Maya’s hand trembled as she took the paper. She looked down at the bank statements, highlighting lines of transactions she recognized, paired with account numbers that belonged to me.

“And this,” I continued, handing another sheet to Michael, “is the legal notice served to your prospective co-investors in M&M Capital Partners. Since twenty percent of the seed capital for this new firm was derived directly from marital property without my consent, my attorney has filed an emergency injunction freezing all associated accounts and assets pending our divorce proceedings.”

Michael’s eyes widened in sheer horror. “Allison, no… you can’t do this here. My investors—”

“Your investors deserve to know that the man managing their capital operates on fraud,” I said firmly, my voice echoing just enough for the nearest angel investor to hear clearly. “If you can steal from your wife of seven years and lie to the woman you promised to marry, no one in this room should trust you with a single dollar.”

Maya looked from the financial statements to the glittering diamond on her finger. The realization hit her with full force: she wasn’t just the other woman; she was a co-conspirator in a financial crime she hadn’t even realized she was part of. Tears began to smudge her flawless makeup. She pulled the ring off her finger, grabbed Michael’s hand, and slammed the diamond into his palm.

“You disgust me,” she choked out before turning on her heel and running toward the exit, dropping her champagne glass onto the thick red carpet.