Chapter 3 Designated driver

Clara

I let him steer me away from the crowd into a quieter corner of the hall and pretended not to notice the heads that turned in unison towards our direction.

As soon as we got to the corner, he let go of my hand as if it was something filthy. His face twisted in anger. “How did you find this place? Didn’t I tell you to wait at home?”

“I—“

“Who’s she Ronan?” The redhead appeared, her bob swaying slightly. She laughed softly. “One of your little playthings?”

A soft gasp flew out my mouth before I knew it. The pictures had mostly been taken from the side so I hadn’t recognized her, but now I knew clearly who she was.

Veronica Stanton, a top model and Ronan’s ex fiancée. Six years ago, she’d dumped him and ran off right before they were supposed to get married and the elites of Manhattan had turned against her and her family for it. Their businesses had crumbled and packed up within months.

“Miss Stanton.” I said through clenched teeth. “I wasn’t aware you were back in America.”

One perfectly plucked brow arched high in mock surprise. “You know who I am?”

“Of course.” My laugh sounded about as smooth as solid granite. “You’re America’s sweetheart.”

She turned to Ronan, her lips curving up when she saw him looking at her. “Am I yours?”

My fingers curled as I fought the urge to smack the smile off her face. “What’s your relationship with my husband?”

She blinked, then gave me a once over. “You’re very direct aren’t you?”

“I find it less troublesome.” I said. “Now answer the question.”

“Clara.” Ronan grabbed my arm, the warning clear in his voice and in the bruising tightness of his grip. “You’re being rude.”

My mind flashed back to a news article I’d seen back then that’d spread like wildfire.

A reporter had recorded a video of Ronan at the airport, begging Veronica not to leave him.

I pulled my hand away, stumbling slightly at the effort it took to do so. “I’m being rude? You stood me up tonight just to attend a party with your ex fiancée and I’m the rude one?”

“People are watching.” He hissed. “Do you want to end up on tomorrow’s entertainment news?”

“Do you?” I asked in return. “What self respecting man leaves his wife waiting and goes off with his mistress instead?”

“Veronica is my friend.” The grip was back, and it was tighter now. “You will not disrespect her like this. Especially not here.”

“Your friend?” My eyes grew hot as I pulled out my phone from my bag and flipped to the pictures I’d received. “The kind of friend who sits on your lap? The kind of friend you kiss? Ronan are you taking me for a fool?”

“Lower your voice.” He hissed again and snatched the phone out of my hand. His face darkened as he checked all the pictures one after another. “Where did you get these pictures? Are you stalking me?”

“You should ask the one behind you where I got them.” I said, grabbing my phone back before turning to Victoria. “Wasn’t it enough that you humiliated him and his family once? Why did you come back?”

Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she raised her voice slightly. “I’m sorry Ronan, I know it sounds like an excuse but I really didn’t want you to suffer because of me back then. When I found out I had a hole in my heart, it was already too late to get surgery for it.

I knew the chances of me having a long healthy life were low, so I didn’t want you to have to go through that pain with me.”

“So that’s why.”

“I always thought there must have been a reason why she ended the engagement.”

“Poor Veronica.”

People started whispering in low tones all around, quietly expressing their support for Veronica.

I waited for Ronan to call out her obviously fake performance, but he didn’t. Instead his gaze softened and he wiped off a tear from her cheek. His voice was like dripping honey. “Don’t cry. What if you get sick again? You need to take care of your health.”

“I know I hurt you badly back then.” She said, looking into his eyes as she rested a hand on his chest. “I’ll do anything for your forgiveness. I’ll even kneel in front of everyone if you ask me to.”

He pulled her up before her knees could even bend properly, holding her tighter to his chest. “Why would you kneel?”

With cold eyes, I watched her. “Since you’re sick, then shouldn’t you be in a hospital somewhere? Why did you come back?”

“I came back to make amends” She said, tears rolling down her face like pearls. “A month ago, my doctor told me the hole in my heart had gotten slightly larger.” She looked around the hall. “I don’t know how much longer I have so I wanted to apologize to everyone I may have disappointed in the past by my reckless actions.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“She’s so dignified.”

“She must have gone through a lot.”

Public sentiment was even more in her favor, but as if to nail it down completely, Ronan walked to her side as soon as she straightened up.

He waited for the hall to quiet down before he started speaking. “Neither my family nor I has any ill feelings towards Veronica. Instead we appreciate her resilience and strength in such challenging circumstances and hope you’ll all welcome her back with open arms.”

Behind my eyes, rage burned as she leaned naturally into him. They were so close their lips could touch if one of them moved forward even slightly.

“Since you’re admitting your mistakes openly.” I said firmly, making sure everyone would hear my voice. “Why don’t you also apologize for sleeping with my husband?”

For a second, it felt like everyone collectively stopped breathing.

Then the whispers started again, but they were less flattering this time. Their accusing eyes turned to Veronica, contempt glowing freely from within them.

“Did she come back to be a mistress?” One woman whispered loudly and Veronica flushed.

“Are you crazy?” Ronan turned to me furiously. “Do you know how many reporters are here tonight?”

“You aren’t denying it.” I said calmly even though my knees were trembling with the effort it took to keep myself standing. “Neither of you are.”

Veronica held a hand to her chest. She stumbled slightly. “H-help me. I-I can’t breathe.”

“Veronica!” Ronan immediately turned back to her, his face full of fear. He led her to a chair and helped her sit. “Is that better?”

The same people who’d just been condemning her immediately crowded around her. “ Are you okay? Do you need water?”

“I’m sorry everyone, “ she said after a few minutes, her eyes turning red. “I’ve made such a fool of myself in front of you all.”

“It’s not your fault.“ A sharp voice quickly said. I watched a young woman in a dark blue sequins dress walk out. “Obviously, someone couldn’t wait to embarrass you.”

The entire hall turned to me in unison, their gazes unfriendly. For a moment, I had forgotten that, to this crowd, I was an anomaly. I would never fit in. I would never be one of them.

There would be no justice for me here.

Ronan walked over to me, a dark look on his face. He dragged me before them, only one word leaving his lips. “Apologize.”

I stared at him blankly. “What?”

His face turned colder. “Apologize to Veronica right now.”

I stood up straighter. “Why should I be the one to apologize? Did I say anything wrong?”

“You embarrassed Veronica in front of everyone.” He forced out through gritted teeth. “Do you want to ruin her career?”

For some strange reason, I could remain calm in that moment, almost as if I was detached from my own body. “What about her? Is she going to apologize for ruining my marriage?”

“He was her fiancé in the first place.” The woman in the blue dress argued. “If she hadn’t gotten sick, you wouldn’t have ever had the chance to marry him.”

“Cynthia,” Veronica called out weakly, stretching a hand to the woman who immediately rushed to her side after throwing me a glare. “You don’t have to fight for me.”

A tear slowly rolled down her face, and she sniffed. “Even if the whole world spits on me, I can’t stop my heart from feeling the way it does. But Ronan’s already married so we shouldn’t bring up talks of the past anymore.”

Ronan’s arm went quickly around her. “Don’t cry.” He looked around the hall. “Anyone that looks down on Veronica will have me to answer to. I don’t blame her for what happened in the past, so no one else should either.”

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. If he’d taken a knife and stabbed it into my chest, it would have hurt less than him so openly taking her side over mine. I took a step towards them and he finally looked at me. But the tenderness when he looked at Veronica wasn’t there. For me, there was only endless coldness.

“Leave if you aren’t going to apologize.” He said, his gaze staying on me for less than a second. “But don’t expect me to come back home until you do.”

I looked over at Veronica. Her eyes, green where his were brown, glowed with laughter, but she wasn’t done. She stumbled slightly as she got up and I could have sworn all the blood drained away from Ronan’s face as he caught her around her waist.

She leaned heavily on Ronan, then said in a faint voice. “Please take me to the hospital Ronan, my heart’s beating too fast. I think I’m going to faint.”

Ronan turned to me with a glare so cold it could have frozen an active volcano. “See what you’ve caused? You better pray nothing happens to her, otherwise…”

With that, he swept an arm under her knees and walked out of the hall with her in his arms, leaving me behind.

“She should have known better.” Someone snickered as I walked out the hall on legs that felt like they had turned into jelly. “They were bound to get back together in the end.”