Chapter 4 - THE SCATTERED PEARLS
The white pearls from Mariana's broken necklace glistened under the bright lights of the grand hallway.
A lone US flag stood rigidly on its polished wooden pole near the mahogany entrance doors, witnessing the domestic tyranny.
Mariana slowly pushed herself up from the marble floor, her movements deliberate and terrifyingly calm.
She smoothed down the fabric of her ruby red satin gown with meticulous care, ignoring the throbbing pain in her face.
Richard swallowed hard, his hands clenching into fists as he tried to regain his dominant posture.
"Get up off the floor and stop acting like a dramatic child, Mariana," Richard barked, his voice regaining a nervous edge.
Mariana turned her head slowly, her dark bob haircut framing a face carved from pure, unyielding ice.
She looked at her husband not with anger, but with the cold detachment of an executioner examining a condemned man.
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"You have no idea what you just unleashed," Mariana whispered, her voice carrying a haunting, metallic resonance.
Evelyn took a slow sip of her wine, dismissing Mariana with a flick of her wrist.
