After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 39

The salesperson greeted them with a friendly smile. “Miss, would you like some help picking something out?”

Catherine shook her head and smiled back. “No, thank you. We’re just browsing for now.”

Lawrence stood nearby, letting her take her time, though he was quietly checking out the different diamond rings on display.

After a few minutes, Catherine turned to the salesperson. “Could you please show us this pair?”

The salesperson quickly set a pair of simple rings on a tray in front of them.

Catherine looked up at Lawrence. “What do you think of these? They’re simple, elegant, and the price is reasonable.”

She pointed to the plain platinum bands and glanced at him, waiting for his opinion.

“Sure, let’s try them on.”

Catherine picked up the men’s ring and slipped it onto Lawrence’s ring finger. It fit perfectly.

She tried on her own ring next. It was a perfect match. They smiled at each other, the moment just right.

As they took the rings off to put them back on the tray, a familiar voice, dripping with sarcasm, spoke up behind them. “Well, well, shopping for wedding rings?”

Catherine’s smile faded. She turned to see Waldo sauntering over, one hand in his pocket, Shirley on his arm in a tight, attention-grabbing dress.

Waldo gave the rings a quick, dismissive glance, then smirked. “Catherine, I told you he couldn’t give you the life you deserve. When you were with me, I never gave you jewelry worth less than a million. You really think you’ll be happy with this?”

Shirley chimed in, her red lips curling into a smile. “Honestly, Catherine, you’re really settling. Those plain rings don’t even come close to matching your status.”

Shirley grinned. “Catherine, don’t get jealous now.”

Catherine just gave her a bored glance, not bothering to reply.

Waldo turned his attention to Lawrence. “Lawrence, you married Catherine. The least you could do is buy her a proper wedding ring.”

Catherine’s patience snapped. “Waldo, just stop.”

Lawrence looked at Waldo evenly. “Whatever Catherine wants is what I want.”

Waldo laughed, shaking his head. “Come on, just admit you’re broke. Why pretend you’re above it all? You’re just a penniless engineer. What do you know about respect?” His eyes were full of scorn.