Chapter 2
1061 Words
Chapter 2
Emily Saint
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“I can’t believe you, Christian.” I couldn’t hold my tears back anymore. They kept streaming down my face as though it were a waterfall.
“What are you talking about?” Christian asked, giving me an irritated glance. “Wait, are you crying?”
He had that same look on his face.
That pathetic expression I didn’t want him to have.
I quickly wiped off my tears with the back of my hand. My makeup was already ruined.
“So you brought me here just to embarrass me?” I asked, my voice trembling. “You knew she would be here, and that was why you asked me to come to the gala?”
I should’ve known better.
I shouldn't have followed him to his stupid gala.
His ex was back in the city, and he just wanted to torture me. My eyes darted back to Celeste.
She looked gorgeous, confident, and effortlessly stunning. Her dress hugged her curves in all the right places, and the way she laughed as she spoke to people made my heart sink.
I turned back to Christian. “She’s here for you, right?” I asked, my voice almost inaudible.
He didn’t say another word.
He just opened the car door and stepped outside, leaving me alone with so many unanswered questions.
And he went straight to Celeste.
I sat in the car and watched as he pulled her into a tight embrace. My stomach churned as his hand rested on her waist.
Christian didn’t even care about how it would make me feel.
“Ma’am, are you coming down now?” The driver asked, his voice gentle. I didn’t miss the hint of sympathy in his voice.
I cleared my throat. “Just take me back home.”
I needed to leave. Watching my husband act all lovey-dovey with his ex-girlfriend was the last thing I wanted to see.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. But he instructed me not to take you back to the house alone. He wants you to attend the gala, and I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
My mouth fell open.
He planned everything? He wanted to humiliate me, and still coerce me into staying for the event?
“Fine!” I muttered under my breath, struggling to open the door. When I finally got out, I let out a deep exhale to calm myself down.
Christian and Celeste had already made their way into the venue. I forced a smile as I walked inside.
The place was already filled with people.
I exchanged pleasantries with a few people I knew. Then I located the designated table that had been reserved for me.
As soon as I sat down, Christian and Celeste approached me a few seconds later.
Celeste smiled when she saw me.
But Christian had an unreadable expression on his face.
“You didn’t tell me that she would be here,” Celeste whispered to him but it was loud enough for me to hear.
“You don’t have to talk to her, Celeste,” he replied, pulling her closer. “I just wanted you to meet her.”
Christian pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down majestically like she owned the place.
A wave of anger coursed through me.
The last time Christian did something like that for me was about three years ago.
A part of me wanted to grab a glass of champagne from one of the waiters and throw it at both of them.
But I couldn’t.
I had no choice but to stay quietly and watch him laugh and whisper to Celeste like I didn’t exist. Like I wasn’t his wife. Like I wasn’t sitting next to them.
Shortly after, the event started.
I could barely focus on what was happening. I kept thinking about how someone could be so cruel.
Didn’t he even have the slightest remnant of care for me left?
How could he be so cold to someone he once claimed that he loved?
I could never understand what went wrong.
Why didn’t I walk away the first time he showed me that he had lost his feelings for me?
Why did I choose to put myself in such a terrible situation?
As the event continued, I caught a glimpse of Christian looking at me. And for a moment, I thought he might apologize, or at least acknowledge the cruelty of what he was doing.
But his eyes looked cold and detached. He looked at me like I was just a stranger who forcefully inserted myself into his life.
I glanced away, fighting to keep myself composed. My eyes were fixed on the floor. I didn’t want to look at the crowd because I knew people were probably staring at me.
Some of them would be happy.
While some would give me sympathetic looks.
I didn’t want to see any of them.
It would just add to my misery.
Instead of sulking about them, I decided to leave the venue for a while. But just as I wanted to stand up, Christian got up from his chair.
Maybe it was time for him to address the guests. He pulled back his shoulders to improve his posture, then he walked confidently over to the podium.
“What are you doing here?” I finally mustered the courage to talk to Celeste.
She turned around slowly and looked at me. “What? Are you talking to me?”
I nodded without hesitation. “Yes,” I answered sharply. “What are you doing here? Why did you come back?”
Celeste tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re really talking to me,” she replied with a small laugh before shifting her attention back to Christian who was already standing on the podium.
My jaw clenched.
Did she just dismiss my question?
I felt so… embarrassed.
Maybe I shouldn’t have spoken to her.
I knew I needed to leave.
But then Christian’s voice registered in my head. He had been talking, but I wasn’t listening.
My entire body went cold when I heard the next words that left his mouth.
My hands curled into fists and I glared at him. “How could you do this?” I whispered even though he couldn’t hear me.
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