Seeing Victoria just standing, decided to walk closer to her to see who she was talking with.
Then imdiately Chloe’s confident stride faltered the mont her eyes landed on Valentina.
Her breath hitched, and for the first ti in a long while, she lost her balance. A subtle wobble, a step back—small reactions, but they betrayed the storm raging inside her.
"This... this isn’t real."
Her fingers clenched at her side as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
"Valentina."
But not the Valentina she had known.
The woman before her wasn’t the disfigured, ruined girl they had left to rot in the shadows of the family. She wasn’t the pitiful sight Chloe had mocked, dismissed, and thrown away without a second thought.
No. This Valentina stood tall. Confident, and stunning.
Chloe’s eyes darted from her flawless face to her hands—hands she had once seen wrapped in gloves to hide the burns. Now, they were smooth, delicate, and unblemished.
It’s impossible, even if she had undergone surgery, even if she had spent millions on treatnts, there was no way—no possible way—her scars could be gone this quickly.
At that mont Chloe’s stomach twisted.Everything she had believed, everything she had thought she won, was slipping through her fingers.
Then Chloe’s lips parted, but no words ca out. Her throat tightened as she struggled to form a single coherent thought.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
"This... this isn’t possible," she whispered, barely audible.
Her eyes darted over Valentina’s face, searching—desperate—to find even a trace of the scars she once mocked.
"How... how did you—" Her voice cracked. "How did you get back your body? Your skin? This isn’t... it can’t be real!"
Her head spun.
This was the sa Valentina she had discarded, the sa woman she had deed unworthy, the sa sister she had buried under ridicule. And yet, here she stood—untouched, unscarred, and breathtaking.
Imdiately Chloe stumbled backward. Her vision blurred for a second as panic set in. She couldn’t process it. She refused to process it.
Her entire body scread at her to run.
Without thinking, she turned on her heel and bolted out of the store, her heels clicking against the marble floor in frantic rhythm.
"Chloe!"
Victoria called after her, montarily frozen in shock. But when Chloe didn’t stop, Victoria quickly followed, her confused expression matching the storm raging inside her mind.
Seeing what just happened Valentina couldn’t help but smile, she didn’t say anything but they bought the ring and went ho.
Raymond led Valentina into their bedroom, Then he reached into his drawer and pulled out a small, ancient-looking wooden box. The dark mahogany surface was worn but polished, the delicate engravings of vines and clovers wrapping around its edges. It was a relic of ti, an artifact of sothing far older than anything Valentina had ever held.
He turned to face her, his expression unreadable yet gentle. Without a word, he placed the box in her hands.
Valentina hesitated before slowly lifting the lid. The faint creak of the old hinges filled the room, followed by a soft gasp as her eyes landed on what lay inside.
Nestled in a bed of velvet was a stunning green erald ring, the deep hue shimring under the light like captured sunlight through the thick leaves of an ancient forest. A delicate band of gold traced around the erald, forming an elegant yet intricate setting. The ring bore an engraved clover, a symbol of luck, legacy, and sothing deeper—sothing sacred.
At that mont she ran her fingers over the surface, taking in every detail, every curve, every etching.
Raymond took a deep breath before speaking, his voice low yet steady. "This ring has been passed down for generations," he said.
"Every firstborn heir of my family receives it. It’s a symbol of our lineage, of our responsibility... and our love."
Imdiately Valentina’s breath caught.
His eyes softened as he reached out, gently taking her hand in his.
"Now, it’s yours," he murmured. "Because you are my wife."
Imdiately Valentina felt her heart swell, emotions crashing into her like waves. This was not just a ring. It was a promise, a mark of belonging, a place in a history she had never imagined becoming a part of.
Then she swallowed hard, blinking back the overwhelming warmth building behind her eyes. "Raymond..." she whispered.
Raymond simply smiled and took the ring from the box, sliding it onto her finger with a reverence that made her chest tighten.
"It fit perfectly."
Then Raymond gently held Valentina’s hand, his fingers tracing over the erald ring now resting on her finger.
The deep green stone shimred, the golden clover engraving catching the light. It looked as if it had always belonged there, like a piece of history now intertwined with her.
"This ring," Raymond said softly, his voice carrying the weight of sothing sacred, "I want you to wear it wherever you go. It ans more than just marriage—it represents who we are, where we co from. It holds the legacy of my family."
His thumb brushed over her knuckles. "More than the one we bought at the jewelry store, I want this to be the one you carry with you."
At that mont Valentina looked at him, her heart full. The way he spoke, the way he cherished sothing so old yet so aningful, made her realize how deeply he valued their bond. This wasn’t just about tradition—this was about trust, belonging, and a silent promise.
She nodded, tightening her fingers around his. "I will," she whispered. "I’ll wear it always."
A soft smile touched his lips as he lifted her hand to kiss the ring, sealing the mont.
Valentina took a deep breath and exhaled, the emotions in her chest almost overwhelming. She looked into Raymond’s eyes and, with all the gratitude she could muster, said, "Thank you, Raymond. For everything. For saving , for choosing , for loving ."
Raymond didn’t say anything at first. He just cupped her face gently, looking at her like she was the most precious thing he had ever held. "You don’t have to thank , Valentina. Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, and choosing you was the best decision I have ever made in my life."
**
anwhile, in another part of the city, Chloe stord into a lavish lounge, her breath uneven, her heart hamring against her ribs. She had rushed all the way here, unable to process what she had just seen.
Liam was sitting on a leather couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his expression cool and unreadable. The mont he saw Chloe approaching, he raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by her dramatic entrance.
Chloe didn’t even bother catching her breath. She grabbed his wrist, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Liam," she gasped, her voice laced with urgency.
"You won’t believe what I just saw."
Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained seated, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
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