Someone finally stepped in to smooth things over.
“Come on now, Adam just broke up. Bringing this up isn't right.”
“You've got to give him time to get over the last one. His ex is standing right here, after all. If he took you up on it tonight, by tomorrow he'd be the heartless cad who dumped one girl and jumped straight to the next.”
I let the candy dissolve slowly on my tongue and spoke without any heat at all.
“We've already broken up. No one needs to worry about me.”
“I've already found someone I love. I hope everyone finds someone they love too.”
The air froze in an instant.
Adam stared at me, something like a storm gathering under that calm gaze.
“You have someone you love?”
One of our friends, already a few drinks in, blurted it out, wide-eyed.
“So does that mean you'll be getting married soon too?”
I nodded.
“Maybe. When there's good news, I'll be sure to send you all an invite.”
“Right. No one moves faster or more efficiently than Deborah.”
Adam's voice came cold, edged with a sneer.
“She got pregnant on purpose to force me into marrying her, then the second she didn't want it anymore she rushed off, got rid of the baby, and called off the engagement. And now she's already got someone she loves. After all these years together, this is the first time I've realized you can know someone's face without ever knowing their heart.”
Every word was meant to paint me as the one who'd been two-timing all along, the one playing both sides, the one who strayed first.
He wiped himself clean of all of it without breaking a sweat and dumped every fault onto me.
Once, those words would have gone in like the sharpest needles and left me bleeding.
But now none of it touched me.
“Yes. Being with someone you don't love is too painful. I'm not going to force it.”
“Starting today, there's nothing between us anymore. From here on, we live our own lives.”
Silence settled over the room. No one said a word.
Adam looked livid. He shoved his chair back, stood, and walked straight out of the banquet hall.
