A Chance Encounter

Chapter 6: A Chance Encounter 

Plastering on the most neutral expression I could manage, I turned around slowly.

“Liam. Fancy seeing you here.”

He smiled, that same charming smile that used to make my heart race. Now it just made my blood boil.  

 “Ethan,” he greeted, as if we were old friends who’d parted amicably. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Not long enough, I thought bitterly, but I kept my face calm. “Yeah, it has.”

Liam gestured toward the man standing beside him—tall, poised, and irritatingly perfect. His dark hair was styled with just the right amount of mess, and his tailored suit screamed wealth and class. This had to be Owen.

“Ethan, this is Owen,” Liam said, his hand lingering a little too possessively on Owen’s shoulder. “Owen, meet Ethan. We—uh, we used to date.”

There it was. The awkward introduction. I wanted to laugh at how Liam stumbled over his words, but I settled for a raised eyebrow. Owen, however, extended his hand like he was meeting an old friend at brunch.

“It’s a pleasure, Ethan,” Owen said, his voice smooth and polite, like he hadn’t just intruded into my life. “Liam’s told me a lot about you.”

I bet he has. I clasped his hand briefly, my grip tighter than necessary. “Has he?”

Owen smiled faintly, but before he could respond, Liam jumped in, filling the silence with his annoyingly cheerful tone.

“So, how have you been, Ethan? Still at the marketing firm?”

I didn’t miss the smug look flickering in Liam’s eyes, like he was trying to play the good guy while rubbing his happiness in my face. I folded my arms across my chest and forced a shrug.

“Work’s been fine,” I replied tersely. “Busy, but fine. Not that you’d care.”

“Of course I care,” Liam said, with that look—a mix of patronizing concern and fake sincerity. “We shared a lot, didn’t we? It’s only natural I’d wonder how you’re doing.”

I snorted, unable to hold it in. “Right. You care so much that you—” I cut myself off, biting down on the words I wanted to spit out. You care so much that you cheated.

Owen glanced at Liam, then back at me, as if picking up on the tension. “Liam mentioned you’re great at what you do. That’s impressive, Ethan.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, my tone flat, “he always did have a way with compliments.”

Liam cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ethan—uh, you got the invitation, right? To the wedding?”

I froze for half a second, my chest tightening at the reminder. Of course, he would bring that up now, as if he wanted to twist the knife. I forced my jaw to relax before speaking.

“I got it.”

“Good!” Liam said too brightly, his smile a little too big. “We’d love to see you there. Really, it would mean a lot. I know it might be... awkward, but—”

“Awkward?” I cut him off, my voice sharper than I intended. “No, not at all. Why would it be awkward?”

Liam blinked, clearly thrown. “I just meant—”

“I’ll be there,” I interrupted, plastering on the fakest smile I could muster. “And you know what? I'm sure it'll be fantastic.”

Liam’s brows knitted together for a split second before smoothing out. “That’s great, Ethan. I’m really glad you’re doing well.”

“Couldn’t be better,” I replied, letting my smile harden.

Owen stepped in then, gently placing his hand on Liam’s arm. “We should get going, Liam. You don’t want to be late for your meeting.”

“Right, right,” Liam said, turning back to me with that stupid grin. “It was really good seeing you, Ethan. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Sure,” I replied through gritted teeth.

Owen gave me a polite nod. “It was nice meeting you, Ethan. Hopefully, we’ll see you at the wedding.”

I didn’t respond, just turned my gaze away as they walked toward Liam’s sleek black car, still chatting like nothing had happened. I watched Owen rest a hand on Liam’s lower back before they got in, and something sharp twisted in my chest.

I stood there frozen, the hurt mixing with anger until my pulse thudded in my ears. Of course Liam looked happy.

 He’d moved on. And me? I was standing here like a fool, struggling to hold my emotions together.

Clara’s voice from earlier echoed in my mind—“Don’t let him get to you.”

I took a deep breath, pulling out my phone. My hand trembled slightly as I typed the message.

Me: We need to meet. Wedding prep.

The reply came almost instantly.

Riley: Name the time and place.

I exhaled slowly, my lips curling into a determined smile.

“Liam,” I muttered to myself, slipping my phone into my pocke

t. “You have no idea what’s coming.”

This time, I wasn’t going to let him win.