Chapter 2 - Valeria Removes Her Ring Right In Front Of Everyone
The ambient chatter of the high-end Chicago downtown banquet hall slowly faded into a tense, suffocating silence. Valeria looked down at the sparkling diamond engagement ring resting on her finger, feeling only cold disgust. With a deliberate and calm movement, she slid the ring off her skin.
She held the diamond up briefly under the sparkling crystal chandeliers before dropping it straight into Marcus’s half-filled champagne flute. The ring hit the liquid with a sharp, echoing ping that cut through the room like shattered glass. Marcus stared down at the floating ring in utter disbelief, his face draining of all color.
"What... what are you doing?" Marcus stammered, his voice cracking as corporate colleagues at neighboring tables turned to watch.
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"I am returning what you never truly earned," Valeria replied quietly, her voice ringing with absolute, chilling finality. Beatrice gasped loudly, clutching her chest as if she had been physically struck by an invisible blow.
Valeria turned her back on her groom and mother-in-law without a single shred of hesitation or regret. Across the vast banquet hall, heavy footsteps approached the head table with urgent, purposeful stride.
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