Nia Sinclair walked down the plush carpeted hallway of the Waldorf Astoria.
The thick fabric absorbed the sound of her heels. The corridor was silent. The air smelled of expensive floor wax and old money.
She held a small velvet box in her right hand. Inside rested a custom silk tie. A pre-wedding gift for Coby.
She reached the heavy oak door of the bridal suite. Her hand moved toward the brass handle.
The door was slightly unlatched. A thin sliver of yellow light spilled onto the carpet.
Nia frowned.
She pushed the wood with her fingertips. The door swung inward without a sound.
She stepped into the marble foyer. The cold stone seeped through the soles of her shoes.
Muffled laughter echoed from the bedroom down the short hall. A woman's laugh. High-pitched. Breathless.
Nia walked past the living area. Two empty champagne flutes sat on the mahogany console table. A bottle of Dom Pérignon rested in a silver bucket of melting ice.
She looked down. Cortney's distinct red designer heels lay tossed carelessly on the Persian rug. One shoe was overturned.
Her chest tightened instantly. A sudden wave of nausea hit her stomach. Her breathing stopped.
She approached the partially open bedroom door. Her footsteps were completely silent.
She stopped at the edge of the doorframe. She pulled her smartphone out of her designer purse. Her fingers trembled against the smooth glass screen.
She opened the camera application. She hit the red record button.
Nia stepped fully into the doorway. She held the phone steady with both hands, framing the massive room.
Coby and Cortney were tangled together on the white king bed. The sheets were a mess of twisted cotton.
Nia drew in a sharp breath. The sound cut through the room like a cracking whip.
Coby snapped his head toward the door.
He froze completely. The blood drained from his face in a single second. His jaw dropped.
Cortney looked over his bare shoulder. Her lips curved into a deliberate, smug smirk. Her eyes locked onto Nia's camera lens.
Cortney pulled the white sheet up over her chest. She let out a dramatic, fake gasp.
Coby scrambled backward in sheer panic. His legs tangled in the heavy duvet.
Nia tapped the screen. She stopped the recording. The file saved directly to her cloud drive.
Coby fell off the edge of the bed. He hit the hardwood floor with a loud, heavy thud.
"Nia!" Coby stammered.
He raised his hands in a frantic, pleading gesture. His chest heaved. "It's not what it looks like. I swear."
Nia raised her right arm. She threw the velvet box directly at his bare chest.
The box bounced off his collarbone. It hit the floor. The lid popped open. The custom silk tie spilled out, landing right next to Cortney's discarded dress.
Nia looked down at her left hand. She grabbed the heavy diamond engagement ring. She pulled it off her finger in one smooth motion.
She tossed the ring onto the glass coffee table.
The metal clinked sharply against the glass. The sound echoed in the dead silence of the room.
Nia looked Coby dead in the eye. Her voice was ice-cold.
"The engagement is over."
She did not wait for his reply. She turned on her heel.
She walked briskly out of the bedroom. She crossed the living area. She exited the suite and pulled the heavy oak door shut behind her. The latch clicked into place.
She walked rapidly toward the elevator banks. She opened her email application.
She attached the video file. She typed Coby's email address. She hit send.
She opened her contacts. She blocked his number.
The brass elevator doors slid open. Nia stepped inside. The doors closed, sealing the hallway away.
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