Woman Brings Engagement Ring to Pawnshop, Big Mistake!
Jane always sold everything that reminded her of past relationships. From expensive gifts to cheap jewelry, everything had to go! But the cheapest ring of all would lead her into unexpected trouble.
The ring was clearly a cheap glass replica. Granted, it looked very high-quality and was also quite heavy. But when the pawnbroker offered her only $13 for it, Jane wasn't surprised.
Unknown Number
At first, the sale brought a smile to Jane's face. She no longer had to carry around these useless reminders and it wouldn't take up space in her jewelry box anymore.
But a few weeks after the sale, Jane received a strange text message from an unknown number. The sender seemed to have bad intentions, and the text message was just the beginning.
Couldn't believe it
Jane couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had heard of this type of harassment before and initially didn't take it too seriously. But as more and more messages came, she became worried.
Jane couldn't believe what the text messages were saying. But the sender knew many details about her life. It had to be someone she knew. That was more than she could bear.
An Unknown Sender
Jane felt particularly frightened by the texts because they came from an unknown sender. Should she go to the police? Should she just wait it out? She had no idea what to do or how to find out the identity of this person.
When she finally found out, she was sure it would change her life. But what did the texts say? Who had sent them? And most importantly, what was so special about this cheap ring?
Good Mood
After leaving the pawnshop with a few extra dollars and leaving an unpleasant memory behind, Jane felt the bitter aftertaste of her relationship with Justin almost washed away.
She couldn't help but feel relieved. Now there was nothing of Justin's left in her apartment. Nothing that reminded her of that painful breakup. Unfortunately, Jane's good mood didn't last long.
A Text Message
A few weeks passed, and Jane even started dating again. She was ready for a new relationship. Then, one morning, she received a text message. It came from an anonymous phone number.
Jane didn't even know that was possible and wanted to delete the message immediately. But as she was about to delete it, she read what it said and froze.
Not Overthinking
"You should have returned him to where he belongs! Now you'll always have to look over your shoulder and know that you'll pay for what you've done!" Jane didn't understand anything.
At that point, she had no idea it was about the ring and simply deleted the text without thinking about it further. Soon, she would have no choice but to think about it again.
Calling
In the following days, more text messages came. The tone remained hostile, alternating between threats and childish insults. Jane wasn't sure what to do and noticed that she actually started looking over her shoulder.
A few days later, things escalated. This was now a development that alarmed and panicked Jane. So far, it had been text messages, but now the anonymous number was calling. And Jane answered!
Return the Ring!
At first, there was no sound. She repeatedly asked the other person to speak up but received no response. It wasn't until she said she was going to hang up that an automated voice said,
"Return the ring!" Jane didn't understand. Which ring? The cheap ring she had taken to the pawnshop, she had long forgotten about it. But she was about to find out soon.
Distraction
After that alarming phone call, Jane decides to go home and leave the house a little earlier. She asks the man she has been seeing after Justin to come over as she wants to distract herself from things.
The man agrees and arrives 30 minutes later. Jane is grateful to be with such a sweet man but is unaware of the true nature of his jealousy.
Which ring?
They have dinner together, and the man is terribly quiet. He seems tense. Then he suddenly asks where she sold "the ring". At first, Jane thinks he's joking.
But when she sees his serious expression, she knows he's not joking. "Which ring?" she asks. "The one your ex gave you," her new boyfriend says calmly.
Angry Jane
Although Jane doesn't understand how he could know that, she doesn't ask him. Simply because she is too angry. He must be the man behind the anonymous number. "So, you're the one who's been texting and calling me?!" she yells.
But then the man reacts genuinely surprised. "What? NO! NO! I was just told to ask you about it." Jane stared at the young man in disbelief.
Just get out of here
Jane doesn't believe what she's hearing. "By whom?" she asks him, standing just inches away from him. That's when the young man realizes that he had obviously revealed more than he should have.
He jumps up hastily and stuttering, goes quickly to the hallway, grabs his coat, and leaves the apartment. Jane would never see him again. Jane herself stood angry but also frightened in her apartment.
Investigating on her own
What just happened to Jane's life? The text messages had already been creepy. The call with the computer voice had scared Jane. But for her new boyfriend to be part of the plot, that was going too far.
Jane was shaking with a sobbing fit. She felt sick with fear. Quietly, she went to the front door, locked it twice, and left the key in the lock. Then she checked all the windows and finally hid under her blanket.
A new day
After that terrible night, Jane knew she was on her own. She was determined to find out the story behind this ring and how to put an end to the harassment.
She wanted to start at the pawnshop. After all, the person harassing her obviously had no idea where she sold the ring. Next stop, the pawnshop.
She is expected
However, she knew she had to be careful. Perhaps the fact that the harassers didn't know where the ring was sold was the only reason for her previous safety.
The only way not to be followed was to take a taxi and leave her phone behind so she couldn't be tracked. Surprisingly, her visit to the pawnshop was not unexpected for the owner.
At the pawnshop
"Back again?" he says as she walks in. Jane doesn't reply. She wants to know if she can trust the man before she talks about the ring. Jane pretends to have something to sell and shows the man a watch she brought with her.
But the man doesn't play along. Even worse, he tells her to leave if she doesn't want to talk about business. Jane is annoyed that her plan with the watch was exposed so quickly.
Confused
Jane knows she doesn't need to know anything more as this is her only good starting point. "What do you want?" she asks the pawnshop owner.
He smiles coldly and turns the question around.
The Value
"You want the ring back, right? You sold it to me for next to nothing, and now you want it back. Well, you can have it, but you'll have to pay what it's worth. That's how I make money, you know."
Jane explains to him that it has nothing to do with the value of the ring and asks him why he's so sure about its worth. When she bought it, he had told her it was worthless and only gave her $13 for it.
"I think you're the one who wants something. Isn't that right?" Jane is unsure and expresses her confusion through shaking her head. After that, the demeanor of the pawnshop owner starts to change.
Playing Games
"You don't know?" he responds, laughing. "Then why are you here?" Jane knows how to play games with someone so greedy and promises to pay his price. But in return, she wants to know his source.
She smiles charmingly and says, "Come on, someone must have told you. Now that the cat's out of the bag, you can at least tell me where you heard it from!" It works.
Unexpected Help
The pawnshop owner didn't have a name he could give Jane. But at least he mentioned that it was a woman who had contacted him over the phone. He gave Jane the phone number.
Jane left the pawnshop - without the ring - and went back home to come up with another plan. But she would receive unexpected help when she saw someone waiting outside her door.
It was her ex, Justin! She initially wanted to send him away immediately, but he asks for just a minute of her time. Jane laughs. She opens her door, pushes Justin aside, and goes upstairs.
She had things to do
But just before the door closes, Justin puts his feet in the door frame and says, "I know you're being harassed because of my ring." Now Jane becomes intrigued.
Maybe it was good to talk to Justin after all.
Letting Him In
Jane is angry and yells about how disgusting, pathetic, childish, and stupid she finds the threats, and that she never thought Justin could stoop so low and be tempted into such pranks.
But Justin claims to have hardly anything to do with it and asks her to at least listen to him. Jane has never seen Justin so humble and decides to let him in, as she had nothing to lose and could use his vulnerability. How clever.
Explanations
Justin comes in and starts explaining, "I just mentioned the ring, but she..." Jane interrupts him. She's not interested in his apologies and says she needs his technical skills.
She wants to compare two phone numbers, the one from the pawnshop owner and the anonymous one. Then she will forgive him. Justin agrees, and with that, Jane gets a little closer to the truth.
New Girlfriend
It turns out that both phone numbers belong to Justin's new girlfriend. She was extremely jealous and couldn't accept the fact that Justin had given all those gifts to Jane.
Since she didn't want to lose Justin, she eventually stopped blaming him. Instead, she started harassing Jane, so that at least someone would suffer like she did.
Justice
With evidence of the text messages and voicemails, Jane immediately alerted the police. Justin broke up with his new girlfriend, who was sentenced to see a psychologist and perform community service.
Justin seemed like a changed man after that abusive relationship and tried to get back together with Jane. However, Jane could only accept him as a friend from then on.
Comments
0 comment