Chapter15
1428 Words
The music dimmed, replaced by a soft piano melody drifting through the air like the calm before a storm. The host’s voice rang out, rich and excited.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…”
The crowd turned to the golden platform in the center of the ballroom. Cameras lifted. Conversations stilled. Champagne flutes stilled mid-air.
Ava stood near the far side of the room, Damien's hand resting on the small of her back like a silent chain. Her stomach twisted into knots. Her breath came too quickly. Her skin itched beneath the fabric of the red dress she’d once admired in the mirror.
And then… Ethan stepped up onto the platform.
He was smiling. But it wasn’t the boyish grin she used to love, it was polished now, rehearsed. His eyes never searched the crowd for her. His hand never hesitated as he reached for Lily.
Lily followed him up, glowing like a goddess in silk. Her gown shimmered under the lights, her golden hair cascading in effortless curls. She smiled as if nothing had ever gone wrong in her world. A princess about to claim her throne.
Between them, a velvet box was opened, and inside were two matching diamond rings.
The room erupted in applause as Lily extended her hand and Ethan slid the ring onto her finger.
Ava couldn’t breathe.
Her heart punched against her ribs. Her eyes stung.
And then Lily returned the gesture, slipping the ring onto Ethan’s finger with practiced grace. The audience clapped louder, cheers filling the air. Some stood to applaud. Cameras flashed like fireworks.
Ava stood still, drowning in silence.
Her body felt frozen, a statue carved from heartbreak.
She tried not to look. Tried not to feel.
But her eyes betrayed her, locking onto Ethan’s hand as he held Lily’s. A hand that used to wipe away her tears. A hand that used to pull her close at night.
And now, it belonged to someone else.
Beside her, Damien clapped lazily, his expression unreadable.
She turned her head slightly, and even that small movement made her feel like breaking. Damien’s face was emotionless, his jaw hard. Not a trace of pity. No warmth in his eyes. As if he couldn’t care less about the girl trembling beside him.
And maybe he didn’t.
Ava swallowed hard, her lips parting slightly to breathe through the rising ache in her throat. But her chest kept tightening. Her vision blurred at the edges.
She needed air.
With every bit of strength she had, she forced her feet to move. Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she stepped away from Damien’s touch.
He glanced at her briefly.
“Where are you going?” His voice was low, sharp.
She didn’t answer.
She couldn’t.
If she opened her mouth, she’d fall apart.
Ava pushed through the crowd, the scent of expensive perfume and champagne clinging to her as she passed by glimmering gowns and tailored suits. No one noticed the girl in the red dress slipping away.
And maybe that was fitting.
She was always easy to forget.
Outside, the night air hit her like a slap.
Cold. Raw. Real.
She stepped out onto the balcony, wrapping her arms around herself as if that could keep the pieces of her heart from falling apart.
Her back hit the wall, and she slid down slowly, her dress pooling around her legs. Her breathing shook. The tears came now, freely. Silently.
And for once, she let them.
Because inside, the man she had once loved was promising forever to someone else.
And the man who claimed her now…
Was only dragging her deeper into a game she didn’t understand.
The night air bit into Ava’s skin, but she didn’t move.
Her shoulders trembled as her cries broke free, no longer silent, no longer held back. Each sob clawed its way up her throat, raw and cracked. Her hands clenched at the fabric of her dress like she was trying to hold herself together trying and failing.
Tears streamed down her cheeks in thick, hotlines, washing away the last traces of the flawless makeup she’d worn. Her chest rose and fell with jagged breaths as the weight of everything the night, the betrayal.
She couldn't stop.
It hurt too much.
Her knees buckled under her, and she crumpled slowly to the floor. The cold marble bit into her skin, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. Not anymore. Her sobs grew louder, echoing in the quiet of the balcony. She didn’t care who heard.
Ava had spent so long holding it in.
Now she broke.
She folded over herself, her hands covering her face, tears slipping between her fingers as her body shook violently. Her cries were a melody of pain and heartbreak.
Then, something warm draped over her shoulders.
She froze.
Her head lifted slightly, and through the blur of tears, she saw the dark fabric of a suit jacket settle around her bare shoulders.
She turned.
Damien stood behind her.
His face was shadowed in the soft lighting of the balcony, but there was no mistaking the man who had haunted her for days, no mistaking those cold, unreadable eyes staring back at her.
Ava rose shakily to her feet, dragging the jacket tighter around herself like armor. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but she stood tall, looking him straight in the eye despite the tears streaking down her face.
"You knew," she whispered, voice trembling. "You knew Ethan was my ex. You knew he was getting married to your sister."
Damien didn’t move.
Her voice cracked. “You knew me from the start.”
He said nothing.
“So why?” she asked, louder now. “Why did you offer me a contract? Why did you approach me at all?” Her eyes were glassy, her lips trembling. “Do you feel good seeing me break like this? Watching me fall apart?”
She took a staggering step forward, her chest heaving with every word.
“Why?” she screamed, and her voice cracked in half.
Her fists balled at her sides, and the tears didn’t stop. She swiped them away with her hands, rough and frustrated, but they kept falling, new ones replacing the old in an endless storm.
Damien’s expression didn’t change. Calm. Collected.
But his voice was steady as he said, “I want to end their relationship.”
Ava blinked.
“I don’t want my sister to marry a scumbag like him,” Damien continued, quiet but firm. “Ethan’s not the man she thinks he is.”
Ava’s chest tightened, confusion and rage colliding in her. “What does that have to do with me?”
Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Because we’ll do it together.”
Her breath caught.
“I’m using you, Ava. You’re my pawn,” he said with cruel honesty. “I could destroy Ethan alone but that would hurt my sister. And she doesn’t deserve that.”
Ava’s mouth dropped slightly as if trying to form words but finding none.
Instead, all she could do was laugh soft and heartbreaking, full of disbelief. “What about me?” she said, tears falling again. “What about my feelings, huh? What about me?”
She slapped a hand to her chest, pain bursting in every word.
“I’m hurt too. I’m still bleeding inside,” she whispered, voice breaking. “But that doesn’t matter… because I'm nobody, right? Just some shattered girl who fits perfectly into your little game.”
Her lips trembled as she wiped her tears again, her palms streaked with black from the ruined mascara. But no matter how many times she wiped them away, the tears just kept falling back down, again and again, like they refused to let her go.
Damien took a step closer. The distance between them shrank, but the space between their hearts remained an abyss.
“So you understand now,” he said, his voice quiet but razor-sharp.
He reached out and brushed a smudge of mascara from her cheek.
“Clean those tears,” he said, flat and final. “Fix your face. Your makeup is getting ruined.”
He leaned in, his voice dropping an octave colder.
“I don’t want people to see my girlfriend in this messed-up state.”
Ava’s eyes widened her breath catching, her lips parting as if slapped by his words.
Her expression was broken, wide-eyed, betrayed, and utterly hollow. The storm behind her eyes swirled with agony and disbelief.
- Writer
