Chapter 3

JADE

I arrived at the hotel thirty minutes before the event was supposed to begin.

The ballroom was beautiful, with large chandeliers hanging above the guests and waiters moving between tables with trays of drinks. Several reporters stood near the stage, checking their cameras.

I greeted a few people I knew before finding a seat near the front.

Julian hadn't arrived yet.

I checked my phone and sent him a message.

I'm here. Where are you?

He didn't reply.

He was probably busy. There were investors to greet, last-minute details to check, and a hundred things that could keep him occupied.

When the doors opened and he finally walked in, I stood up with a smile. Then I saw Vanessa beside him and my smile slowly disappeared.

She wore a beautiful ivory dress and held his arm as if she'd done it a thousand times before. Julian leaned toward her to say something, and she laughed.

I watched them cross the room and my heart raced as I tried to understand what he was doing with that woman.

He saw me. Our eyes met and he quickly looked away, blinking rapidly. He appeared guilty. What was he doing?

I sat down slowly, trying not to jump into conclusions.

Maybe she was there because of the investment. That made sense. Her company was involved in the expansion, and she was an important part of the deal.

But why hadn't Julian told me she was coming with him? And why had he told me that I didn't have to come?

I tried to focus on the presentation when it began.

He spoke confidently about the company's growth and it’s plans for the future. He thanked the investors, praised his team, and spoke about how much the company meant to him.

I listened while my fingers tightened around my phone.

I remembered the first time we'd discussed this expansion. We'd sat at my dining table with documents spread everywhere. He had worried that the company was growing too quickly, and I'd helped him work through the numbers.

We'd spent hours on it.

Now he stood on stage, smiling as people applauded.

He didn't mention me. Not even an acknowledgement.

I told myself it didn't matter. I wasn't there for praise. I was there because the company was something we'd built together and I was happy for him. For us.

Then Julian turned toward Vanessa.

"There's someone I'd like to thank personally." he said.

And for some reason, my stomach tightened.

"Vanessa Reed has been an important part of this new chapter. Her support and belief in my vision have helped make this expansion possible."

Vanessa joined him on stage and the room applauded.

I froze as my eyes moved between the two of them.

Then Julian took her hand.

"Tonight, I'm also happy to announce that Vanessa has agreed to become my wife."

I felt like someone had just dropped a large bucket of ice cold water on me.

The room erupted in applause. People stood, cameras flashed, and someone near the stage shouted congratulations.

I stared at Julian as it got hard to breathe, waiting for him to look at me.

He didn't.

My ears began to ring as I looked around helplessly. He was marrying Vanessa. What did that even mean?

The woman I'd caught in his bed. The woman he'd promised he'd stopped seeing. The woman I had introduced to him.

A few people nearby began whispering.

"Isn't he with someone else?"

"I thought they'd been together for years."

My face burned.

I couldn't sit there and listen to them talk about me like I was some embarrassing mistake in Julian's past.

I stood and pushed through the crowd, immediately earning stares from several people.

"Julian!"

He turned.

I tried to reach the stage, but two security guards stepped in front of me.

"Ma'am, you need to go back to your seat."

"Please, I just need to talk to him." I told them as I tried to move past.

"Not now."

"Julian!" I called again, trying to get his attention. "What is this? What are you doing?"

He looked at me from the stage.

I thought he might come down. I thought he might at least explain why he'd brought me here only to humiliate me in front of everyone.

Instead, he turned toward a staff member and said something.

The guards took my arms.

"Let go of me!" I protested. "I'm not trying to cause trouble. I need to speak to him."

One of them guided me toward the exit while the other walked beside us.

I kept looking back but Julian didn't follow, in fact, he was no longer looking at me. My partner of seven years didn't even spare me a glance as his security dragged me out.

As we passed a group of investors, I saw Dominic Cross watching me.

I'd met him at several business meetings. He was Julian's biggest rival, and the tension between them was obvious whenever they were in the same room.

He stood with one hand in his pocket, his dark eyes fixed on me. He simply watched as security escorted me out.

It was embarrassing, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

The doors closed behind me.

I stood in the hotel corridor, trying to catch my breath.

Inside, people were still clapping, I was already long forgotten.

My boyfriend was celebrating his engagement to another woman, and I was standing outside like someone who had no right to be there.

My fingers shook as I called his number but ge didn't answer.

I sent a message asking him to come outside and speak to me and he didn't reply.

I sat down on a chair near the hotel's entrance and waited.

I knew how ridiculous I must have looked dressed in a beautiful gown, with tears streaming down my painted face but I couldn't make myself leave. Surely, once the announcement was over, Julian would come out and explain.

He had to. We had been together for seven years.

He couldn't possibly throw all of that away without even speaking to me.

I didn't know how much longer I would have to wait before I finally understood that he wasn't coming to explain anything.