough for the chain around his neck to catch the light. A chain I had never seen him wear before.

And hanging from it, gleaming, delicate, unmistakable- was my ring.

My stomach dropped. His lips curved into the cockiest, most self-satisfied smirk I'd ever seen. "Looking for something, sweetheart?"