Chapter One

Serena

I arrive outside the Arison hotel in my town car. It is my first public appearance in over a year, but tonight, everything changes. I am here for two reasons and two reasons only. Firstly, I have my eyes on someone and secondly, because I know my ex-husband and his new fiancée will be here, aka my ex-best friend, since it is his family who owns it. I have vanished for a year. I am sure they believe they won’t ever see me again. I can’t wait to see their faces. I am not the same woman from a year ago. Tonight is their engagement party.

My driver comes around to open the door, and I step out. The second I do, all cameras are on me. I smooth out my designer dress, fluff my hair and walk by the press with confidence, ignoring their questions fired at me. The second I walk into the ballroom, all eyes are on me. Some people are shocked to see me, others are not happy, but I don’t care. I am here for a purpose. I smile sweetly and pivot through the crowd. Everything whispers as I pass by. It has been a year; they should have moved past the scandal by now. I roll my eyes and head for the bar.

I order a drink and only manage to take a sip before I am interrupted.

“Serena, what are you doing here?”

I know who it is without even needing to look. When you are in a relationship with someone for eight years and married for five, you become familiar with every single thing about them. He sounds mad, probably because I showed up at his engagement party. I can’t wait to see his parents. They will be thrilled to see me…not.

“I was invited.”

“By who?” he hisses.

“None of your business is who, Henry.”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

I take a sip of my drink and laugh, hopping down from the stool to take my place before him. He hasn’t changed much in a year, well, he has aged a little.

“I can be wherever I want, Henry.”

I watch his jaw clench, and he seems taken aback by my attitude. He was used to me being quiet and acting like the perfect little wife.

“Where have you been? You disappeared a year ago, and now what, you show up out of the blue? What game are you playing?”

“I am surprised you noticed. I am not playing any games, Henry. New York is my home, too. I plan on staying here.”

He closes any space between us and grabs my arm, dragging me away from the view of everyone else. It isn’t a surprise, his reputation was always the most important thing to him. He hides us in the corner of the room.

I yank my hand out of his grip. “Get your hands off me.”

“Why are you here? Do you want money?”

I scoff at his question. He knows that money has never been what’s important to me. “No, I have plenty of my own, thank you.”

I have nearly tripled the thirty million dollars I received in the settlement.

“If you are here to win me back, don’t even try. I am marrying Felicity in three months. I am not interested in you. Nothing would make me get back to you.”

He has a smug look on his face with every word. He believes his words are going to sting, and maybe a year ago, they would have, but not now. I laugh loudly and hard, so much so, my entire body shakes.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?” he hisses, forcing me against the wall.

I place my hands on his chest and push him away from me. “I would never want you again after what you did. I am looking for someone new. An upgrade. A man who knows how to satisfy me. Enjoy your new marriage.”

I barge by him, and as I do, Felicity appears. “W-w-what are you doing here?”

“How are my sloppy seconds, sweetie? Are you enjoying them? Is he everything you ever dreamed of? Was he worth losing your best friend of twenty years over?”

“Henry, can you give me a second to talk to Serena, please, babe?” she asks, looking over my shoulder at him.

“Yes, but don’t take long. We have guests.” He replies.

Henry stands between us and pulls her to his chest, kissing her deeply and passionately. Is the purpose of this to try to make me jealous? If so, he is wasting his time. When they part, he glances at me once more and smirks, walking away.  

The second Henry is out of sight, she steps closer to me. “What are you doing here? You have no right being here. This is my night! You aren’t taking him back. He is mine. He chose me! Not you,” she hisses, her face bright red in anger.

God, could she sound any more desperate and pathetic?

“Why would I want him back? He isn’t worth my time. You are welcome to my sloppy seconds, sweetie. I wouldn’t want him if he were the last man on earth.”

She does not look happy with my choice of words about her precious husband-to-be. I see her hand twitching out of the corner of my eye. “I don’t believe you. You want him back. There is no other reason for you to be here.”

“Listen and listen carefully, okay? I don’t want Henry. I will never want him again. He is a piece of shit who will do the same to you that he did to me. You aren’t as special as you think. You are welcome to him.”

Her arm swiftly moves, and her hand come towards my face, but she doesn’t have a chance to slap me because I grab her wrist.

“You better stay away, or I swear.” She threatens, trying to free her hand from my grip. Her body shakes from anger.

It is time for me to do something I should have done a year ago. I use my free hand and my palm connects with her face, hard. She gasps in shock, her eyes wide and she rubs her cheek which has a nice print of my hand on it. The bitch deserved it.

“Or what? Remember what you did? You pushed me, remember? I haven’t forgotten, and I am sure you haven’t either. Don’t threaten me, sweetie, because I am not the woman I used to be. I won’t hesitate to take you both down.”

She hangs her head in shame, her eyes firmly on the ground. I drop her hand and walk away from her. She can enjoy her life of misery with Henry. It isn’t my problem.