Dumped and Divorced, Renew to be Exclusive

Chapter 11

Liora

Gina was exactly how I remembered her vibrant, loud, and full of energy that seemed to fill any space she walked into.

The next morning, she showed up at my desk with a coffee in each hand, her smile bright enough to make me forget how little sleep I’d gotten. “Come on, rookie,” she said with a teasing grin. “You’re getting the grand tour today.”

I followed her through the halls of Reeve Holdings, trying to memorize the maze of offices, glass walls, and sleek furniture. Gina knew everyone. She greeted coworkers with easy familiarity, cracked jokes with the receptionists, and even managed to make the IT guy blush within two minutes.

By the time we returned to my desk, I felt more comfortable than I had since arriving. Gina leaned on the partition, sipping her coffee. “So,” she said, “where are you staying right now?”

“At Ezra’s place,” I said softly, still a little uncertain about how much to share. “Just temporarily, until I find something.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Wait. You’re living with Ezra?”

I quickly shook my head. “Not like that. He’s just being kind. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

Gina studied me for a second, then smiled. “Well, that works out perfectly, because I just broke up with my boyfriend, and I can’t afford that apartment alone. You need a place, I need a roommate, fate.”

I laughed, surprised at how easily she said it. “You don’t even know if I’m a terrible roommate yet.”

“Oh, please,” she said, waving her hand dramatically. “You’re tidy, polite, and you don’t look like the type who throws parties at three in the morning. You’re hired.”

Her energy was contagious, and before I knew it, I was smiling. “Alright, let’s talk about it after work.”

“Done,” she said, clinking her coffee cup against mine. “And tonight, we celebrate your first week at Reeve Holdings. No excuses.”

I hesitated. “Celebrate? How?”

She grinned. “We’re going out.”

That evening, the city lights glittered like fallen stars, reflecting off wet pavement from a recent drizzle. Gina led the way to a lively bar tucked between two tall buildings. The music was soft, the air smelled faintly of citrus and whiskey, and laughter bubbled around us from every direction.

“This is my favorite spot,” Gina said, sliding into a booth. “Not too crowded, not too quiet. Perfect for people-watching and pretending we’re mysterious women with complicated lives.”

I smiled faintly. “I think I already qualify as that.”

She laughed. “Then we’ll get along perfectly.”

When the waiter came, Gina ordered cocktails for both of us before I could protest. I hadn’t been in a place like this for years. Not since before the marriage, before the silence that had swallowed my life whole.

It felt strange at first, but slowly, I began to relax. Gina talked about everything her ex-boyfriend, office drama, even embarrassing stories from college. I found myself laughing more than I had in months.

Eventually, the conversation turned to me.

“So,” she said, tilting her glass toward me. “You. What’s your story?”

I hesitated, swirling the drink in my hand. The liquid shimmered under the dim light. “It’s complicated.”

“Those are the best kinds,” she teased gently. “Come on. I told you about my disaster of a breakup.”

I took a slow breath. “I was married,” I said quietly. “For years. To someone who stopped loving me a long time ago. And I didn’t see it until it was too late.”

Gina’s playful expression softened. “He cheated?”

“With someone I knew.”

Her lips parted slightly, and for once, she didn’t have anything to say. Then she reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “You didn’t deserve that.”

I nodded, my throat tight. “We divorced. I thought I’d be relieved, but I mostly just feel lost.”

“Well,” she said after a moment, “then it’s time you stopped being lost. You’ve done the sad part. Now it’s time to live a little.”

“Live a little?” I repeated with a small smile.

“Exactly,” she said, lifting her glass. “You’re in New York now. No husband, no drama, no limits. You get to rediscover yourself. Starting tonight.”

Before I could respond, a man approached our table. He was tall, confident, wearing a dark shirt that fit too perfectly not to notice.

“Ladies,” he said with a charming smile, “mind if I buy your next round?”

Gina grinned immediately. “If you insist.”

He ordered drinks, then slid into the seat beside her without hesitation. The man introduced himself as Robert, and within minutes, he had Gina laughing again, her hair falling over her shoulder as she leaned closer.

I sat quietly beside her, sipping my cocktail and pretending to be absorbed in the flickering candlelight. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention anymore the kind that came with loud laughter, flirtatious smiles, and casual touches.

When Robert turned his attention to me, I forced a polite smile. “And what about you?” he asked. “Do you live around here?”

“Just moved,” I said simply.

“Ah,” he said, his eyes sharp but kind. “Starting fresh. I like that.”

Before I could answer, he leaned back, resting an arm on the booth. “Why don’t you two join me in the private room? It’s quieter there. Easier to talk.”

I hesitated, glancing at Gina. She seemed thrilled by the idea. “Come on, Liora,” she whispered. “It’ll be fun. We don’t have to stay long.”

Something in me resisted. Maybe it was the quiet instinct that had learned to be cautious after years of betrayal. But Gina’s pleading look and the lightness in her voice broke through my hesitation.

“Alright,” I said softly. “Just for a little while.”

The private room was tucked behind a long velvet curtain. As we stepped inside, I froze.

Sitting on the leather couch, drink in hand, was Ezra.

For a moment, I thought I was imagining him. But when his eyes lifted and met mine, the shock in his expression was real.

“Ezra?” I breathed.

Robert blinked, looking between us. “You two know each other?”

Ezra set his drink down slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. “You could say that.”

The air in the room shifted immediately. The easy laughter that had followed us from the bar evaporated. Gina glanced between us, clearly confused, while Robert’s friendly smile faltered into something uncertain.

I could feel my cheeks burning. “I didn’t know you were here,” I said, my voice barely steady.

“I can see that,” Ezra replied quietly. His tone wasn’t angry, but there was something unreadable in it something that made my pulse race for all the wrong reasons.

Robert cleared his throat. “Ezra, I didn’t realize she was a friend of yours. Small world, huh?”

Ezra gave him a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Apparently so.”

Gina, sensing the sudden tension, grabbed my arm lightly. “Maybe we should—”

“No,” Robert said quickly, forcing a laugh. “It’s fine. We’re just having a drink. No harm in that.”

Ezra didn’t argue, but the muscle in his jaw tightened ever so slightly. He stood, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt as if collecting himself.

“Come in,” he said, his voice polite but unmistakably controlled. “There’s space.”

Gina tugged me forward gently, and we stepped farther into the room. The others two men and a woman barely glanced up, too wrapped in their own conversation.

I took a seat on the edge of a small sofa. Gina slid in beside me, while Robert settled on her other side, leaning comfortably into the cushions. Ezra returned to his seat opposite us, but his eyes flicked toward me more than once. I pretended not to notice.

Robert snapped his fingers playfully. “Alright, ladies time for real fun. You up for a game?”

Gina perked up immediately. “Always.”

I hesitated, but with everyone watching, I nodded. “Sure.”

“Good,” Robert said. “Truth or drink.”

Gina clapped like a child. “Oh, this is going to get messy.”

I smiled nervously. “Please go easy on me.”

“No promises,” she whispered.

Robert leaned forward. “Liora, since you’re the newest one here you start.”

Of course.

He smirked. “Truth, have you ever broken someone’s heart?”

My breath caught. Not because the question was inappropriate but because of the memories it dragged forward.

“No,” I murmured. “But someone broke mine.”

His expression softened. “Drink-free answer. Respect.”

Ezra didn’t move, but I felt his attention sharpen, almost as if he was listening harder.

Gina pointed dramatically at Robert. “Your turn.”

He raised a brow. “Hit me.”

She smirked. “Truth, have you ever flirted your way out of trouble?”

Everyone laughed even Ezra cracked a silent smile.

Robert reached for his drink. “I’ll drink to that.”

“Coward,” Gina teased.

“Strategic,” he corrected.

The game continued, spiraling into laughter, teasing, and mocking groans whenever someone chose to drink instead of answer. I lost once just once and when Robert slid a shot glass toward me, Ezra moved faster than anyone should have been able to.

“She’s not drinking that,” he said calmly, picking up the glass.

Before I could protest, he tipped his head back and swallowed the entire shot.

My lips parted. “Ezra, I can—”

“It’s fine,” he said, as if it meant nothing.

But something in his eyes said it was anything but nothing.

Robert let out a low whistle. “Man of the hour.”

Gina nudged me under the table. Hard. I gave her a look that screamed stop, but she only wiggled her brows.

The game shifted into casual conversation after that. The group became looser, funnier, softer with each passing round. Gina was fully in her element teasing Robert, poking fun at the others, and drawing laughter from every corner of the room.

I started to relax. The atmosphere, despite the tension I initially felt, had settled into something warm and comfortable.

Ezra eventually left his seat and sat on the sofa beside ours not too close, but close enough that I could feel the faint heat of him.

“How are you holding up?” he asked quietly.

I turned toward him. “I’m okay.”

“You don’t have to stay if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I’m not,” I said softly.

He didn’t respond, but the faintest hint of relief touched his expression.

The group shifted into another game cards this time. Gina insisted on teaching me, even though I clearly had no idea what I was doing. Somehow, I ended up losing three rounds in a row.

Gina laughed so hard she nearly fell off the sofa. “Liora, my love, you are terrible at this.”

“I’m trying!” I protested, laughing with her.

Robert leaned toward her. “Help her, coach.”

Ezra picked up the cards from the table and showed me quietly, “This beats that. And this beats both.”

His voice was low, warm, steady. The kind of tone that made my heartbeat slow or speed up. I couldn’t tell the difference.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He met my eyes for a moment too long.

Eventually the game dissolved into casual chatter again. Music hummed through the speakers, soft and rhythmic. The city lights outside cast the room in shades of amber and gold.

For a moment, it felt like the world outside didn’t exist. Like I was suspended in a place where laughter was safe and people were kind.

Gina elbowed me. “You having fun?”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “I really am.”

“That’s good,” she said, smiling warmly. “You deserve it.”

Robert stood and stretched. “Alright break time. Who needs another drink?”

Gina shot up. “Me.”

They walked off toward the bar, still bickering playfully. The others went to the bathroom or stepped out to take calls, leaving the room almost empty.

Just Ezra and me.

The air shifted.

He leaned back on the sofa, arms resting casually on the back cushion, his gaze steady. “Do you know Robert?”

I shook my head quickly. “No. He just joined us at the bar.”

He nodded once, jaw easing slightly. “I figured.”

“Were you surprised to see me here?” I asked, voice small.

His gaze softened. “More than surprised.”

“How surprised?”

He exhaled a quiet laugh. “Enough to forget what I was saying mid-sentence.”

I felt heat rush to my cheeks. “Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” His voice was warm. “It was a good surprise.”

Before I could say anything else, Gina burst back into the room with fresh drinks, shouting, “Round two!”

The moment broke but the warmth it left behind stayed.