Chapter 4

Liana's POV

I ran to the bathroom like a ghost was chasing me. My chest felt tight, and the tears I had been holding back for the last five minutes were burning at the corners of my eyes, about to spill over and ruin my makeup. Why did he have to show up everywhere I went?

I pushed the door open, slipped inside, and locked it behind me for a second. Leaning over the sink, I turned on the cold tap and splashed water on my face. The shock of it helped a little.

Get a grip, Liana. He’s not your husband anymore. He’s just your scumbag ex-husband. A heartless, cheating bastard who threw you away like yesterday’s trash.

I repeated the words in my head like a mantra. The bathroom door creaked open behind me. I didn’t turn around immediately, thinking it was just a random lady, but it was Elena Hart instead. She walked straight to the mirror beside me, completely ignoring my presence at first. She pulled out a tube of blood-red lipstick and began touching it up. “Some people just can’t seem to stop being desperate for attention,” she said lightly, as if talking to herself. Her voice was smooth, 

 “It’s almost pathetic, really.”

My blood boiled. The nerve of her! More so the nerve of Gabriel to question me about the men I was seen with, while parading this woman around like some kind of prize. I clenched my fists so tight my nails dug into my palms, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction by throwing a fit.

I straightened up, wiped my face with a paper towel, and looked at my reflection once more. Then I turned and walked out without a word, swaying my hips.

When I got back to the table, Richard stood up halfway, concern written all over his face. Gabriel was still across the room, his eyes watching me like a hawk. Just seeing him made my stomach twist. I quickly looked away and sat down.

Richard reached over and patted my shoulder softly. “Hey, is everything alright? You spent quite some time in the bathroom.”

His eyes were warm and full of genuine care. I gently removed his hand from my shoulder.

“I’m good,” I said, forcing a small smile. “I’ve just been stressed lately. The divorce and everything… It's a lot.”

Richard nodded slowly, studying my face for a moment.

“You must still love him so much, huh?” he asked quietly.

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Your ex-husband.”

His words made me pause. I lowered my head, staring at the half-empty glass of wine in front of me. The last thing I wanted was to talk about that bastard. I stood up so fast my chair scraped loudly against the floor. “I need some air.”

Breathing the same air as Gabriel in this confined space was making me physically sick. My skin felt hot and uncomfortable.

Hey, Liana, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said quickly, following me. He gently grabbed my arm to stop me. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

I paused, looking at his sincere face. Still, I pulled my arm away, softer this time. “It’s fine, Richard. I just… I can’t be here right now.” Grabbing my purse from the table, I turned away from Richard without another word.

“I’ll text you when I reach home,” I said quickly, “Liana, wait—” Richard called after me, but I kept walking, pushing through the restaurant doors and stepped out into the cool New York night.

I thought I was strong enough to pretend Gabriel’s presence didn’t matter anymore. That I could smile, laugh, and move on like the past three years meant nothing. Who the fuck was I deceiving?

It hurt. It hurt so badly my chest felt like it was being squeezed. I reached the curb and raised my hand, hoping to hail a taxi. Yellow cabs passed by, but none stopped. I dug inside my purse for cash and froze. Shit!

 I hadn’t carried any money because Richard had picked me up from the townhouse earlier.

The townhouse was miles away. There was no way I could walk that far in these heels, especially not at night. My feet already throbbed from earlier. I made up my mind to swallow my pride and go back inside to ask Richard for a ride.

Just as I turned around, a sleek black Maybach glided to a stop right in front of me. The tinted window rolled down smoothly, revealing the driver.

I recognized him immediately, it wasHarry, Gabriel’s personal assistant. He stepped out of the car and gave me a small, respectful nod.

“Miss Claymore,” he said calmly. “Please.” He motioned toward the open back door of the car, 

“I'm not going with you,” 

I flat out refused his offer pondering whether or not I should go back to the restaurant. If his assistant kept following me, it would be too awkward. Honestly, I didn’t want any drama with Elena right now. All I wanted was to get home, rest my head on my soft pillow, and sleep for hours.

I walked forward along the quiet street, hoping to spot a taxi. My shoes felt tighter with every step, and my feet were already burning. Maybe there’s a kind driver who will understand my situation, I thought. But I walked more than a mile, and still no sign of anyone. The street was almost empty, just a few cars passing far away. Ughhh, today is really not my day.

Beep! Beep!

A sharp horn sounded behind me. I turned and saw the same black car slowly following. That assistant was still there, wwatching followingme like a creep.  I glared at him in irritation. But my feet were aching badly now, like hot coals inside my shoes. I finally gave up and opened the car door.

“To the townhouse,” I said sharply, sliding into the back seat.

The car started moving smoothly. The drive from here to my townhouse would take about thirty minutes. I leaned back against the cool leather seat and closed my eyes. The gentle breeze from the half-open window touched my face like a soft kiss. It felt so good after the long, stressful evening. My body started to relax.

My phone buzzed inside my purse. I pulled it out and saw a text from Richard:

“I’m sorry I made you feel awkward tonight. Can I make it up to you?”

I felt a little guilty for leaving him alone at the restaurant. After all, he had helped me move my heavy furniture just a few days ago. I stared at the message for a few seconds, then typed back:

“It’s okay, Richard. Don’t worry about it.”

He replied almost immediately:

“I still want to make it up to you. Let me do something nice.”

Before I could answer, my phone rang. It was Richard calling. I picked up.

“Oh my goodness, Liana!” he said, his voice warm but full of worry. “I thought you were mad at me for bringing up your ex-husband like that. Who does that? I was so insensitive to your feelings.”

I smiled a little, even though he couldn’t see me. “It’s okay, Richard. Really. I don’t have any feelings for him anymore. He was just a passerby in my life, and I’m so thankful I got rid of him.”

The assistant sitting in the front seat cleared his throat loudly, as if he was giving me a signal that he was listening to every word. I rolled my eyes hard.

He can go and tell his boss whatever he wants, I thought. I don’t give a shit.

Richard continued on the phone, sounding relieved. “Since we’re good now, you can come to my father’s birthday party, right? He will be so glad to see you after all this time. He always asks about you, I wanted to ask you over dinner, but then again….” I nodded immediately. “Yes, I’ll be there.” After all it would be disrespectful to refuse.”

“Great!” Richard said happily. “I’ll send you the clothes and accessories tomorrow. And I’ll tell Dad — he’ll be over the moon to see you.”

I wanted to tell him there was no need for new clothes or anything fancy, but he switched off the phone before I could say another word. Typical Richard, so impulsive.

The car came to a stop. “Madam, we have arrived,” the assistant said politely. My face tightened at the word “Madam.” “I’m not your Madam anymore,” I snapped. “Call Elena that, and ohh tell your boss not to appear in front of me again, I have a new man and he will be jealous if he sees my scumbag ex husband around me” I grabbed my purse angrily, slammed the door, and walked toward my front door without looking back.

The moment I stepped inside my quiet house, I kicked off my painful shoes. The first thing I did was strip off my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the bathroom floor. I ran a warm bath, poured in some lavender-scented oil, and sank slowly into the bubbly water. The heat wrapped around my tired body like a comforting hug. Steam rose gently around me as I leaned my head back against the tub and let out a long, deep sigh. I stayed like that for some few minutes before freshening up.

The moment I entered my room, my phone lit up, I checked, it was just random notifications from the internet, I wanted to ignore it but then one of them caught my eyes — Gabriel and Elena kissing