Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The Ring of Betrayal
While everyone was paying their respects, Isabel felt the world around her collapsing. The prestige, the pride, and the position of "Lady of the House" that she had painstakingly built over the years were being burned to ashes in front of Madrid's entire high society.
She pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to get close to where Gabriel stood beside his mother's chair. Her face was now a chaotic mix of panic and fury.
"Gabriel," she hissed through her teeth, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. "Are you insane? You are humiliating me in front of everyone. Can we talk in private, solve this in our bedroom? Why are you blowing this out of proportion?"
Gabriel didn't even turn his head to look at her. He remained standing like a shield behind his mother, his gaze cold, looking right through an invisible space.
"There is nothing to talk about in private, Isabel. Your cruelty, selfishness, and contempt for my mother were things you did in the dark, in a private, hidden corner. But I will ensure that the truth about who you really are is exposed under the brightest light possible."
Patricia, unable to bear the humiliation, charged forward, pointing a finger in Gabriel's face and muttering:
"You are destroying your marriage, destroying your business relationships over a cheap, tear-jerking theatrical stunt! You will regret humiliating our family!"
Gabriel turned his head, staring directly into Patricia's eyes. His gaze was so sharp she was forced to step back.
"Regret? No. I am only regretting that I have been blind for the past five years. I am just figuring out what kind of ruthless monsters I have actually been sharing a bed and eating dinner with all this time."
He slowly raised his left hand. Everyone held their breath, watching.
Gabriel deliberately slid the expensive platinum wedding band off his ring finger. The ring he had once cherished and given to Isabel with a vow to care for each other for a lifetime.
Without a second of hesitation, he placed the sparkling wedding ring down on the table, right next to the bowl of cold, fat-congealed soup.
May you like
"My love and respect for you, Isabel, is now as cold and disgusting as this soup."
Isabel lost her voice. She stumbled backward, covering her mouth with her hands, tears smearing her expensive makeup. She knew that this action from Gabriel, witnessed by the most powerful figures in the city, was an irreversible sentence of divorce. She had single-handedly lost everything because of her vanity and cruelty.
