Chasing After My-Ex

Chapter 1

Tonight was the night. The night where Matt would finally propose to me.

As this thought turned like a wheel in Emily Hayes’ mind and caused her to feel more drunk than the glass of champagne in her hand, she looked around the place that was booming with the crowd that had come out to celebrate her boyfriend, Matt.

The rooftop glittered like a scene out of a movie—fairy lights strung between glass and well-dressed guests walked about sipping champagne. Even as Emily Hayes felt proud of herself for the months of planning, dozens of calls with florists and caterers and endless late nights coordinating every detail of this party, she nervously smoothed the skirt of her sapphire gown. Despite the noise around her, her mind was only on the impending proposal.

Tonight was it, she was sure. She could feel it in her bones.

“Emily!”

She turned just then even as her heart skipped at the sound of Matt’s voice. She sighed softly as she saw him approached, looking every bit the polished entrepreneur in his tailored suit and easy smile. His dark hair was combed to perfection and his posture was as confident as always.

God, how she loved this man. How she would do absolutely anything for him.

But then, as she studied his handsome face when he neared her, she frowned because there was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite place—something that felt off.

“Matt?” She asked, her concerned eyes searching his face even as her heart began to beat faster out of worry. “What is it? Is everything okay? Do you need anything?”

Before Matt could say a word to answer her anxious questions, a lady stepped close to him and held his hand.

Emily froze even as she recognized the lady immediately even though they had never met before.

Lila Carter.

Lila was a tabloid regular—model-thin, effortlessly glamorous, the kind of woman who seemed born to pose for cameras. Right now, she was draped in a silver gown that hugged her in all the right places, her bright red lips curving into a smile that sent ice trickling down Emily’s spine.

Emily was sure she wasn't in the list of invited guests so what the hell was she doing here?

She turned to Matt immediately, her eyes filled with questions even though she did not say anything.

“Emily, this is Lila,” Matt said, his tone sounding almost casual as if this introduction was the most natural thing in the world. “Lila, meet Emily.”

Emily blinked as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Confused, she turned to a smirking Lila.

“Hi,” she managed in a voice that was so tight her words came out strained.

“Hi,” Lila replied, her own voice as smooth as velvet. Her eyes flicked over Emily’s dress and her smile grew just a touch wider and more condescending.

Matt slipped an arm around Lila’s waist, his fingers resting on her hip as if he’d done it a thousand times before. And that was when it hit Emily—this wasn’t a casual introduction. This wasn’t a coincidence.

“What…what is this?” Emily asked in loud and an almost hysterical tone, paying no mind to the people around them. “What the hell is going on?”

Matt’s smile sharpened at the way she was panicking. “Lila and I have been seeing each other for a while now. I thought it was time you met her.”

The words knocked the air out of her lungs. The party around them blurred and the laughter and music fading into a distant hum. She stared at Matt and waited for him to say something—anything—that would make this make sense.

“You’re kidding,” she said finally when he didn't. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “You have got to be kidding me, right?”

Matt didn’t flinch at all. “No, Emily, I’m not. And honestly, I think you saw this coming.”

Her stomach churned. She felt the weight of a hundred pairs of eyes on her and the buzz in the air as whispers began to spread like wildfire among their guests.

“I… I don’t understand,” she stammered.

Matt sighed and it was as if she was a child failing to grasp a simple lesson. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something. She looked down to see that it was a brown envelope.

“I want to make this easier for you,” he said as he held it out.

Too stunned to move, Emily stared at it. “What is that?”

“It’s a check,” Matt said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “For everything you’ve done. Consider it my way of saying thank you.”

The blood drained from her face. “A check?”

“Yes,” he said, his tone impatient now. “It’s been fun, Em but let’s be honest…you’ve been hanging on for far too long. This isn’t your world. You don’t belong here.”

Her hands trembled as she reached for the envelope but she didn’t take it. Instead, she looked up at him as her eyes blazed with disbelief. “You think you can buy me off?”

“I think,” Matt said, his voice now sounding so cold it caused her to shiver, “that this is more than generous.”

That elicited sounds of shocked gasps from the crowd. Some of them burst out into laughter. Lila leaned into Matt while Emily's cheeks burned red out of embarrassment. Her lips were curved into a smirk and her eyes shone with victory. Emily simply couldn't look at her.

As Matt words hammered in her head, Emily’s vision blurred. She felt the weight of her humiliation pressing down on her and suffocating her.

After everything she had done for Matt, she couldn't believe he could do this to ever.

Just then, something inside her snapped. The tears threatening to fall dried up. And with deliberate calm, she reached for the envelope, grabbed it and ripped it clean in half.

The crowd went silent immediately as the sound of tearing paper echoed through the room.

Matt stared at the torn envelope and then at her as his smirk quickly vanished. “What the hell, Emily? What are you doing?”

She dropped the shredded pieces at his feet. Even through anger was raging inside her, her voice was cold as she looked into his shocked eyes and said, “I’m not for sale.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked away, her head held high and her heels clicking against the tiled floor as she did so.

Behind her, she heard Matt called out in a hysterical tone. “You’re making a mistake, Emily!”

She didn’t look back as she continued to walk away from him and the whispering guests to the elevators in front of her.

It was only when the elevator doors closed behind her and she leaned against the cool metal wall that her chest started heaving. Tears burned in her eyes but she took a deep breath and swallowed them down.

This wasn’t over, she knew.

Not by a long shot.