Betrayed By My Fiancée

Chapter 20: The Ring Felt Cold

The moment we stepped out of the venue, the noise behind us dulled into a muffled echo, like the whole world had finally taken a breath.

The cold air hit my skin hard—sharp, real, and nothing like the heat inside.

I pulled my shoulders in without thinking, suddenly aware of how tired I really was. Clara wrapped her arms around herself and shivered beside me.

“Why is it so cold out here?” she muttered, all the excitement from earlier gone from her voice. I didn’t answer. My phone was already in my hand. Dante. I pressed call. It rang. And rang. Then nothing. I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the dark screen a second too long.

My jaw tightened before I even noticed. “Still nothing,” I said quietly, mostly to myself. Clara glanced at me, leaning against the wall for balance. “That’s… not like you,” she said slowly. “You don’t usually have to call him three times.”

I slipped the phone back into my purse and looked away. “Maybe he’s busy,” I said, but even I heard how flat it sounded. Clara stayed quiet for a moment, watching me too closely. “Did something happen while I was gone?” she asked softly. I shook my head too fast.

“No. Nothing happened.”

Too quick.

Too neat. She noticed. I knew she did. “Jay,” she said, pushing herself off the wall. “You called him more than once. I saw you. That’s not nothing.”

I looked toward the road instead. Cars passed now and then, headlights cutting through the dark before disappearing. “It’s just been a long day,”

I said carefully, like if I controlled my voice enough it would become true. Clara let it sit, then nodded.

“Okay.”

But she didn’t believe me.

We stood there in a silence that wasn’t peaceful, just heavy. I pulled my phone out again anyway. No messages. No missed calls.

Nothing was waiting for me the way I was waiting for him. My grip tightened before I locked the screen again. Clara exhaled hard. “Maybe we should just get an Uber. I can’t stand here much longer.” I nodded.

“Yeah… I’ll try.” I opened the app. Nothing available. Refreshed it. Still nothing. I tried again slower, like that would somehow help. It didn’t. “There’s nothing,” I muttered.

Clara groaned and tipped her head back.

“You’re kidding. I just want my bed.” I looked down the road. The cold felt stronger now, or maybe I was just noticing it more. Then footsteps came up behind us. I didn’t turn at first.

Thought it was another group leaving.

But the steps slowed. Then stopped. “You’re not getting a ride anytime soon.” That voice. Calm. Familiar. My head lifted before I even chose to move. Mike stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, looking like he’d already figured everything out without asking a question.

Clara straightened at once. “Oh—hi,” she said, surprised and relieved all at once. I didn’t speak straight away. I just looked at him. Not the VIP version. Not the man everyone stared at inside. Just him.

“We’ll figure it out,” I said finally, polite but distant. Mike nodded once. “You can. But not anytime soon. It’s packed tonight.” My fingers tightened around my purse. Clara leaned close to me.

“Jay… please,” she whispered.

“I’m really tired.” I felt the whole night land on me then. No ride. No answers. Clara barely standing beside me. And me pretending I had control when I didn’t.

I exhaled slowly and looked back at Mike.

“Okay, fine.”

My voice stayed steady, but it didn’t feel light. He gave a small nod. “This way.” Clara let out a breath like she’d been holding it forever and followed at once. I stayed back one second longer.

The lights behind me still flashed. Music still pounded. Everything inside still moving like nothing had changed. Except me. My hand moved to my ring without thinking.

The metal felt cold. I stared at it, then looked away and followed them. My heels clicked steady on the pavement, but my thoughts were anything but steady.

They kept circling one thing.

Not just that Dante didn’t answer.

Somewhere along the way… I stopped expecting him to. Clara passed out against my shoulder the moment we got into the car, breathing slow and uneven like the night had finally caught up with her. I didn’t move her.

I just let her weight rest on me while I stared out the window. City lights blurred past, unreal and far away.

My phone sat heavy in my lap. Dante. Still nothing. I tightened my fingers around it and kept expecting it to vibrate, like staring hard enough would make it happen. It stayed silent.

I swallowed and looked back at the road. Mike’s eyes lifted to the rearview mirror. I felt it. That quiet look. He knew I wasn’t okay even if I said nothing. Our eyes almost met before he looked back to the road.

I unlocked my phone again.

Maybe I missed something. Maybe he called back. My thumb moved faster than my thoughts. Nothing. No missed calls. No messages. Same empty screen. My chest tightened and I locked it again, setting it back in my lap.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked, voice low and careful. I didn’t look at him. “I’m fine,” I said too quickly. He didn’t answer. I felt him glance at me in the mirror again, not believing me but not pushing either.

That silence felt heavier than the question. Clara shifted beside me, half asleep.

“But Jade…” she mumbled. “You’re hurting.” My eyes closed for a second.

“Clara,” I said softly, forcing a laugh I didn’t feel.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s drunk.”

She sank back against me and went quiet. Then Mike’s phone vibrated. He answered straight away.

“Yeah?” His voice changed. Sharper. Focused. A pause. “Yes, she’s with me.” Another pause. His jaw tightened. “What happened?” I didn’t mean to listen, but I did. Another pause. “Alright. Handle it for now. I’ll sort it out later.”

His voice stayed calm, but something under it wasn’t. A longer pause. “Yeah. I said I’ll handle it.” Colder now. Then he ended the call. Silence dropped back into the car.

Before I could stop myself, I spoke. “Leondra…?” The name slipped out quietly. Mike’s eyes lifted to the mirror at once.

“You know her?” Neutral voice. Alert eyes. My stomach tightened.

“No,” I said too quickly. Then softened it. “I mean… I’ve heard the name.”

He held my gaze in the mirror one second too long, then looked away.

“Hmm.”

That was all.

No explanation. No correction. The rest of the drive stayed too quiet. When we reached my building, I breathed out slowly. I tried waking Clara.

“Clara… wake up.”

She barely moved. Of course. I stepped out and tried helping her stand, but she was too heavy and too sleepy.

Then Mike was there beside me. “Here.” He took her arm easily and steadied her. Between the two of us, we got her to the entrance.

Clara mumbled nonsense and leaned fully into him. I let out a small breath.

“Thank you. Again.”

He nodded once. “Make sure she drinks water.” Simple as ever. I almost smiled.

“I will.”

We reached the door, and I thought that would be it. But something stopped me. “Mike?” He turned.

I held Clara tighter.

“Thank you… for everything.”

It wasn’t just the ride. He looked at me for a second, then nodded. “Get some rest.” Then he left. I watched him walk back to his car before guiding Clara inside.

The apartment was quiet.

I got her into the guest room, pulled the blanket over her, and she mumbled before drifting off again.

“You’ll complain tomorrow,” I whispered.

My room felt heavier when I entered it. I changed slowly, letting the dress fall over the chair. Sat on the bed. Picked up my phone. Still nothing.

My thumb hovered over Dante’s name. I didn’t press it. I locked the screen and set it down. Then everything came back. Mike. Leondra. Dante. It no longer felt like separate things. It felt like they were starting to cross in ways I couldn’t understand yet.

I lay back and pulled the blanket over me. The room was quiet. My mind wasn’t. And right before sleep found me, one thought stayed sharper than the rest. What exactly was I not seeing?