Chapter 6 - THE RING WAS NOT FOR VALERIA
Valeria laughed when Lucia told her.
Not happily.
A shocked, exhausted sound.
“He bought a ring?”
“Yes.”
“He told me he didn’t believe in marriage anymore.”
Lucia almost smiled.
Marcus had apparently customized his lies.
Then Valeria looked at the photograph of the ring.
Her expression changed.
“That isn’t for me.”
“How do you know?”
“I hate square diamonds.”
Reasonable.
Then:
“And my ring size is five.”
Inventory recorded the ring as seven.
Lucia stopped.
Her own ring size was seven.
No.
She shook off the thought.
Marcus would not buy another engagement ring for his wife of seven years.
Unless—
Valeria whispered:
“He told me you lost yours.”
Lucia looked down automatically.
Her wedding ring was not on her hand.
Surgeons did not wear rings into the OR.
Her real ring sat locked in her hospital locker.
Marcus told Valeria Lucia had lost it months earlier.
Another lie.
Later, Marcus explained.
The ring was for Lucia.
Anniversary upgrade.
He planned to give it to her next month.
Lucia stared.
“You were buying me a new ring while your mistress was twenty-two weeks pregnant.”
“I know how it sounds.”
“It sounds accurate.”
He covered his face.
Then:
“I didn’t want to lose you.”
There.
That was the center of Marcus.
He did not want to choose.
He wanted Lucia.
Valeria.
Daniela.
His business.
His mother’s approval.
The baby.
His reputation.
All of it.
Consequences were the only thing he wanted to lose.
Then his business attorney arrived.
He looked shaken.
“Marcus, the lender froze the development line.”
“What?”
“Because of the financial statement discrepancy.”
Marcus looked at Lucia.
“You called them?”
“My attorney notified them that my property was not available as collateral.”
“You’re destroying the project.”
“No.”
Lucia’s voice stayed quiet.
“I’m stopping my asset from being used to support a project I never authorized.”
Marcus stared.
Then the attorney added:
“There’s another issue.”
A partner in Salgado Development Partners had requested an emergency accounting.
The partner’s name:
Daniel Herrera.
Lucia’s older brother.
Her stomach dropped.
“What?”
Daniel had secretly invested $400,000 in Marcus’s project.
No one had told Lucia.
Not Marcus.
Not Daniel.
Then the attorney said:
“Daniel claims Marcus told him Lucia approved the deal.”
Lucia closed her eyes.
May you like
Her husband had been using her name not only with lenders.
He had used her credibility to persuade her own brother to invest.
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