He Gave Her Red Heels, I Quit Our Engagement

Chapter 3

The lights dimmed, and the final round of applause rang out.

I stood in the corner and watched Seraphina Starr exit the stage surrounded by the crowd. She was even more striking in person, chestnut curls bouncing with every step, waist swaying like water, dark eyes soft and glowing.

After the show, I heard staff talking quietly nearby.

A staff member murmured, "Seraphina seemed off tonight, almost tripped halfway down the runway."

Another staff member added softly, "Heard she's having trouble with her relationship..."

I followed Seraphina up to the rooftop.

She leaned against the railing smoking, the ember glowing bright in the night wind.

"Seraphina?" I stepped forward, feigning excitement. "Could I get a photo? I've followed you for ages."

She glanced over lazily, surprised. "A girl fan?" She waved me closer. "Sure."

After we'd taken the picture, I asked, "Is everything okay?"

Her eyes dimmed as she crushed the cigarette under her heel. "Forget it. No one's asked me out tonight anyway, might as well talk."

Seraphina let out a hollow laugh. "You know, I really thought he'd come. Men. They're all the same."

She tipped back her drink and started talking freely. "We met after a show. He brought me a bouquet of white roses and said he'd been captivated by my presence."

"Then what happened?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

"Then?" She smiled knowingly, bitterness creeping into her tone. "The second time we met, he took me to a private vineyard. When I was tipsy, he kissed me and said he'd never met anyone as sexy as me."

My heart twisted. That was the night Caleb hadn't come home at all, he'd told me he was pulling an all-nighter at the firm preparing for a trial.

"Not long after, he posted a photo of an engagement ring with another woman," she said flatly. "I knew he had a fiancée. He told me she was sweet and innocent, but lived in a lab all day and was deadly boring."

She shrugged, like she was trying to convince herself it didn't matter. "It worked for both of us. I needed his connections to get ahead. I've known men like him forever, all talk and no integrity. He'd invite me over whenever she was away."

Her voice dropped, sharp and bitter. "The first time we slept together was in the house he'd bought for their marriage. He acted so guilty the next morning, said he regretted it, and we shouldn't see each other again. But the second I messaged him, he came running right back. And every time he came over...?"

She let out a cold laugh. "He was wild. Never wore protection, kept saying how terrible he felt for his fiancée, but one look from me, and he forgot all about it.

"Now he's playing the devoted partner, saying he has to stay with her, but won't let me go. Ugh!" She scuffed her boot against the rooftop concrete, frustrated.

She paused, glancing down at her feet with a bitter little smirk. "By the way, these are the heels he bought. Said I looked hot as hell in them."

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, wiped her eyes quickly, and flashed her bright smile again.

"Got to go, fan girl," Seraphina said, already turning toward the door. "See you around."

*****

I stayed hidden in the shadows and watched her run straight into familiar arms.

Caleb wore the charcoal coat I'd given him for his birthday, and a fresh bouquet of white roses sat on the hood of his car, warm, familiar, and completely foreign.

I lifted my phone, my hands shaking as I pressed record.

He pulled her close and kissed her, deep and lingering, like they couldn't get enough.

That was when it broke. I doubled over, tears spilling freely, my whole body trembling. I bit my hand hard to keep from crying out.

After the sharp, blinding pain came only exhaustion.

They were gone.

I sank to the ground and stared up at the moon. Tomorrow was supposed to be our engagement party, the day we'd dreamed of for so long. Ten years together, and I was finally seeing the man I loved for who he really was.