“I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out. That tiny little speck of a diamond? If you dropped it on the ground, no one would even bother to pick it up.”
“Don’t you remember? Any diamond under one carat is just considered diamond dust; it’s worth almost nothing. Wasn’t that what your favorite celebrity once said? Funny how you’ve forgotten her words now.”
Blair’s face drained of color. “What do you know? This is a real diamond! Besides, what would a broke guy like you understand? This ring’s clearly over one carat!”
We had broken up long ago, and she was already married, so I no longer felt the need to hold back. I spoke directly, “The ring I gave you back then was a real diamond, too. You just didn’t recognize it.”
Even though I was telling the truth, Blair didn’t seem to believe a word of it. She let out a dramatic laugh, and powder visibly flaked off her thick makeup.
“I remember you used to be so grounded, so realistic. What happened? Did being dumped turn you into some delusional bragger?”
“But let me remind you, Wren, I know exactly where you come from. You’re just a regular guy from a modest, middle-class family. Don’t think talking big makes you rich.”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of here now and never show your face in front of me again. Otherwise…”
I cut her off mid-threat, my voice sharp. “Otherwise, what?”
Back when we were together, I always gave in to her. So the change in my tone and attitude clearly caught her off guard.
“Otherwise…” she hissed, her expression contorted with rage, “don’t blame me for throwing away all our past feelings and making sure you’re ruined, never to recover!”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, completely unmoved by her empty threats. Turning to walk toward the banquet hall, I felt her hand clamp onto my arm.
“Security! Security!” she screamed, her voice shrill.
6
The guards stationed at the entrance rushed over as soon as they heard the commotion.
Before they could say a word, Blair stomped her foot in frustration.
“What kind of security is this? You let a loser like him in? He was harassing me; why haven’t you thrown him out yet? If you don’t deal with this, I’m going straight to my husband, and all of you can start looking for new jobs!”
The guard glanced at me, scanning me from head to toe. He clearly didn’t recognize me, but still tried to reason politely.