2
1049 Words
(Yasmine’s POV)
The grand ballroom shimmered under golden chandeliers, the scent of expensive wine and fresh roses lingering in the air. It was the kind of event that only the elite belonged to—a world that Leo belonged to.
A world I thought I belonged to.
I clutched my purse tightly as I stepped inside, my heels clicking against the marble floor. Nana’s event was bigger than I had expected. People in designer gowns and tailored suits filled the room, sipping champagne, exchanging pleasantries with smiles that never quite reached their eyes.
I felt out of place.
Maybe I shouldn’t have come. Maybe I should have gone home and waited for Leo’s call. But when Nana said he’d be here, I had let myself hope.
Maybe this was all part of his surprise.
I forced myself forward, weaving through the crowd, searching for him. My stomach twisted—not just from nerves but from the dull ache that had been coming and going all day.
Then, just as I stepped closer to the center of the room, I heard Nana’s voice.
“Everyone, I have an announcement!”
I turned, my heart picking up speed, because there he was.
Leo.
Standing at the front of the room, dressed in a sharp black suit, looking effortlessly powerful, effortlessly perfect. My breath caught in my throat.
And then—he dropped to one knee.
My vision tunneled. The sounds around me became muffled, distant.
This was it.
This was—
“Nana,” Leo’s deep voice cut through the silence, his sharp eyes locked onto the woman beside him, “will you marry me?”
The room erupted in applause.
Everything inside me shattered.
No.
No. No. No.
This wasn’t happening.
But I was standing there, watching it happen.
Nana gasped, a hand covering her mouth, before she turned to me.
She was smirking.
A cold, cruel smirk meant only for me.
The air in my lungs turned sharp, burning.
I took a step back, my heels wobbling slightly.
I wanted to scream. To demand answers. To wake up from whatever nightmare this was.
But all I could do was stare, frozen, as my world collapsed.
It happened quickly—too quickly.
A ripple went through the crowd, hushed whispers buzzing like a swarm of wasps.
“That’s Leo Gray’s ex, isn’t it?”
“The one Nana took in? What a snake.”
“She really thought she could steal him?”
“She used Nana’s kindness to get close to Leo. A classic gold-digger move.”
Gold-digger?
The words slammed into me like a physical blow.
I forced myself to move, to turn away from the whispers, but that was a mistake.
Leo’s employees—men and women I had seen in passing, people I had once greeted with polite smiles—were laughing.
Laughing at me.
One of them, a junior executive from Leo’s company, held up his phone, already recording. His grin widened as he panned the camera toward my stunned face.
“This is too good,” he snickered. “Leo’s little charity case thought she had a chance.”
“She looks so pathetic,” another employee, a woman in a sleek red dress, whispered loudly enough for me to hear. “She was probably sleeping with him, thinking he’d marry her.”
My stomach twisted violently.
I needed to get out. Now.
I turned to leave, but just as I did, a video clip flashed on someone’s phone screen.
It was me.
A few weeks ago. Leo and I at a private dinner, laughing. Him tucking my hair behind my ear.
The caption underneath the video read:
"THE DESPERATE MISTRESS: Yasmine GRAY’S FAILED ATTEMPT TO STEAL A BILLIONAIRE."
It was already spreading.
People were sharing it. Laughing. Humiliating me.
My throat closed.
This couldn’t be happening.
A hand touched my arm.
Nana.
I ripped my arm away, the first spark of rage cutting through my shock.
“Why?” My voice was barely above a whisper, but the fury in it was unmistakable.
Nana smiled, her blue eyes gleaming with pure malice. “Because you were never meant to have him.”
Her voice was syrupy sweet, her expression carefully crafted to look innocent to the crowd.
“I let you into my home, Yasmine,” she continued, her tone turning loud enough for others to hear. “I gave you everything when your own family threw you away. And this is how you repay me?”
A few gasps. Someone murmured, “Ungrateful.”
I took another step back, feeling physically ill.
Nana leaned in, lowering her voice just for me.
“He was never yours,” she whispered. “He never loved you.”
Something inside me snapped.
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t cry here. Not in front of these people. Not in front of her.
I turned, searching for him.
For Leo.
He was still there, still kneeling, but his gaze was unreadable. Cold. Distant.
He didn’t come for me.
He didn’t stop this.
He didn’t even look surprised.
Like he had known.
Like he had planned this.
My heart cracked straight down the middle.
I had spent weeks dreaming of our future, of a family.
But Leo Gray wasn’t mine.
He never was.
The walls were closing in.
I turned and ran.
Pushing through the crowd, through the laughter, through the whispers that would haunt me forever.
I reached the exit, shoving the heavy doors open, gasping for air as I stumbled onto the sidewalk. The cool night air hit my skin, but it didn’t help.
I couldn’t breathe.
My hands trembled as I pressed them to my stomach. I had to protect my baby. I had to leave.
A car slowed beside me, its headlights flashing across my face.
I turned sharply, panic lacing my veins.
A sleek black car. Leo’s driver.
I backed away.
No. No, I wasn’t letting them take me anywhere.
The backseat window rolled down, and for a split second, I thought it was Leo.
But it wasn’t.
It was Nana.
She smiled. Like she had won.
Then the car drove off, leaving me standing alone on the sidewalk.
Pregnant.
Heartbroken.
And completely, utterly alone.
- Writer
