LOGINThe conversation drifted naturally after that.Fashion Week.Lawyers.Statements.Press.For the first time in weeks…The future sounded exciting again instead of exhausting.Then…A thought suddenly crossed my mind.I looked around the living room.“…Where’s Leo?”Pierce burst into laughter.“Now you remember you have a child?”I shot him a look.“Oh, shut up.”Ford chuckled.“We ran into Lily on our way home. He cried until she agreed to let him follow her.”I let out a relieved breath.“Thank goodness.”I stood, grabbing my handbag from the sofa.“I should take my bath and get some sleep before they return with all his noise and disturbance.”Camille laughed.“He’s not that noisy.”“Yes, he is. He inherited it from Pierce.”“Excuse me?”Pierce placed a hand dramatically against his chest.“I am a peaceful man.”“You’re exhausting.”He gasped. “I feel so insulted.”I started toward the staircase.“Wake me up for dinner.”“No.”Pierce answered immediately.I looked back.“…No?”“You’
Ford was still staring at me as though he expected me to suddenly admit the entire thing had been an elaborate joke.I folded my arms.“Well?”He exhaled through his nose.“I’m annoyed.”“I figured.”“You should’ve told us.”Hayes walked farther into the living room before loosening his tie.“You had the entire thing planned out.”“The café.”“The news.”“The live broadcast.”“The hidden camera.”“And not one of us knew.”There wasn’t any anger in his voice.Just disbelief.I rubbed the back of my neck.“I wanted it that way.”Pierce dropped onto the sofa with an exaggerated sigh.“So you really looked at all of us and thought…”He pointed at himself, then at Ford, then Hayes.“‘Nope. None of these people need to know.’”His finger suddenly shifted toward Camille.“You didn’t even tell Camille.”He raised an eyebrow.“…Or were you secretly in on it?”Camille blinked before quickly shaking her head.“I had no idea. I was just as shocked as you guys.”Pierce threw both hands into the ai
I looked down at Mia’s iPad.The first post I saw wasn’t about me.It was about Mirabel.MIRABEL MURPHY EXPOSED LIVE.The next one.THE WOMAN WHO DESTROYED HER OWN BEST FRIEND.Another.WE OWE AURELIA STERLING AN APOLOGY.My thumb slowly scrolled.The numbers were climbing so quickly they almost looked unreal.Hundreds of thousands of reposts.Thousands of views in just a few minutes.Thousands of new comments were appearing every second.The entire internet had shifted overnight.No…Within minutes.I opened the replies.>I judged Aurelia without hearing her side. I genuinely feel terrible.>I can’t imagine what this woman went through.>Mirabel literally admitted she posted the fake story herself.>I defended Mirabel all week. I feel so stupid now.>I hope Aurelia sues her.>I hope she wins every lawsuit possible.I continued scrolling.People weren’t only defending me anymore.They were furious.Mirabel stole her friend’s crush.Then stole her husband years later.Then tried to des
The words settled between us.Heavy.Sharp.Mirabel didn’t answer immediately.She simply stared at me.Then, slowly, irritation replaced the hesitation on her face.A short, humorless laugh escaped her.“You’re still stuck on something that happened over ten years ago?”Before I could answer, her phone vibrated against the table.She glanced at the screen.Whoever it was…She declined the call.I smiled faintly.“Well… someone else brought it back.”I reached for my coffee.“Someone decided to post a story about it.”I took a slow sip before setting the glass back down.“An incorrect story.”My fingers traced the cold glass absentmindedly.“To be honest… I had forgotten most of it.”I looked at her.“I’d buried it.”“I forgot those things ever happened.”I let out a soft breath.“But after reading that story…”“The memories started coming back.”“One after another.”I tilted my head slightly.“Especially the one where you returned to New York after your divorce…”My eyes never left h
Slowly…She looked back.I calmly picked up one of the pastries.“I thought you were bold.”I took a bite.Chewed slowly.“But you’ve proven…”I swallowed.“…time and time again…”“…how you’re just a scaredy-cat.”The change in her expression was immediate.Anger.Her jaw tightened.Her eyes narrowed.She looked like she wanted to throw something at me.I didn’t even look back at her.Instead, I calmly reached for my coffee.The silence stretched.One second.Two.Five.Then—The chair scraped softly against the floor.She sat back down.Exactly where she’d started.I took another sip.“I’m not scared of you.” Her voice was steady. “I’m not scared of anyone, Aurelia. You know that.”A smirk tugged at my lips.Only then did I finally meet her eyes again.“Yes. I know Mirabel Murphy isn’t scared of anyone.”I nodded slowly.“But… I have a question.”She didn’t answer.She simply waited.I leaned forward just enough to rest my forearms on the table.“Did I ever bully you in school?”For
Mirabel stepped into the café.Elegant.Perfectly styled.Every strand of her hair sat exactly where it was supposed to.A cream-colored dress hugged her figure effortlessly, paired with matching heels that clicked softly against the tiled floor as she walked inside.She looked expensive.Confident.Untouchable.At least…That was the image she had always wanted the world to see.The moment her eyes landed on me, she stopped for the briefest second.Almost too subtle for anyone else to notice.Her gaze swept across the café.Suspicious.Checking.Making sure this wasn’t a trap.Then, just as quickly, the expression disappeared.A practiced smile settled onto her face.She walked toward me with measured steps.“You wanted to see me.”She didn’t wait for an invitation.She pulled out the chair opposite mine, sat down gracefully, and placed her designer handbag on the table.Her chin lifted slightly.Like she still believed she was in control.I smiled.“Need to order anything?”“I have
The car door shut, and the noise disappeared instantly.Silence filled the space.I leaned back against the seat, my fingers resting loosely in my lap, my expression still perfectly in place, as if nothing had happened.Mia kept glancing at me.Once.Twice.Then again.She didn’t say anything at fi
I clicked on her profile.She’s all grown.I scrolled slowly, my thumb dragging across the screen. Different pictures. Different places. Then I saw it.Wedding pictures from three years ago.Then I noticed the message icon. She had already texted me.I tapped it open.Grace Mercer: Hi… Aurelia. I
I didn’t realize how much I had been holding onto until that moment.Until it broke.Footsteps came from the stairs and Mirabel’s expression changed instantly. Her face softened. Her shoulders relaxed. By the time Dominic walked in, she looked completely different.“Let’s go,” he said.His eyes fli
My legs felt weak.I couldn’t move.It was like my body had stopped listening to me the moment I saw her.Mirabel stood up slowly, smoothing her dress like she had all the time in the world. Then she started walking toward me.“It’s been a long time, Rel.”The nickname twisted something deep in my







