Chapter 4:The Ballroom of Wolves
722 Words
The Astoria Hotel ballroom was still filled with light and laughter.
Not a single person in the room knew that on the seventeenth floor, an engagement had just shattered into pieces.
Luna stood in front of a mirror in the corridor outside the ballroom.
Her face was pale.
Her eyes were slightly red, but she held back the tears that threatened to fall.
She studied her reflection for several seconds.
The blue gown she wore still looked flawless.
Her hair remained perfectly arranged.
From the outside, no one could see that her heart had just been broken.
Luna took a deep breath.
If Ethan wanted to humiliate her in front of everyone…
then she would not give him that satisfaction.
She pushed open the ballroom doors.
The sound of music and conversation immediately washed over her.
Several guests turned their heads at once.
Soft whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
“Isn’t that the bride-to-be?”
“Where’s Ethan?”
“The event is about to start.”
Luna walked through the crowd with calm steps.
But each step felt like walking across shattered glass.
She knew.
In a few minutes, everyone in this room would witness her downfall.
“Luna!”
Elena’s voice called out to her from a distance.
Luna stopped.
Elena hurried toward her, her face filled with concern.
Her red dress was perfectly in place again.
As though nothing had happened in the suite just minutes ago.
“Where have you been?” Elena asked anxiously.
“Everyone’s been looking for you.”
Luna looked at her.
For several seconds, no words came out.
She still could not understand how the woman standing before her could destroy her life without hesitation.
Yet Elena only offered a gentle smile.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
The question felt almost like a mockery.
Luna finally answered softly.
“I’m fine.”
Elena looked relieved.
“Thank goodness.”
She gently took Luna’s hand.
“The event is about to begin.”
At that moment, the ballroom lights dimmed slightly.
The guests’ attention immediately shifted toward the small stage at the front of the room.
A host stood there holding a microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced enthusiastically.
“Tonight we gather to celebrate a very special moment.”
Some of the guests began to applaud.
Luna felt her heart beating faster.
The host continued,
“The engagement between the heir of the Hale family, Mr. Ethan Hale…”
The spotlight slowly moved toward the grand staircase on the side of the ballroom.
And that was when Ethan appeared.
He wore a perfectly tailored black suit.
His hair was neatly styled.
His expression calm.
As if only minutes ago he had not been in bed with another woman.
Whispers immediately rose throughout the room.
“There he is.”
“Ethan Hale.”
“The groom-to-be.”
Ethan’s eyes swept across the ballroom.
But when his gaze finally found Luna standing among the crowd…
a small smile curved at the corner of his lips.
A smile that made Luna’s blood run cold.
The host continued with excitement,
“…and Miss Luna White.”
The second spotlight immediately fell on Luna.
The entire ballroom was now looking at her.
Hundreds of eyes.
Hundreds of curious expressions.
Elena stood beside Luna.
Still holding her hand.
As though she were a loyal friend.
Luna slowly walked toward the stage stairs.
Her steps were steady.
But inside her heart, a storm was raging.
Ethan waited for her on the stage.
When Luna stood beside him, she could feel the cold aura surrounding him.
The host beamed.
“Let’s give them a round of applause!”
The room immediately erupted with enthusiastic clapping.
Everyone believed they were witnessing the beginning of a beautiful love story.
But Luna knew.
What was about to happen next…
would be far crueler.
Ethan took the microphone from the host.
The room slowly fell silent.
He looked at the guests calmly.
Then he said,
“Before we continue tonight’s event…”
He paused for a moment.
His gaze flicked toward Luna.
“…there’s something I’d like to say.”
Luna’s heart pounded.
She knew.
This was it.
As Ethan opened his mouth again, the entire ballroom held its breath.
And with a single sentence…
he destroyed everything.
- Writer
