Billionaire's match novel

---- Chapter 718 Hearing George's words, Khloe felt her blood run cold. What he had just said... did it mean some terrible news had come? Her lips trembled, and her throat tightened painfully. No sound escaped, but a single tear slid down her cheek. Ralph lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. Arista immediately took her hand, guiding her to sit on the sofa, worried that she might collapse if left standing. A suffocating heaviness instantly filled the room. Arista frowned and glanced at George; her eyes were red.

Though he meant to caution and console Khloe, the words had landed too abruptly, too bluntly. After a long moment, Khloe tured to Ralph, her voice barely steady. "Ralph... has it... een confirmed... Nick's..." "No." Ralph paused, then quickly explained. "Most of the six bodies were burned beyond recognition. The remaining tissue couldn't be identified. We've scoured the surrounding area... and this is ---- all we have." He extended a hand, trembling slightly, and pushed forward a sealed plastic bag. Inside were a pair of diamond rings-Khloe and Nick's engagement rings.

Every eye in the room fell on them. The rings were twisted and charred. Once bright platinum, their surfaces were blackened and pitted with burn marks. One of the bands had even melted and resolidified in a grotesque, warped shape. Yet, amid the blackened, deformed metal, the two diamonds stubbornly remained in place. One was marred by a web of fine fractures across its surface, its fire extinguished, dull and scarred. The other, while relatively intact, was covered with a layer of ash, its brilliance dulled. Khloe's breath caught. She picked up the plastic bag and stared without blinking.

Arista covered her mouth, tears streaming uncontrollably. George closed his eyes, exhausted, unable to bear looking further. "These were... recovered from debris," Ralph said, his voice hoarse. "They were some distance from the blast center, lodged ---- in a crevice in the rock. The police have conducted preliminary cleaning and preservation because... these may be the only personal items directly linking Nick and Khloe." George's earlier words had been based on this discovery. Without any confirmed bodies, the appearance of these rings effectively extinguished...

the last thread of hope that he had survived. Khloe swallowed hard. After a long pause, she asked calmly, " This is all there is?" "Yes." Ralph's voice was strained. "The surrounding search areas have been thoroughly examined. Most traces were likely incinerated near the bus." Khloe lowered her head and let out a short, bitter laugh, almost as if recalling something. Her sudden reaction startled everyone, filling the room with even more anxious eyes. But Khloe wasn't imagining something sinister-she was remembering Nick's whispered words on the day of their engagement.

The feel of his hand in hers, the warmth of his palm, the sound of his voice... everything so close, so vivid. It was as if it had all happened just yesterday. And yet, in an instant, everything had become like this. ---- Her heart ached unbearably. Though her smile lingered, the tears flowed freely again, slipping down her face.