09
In the days leading up to my engagement, Maria’s antics left me restless and drained.
Thankfully, Elena was my solace.
After spending so much time together, we had decided to got engaged, and the ceremony was set for my birthday.
When her parents met me, they couldn’t stop smiling. They even gifted me a beautiful
watch.
My mom, in turn, gave Elena her treasured bracelet.
The atmosphere was warm and harmonious, with everyone enjoying themselves.
But just as the ceremony was about to begin, a commotion erupted at the entrance.
To my shock, Maria burst in with her three children in tow.
The kids ran up to me, bouncing around and calling me Daddy at the top of their lungs.
I froze in place, utterly dumbfounded, as Maria dropped to her knees in front of everyone.
“Ryan, are you really so heartless? You’re getting engaged to another woman?
If you don’t want me, fine. But do you really want to abandon your children too?”
Her dramatic outburst left the room in stunned silence.
“Maria, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever have kids with you?” I barked, ready to pull her away and end the chaos.
But Maria turned her pleading gaze to Elena and knelt before her instead.
“Elena, I know you don’t like me, but Ryan is still their father!
I didn’t come here to ruin your relationship. I’m only here for my children…”
‘She dissolved into loud, theatrical sobs, her cries echoing in the room.
The guests started murmuring, some even pulling out their phones to record the spectacle:
The situation was spiraling out of control, and I was about to ask everyone to leave when
Elena took matters into her own hands.
She grabbed the engagement cake from the table and smashed it over Maria’s head.
Maria shrieked in shock. “Ah! You…”
“What? Did I finally knock some sense into you?” Elena snapped, her voice dripping with fury.
*You think you can keep pulling this crap on me? Do you need me to list out every dirty little stunt you’ve pulled in front of all these people?”
Maria’s kids picked up fallen forks from the floor and started throwing them at Elena.
I was about to intervene, but Elena beat me to it. She hurled her bouquet straight at their
faces.
“Stop it, Elenal How dare you lay a hand on my sons?”
Maria screamed and lunged at her, but I quickly stepped in and blocked her.
She turned her tear–streaked face to me, playing the victim as always. “Ryan, how can you be so cruel? We’ve barely been divorced, and you’re already marrying this woman?
All your promises to me, they were all lies…”
12:00 Tue, 17 Dec.
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Refore she could finish, my mother stormed over and slapped her across the face.
“I’ve never seen a woman as shameless as you,” my mother spat, her voice trembling with
anger.
“You deceived my son from the very start. I won’t even dwell on that. But has he ever treated you poorly? From the day you got married, has he ever failed you in any way?”
Maria stood there, head lowered, unable to meet her gaze.
“My son loved you with all his heart, and you repaid him by having children with another man. Even after the divorce, you cling to him like a leech, refusing to let go.”
My mother picked up a glass of red wine and held it aloft. “Let me make this clear: a woman you had better stay as far away from my son as possible.”
i
With that, she flung the wine in Maria’s face.
The security guards, seizing the moment, dragged Maria and her brood out of the venue. The ceremony was left in shambles, but to my surprise, Elena’s parents weren’t upset in the slightest. In fact, they seemed even more impressed by how my family handled the situation.
