My heart pounded as I realized that it was now or never. I knew Jacob unlike anybody else, and now was the time to propose. Then, we could see what came next.

“Jacob!” I called from the living area where there was a long sliding glass door showing us the nearby ocean. I heard his feet coming on the cool, hardwood floors. It really was a nice place that he booked.

“What’s up?” he said, coming up behind me and placing his arm around my shoulder. I flinched instinctively. He noticed.

From there on, it felt like a dream. I got down on one knee, asked the question, show showed him the beautiful diamond ring I had purchased, and waited for his response, looking up at him like some little child waiting for an adult’s approval.

“Yes, yes!” he shouted, grabbing my arms and pulling me back up. If only it could be like this all the time . . .

As we embraced, I pulled the ring out of the box behind his back. It was a big rock - purposefully so. Still in a dreamlike state, I hammered that stone into the back of his head until he fell on the hardwood floor and dripped like water from a leaky faucet.

Diamonds are beautiful, but they are also strong tools to help somebody escape.