The event coordinator wouldn't meet my eyes. She stood there in her sleek black sheath dress, clipboard pressed to her chest like a shield, and pointed toward the back of the rooftop.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Johnston," she said. Her voice was too bright. Too careful. "There was a mix-up with the seating chart. We had to move a few people around to accommodate the press section."
I looked past her shoulder at the VIP tables up front. White linens. Centerpieces of pale roses and gold votives. Cade's mother, Laurel, sat in the second row, her silver hair swept into a chignon. Next to her, laughing at something on her phone, was Natasha Wells.
My seat—the one with my name on the card—was gone.
"It's fine," I said.
The coordinator's smile flickered with relief. She gestured toward a small table near the service entrance, half-hidden behind a potted fiddle-leaf fig. One chair. One place setting.
I walked over and sat down. Set my clutch in my lap. The leather was warm from my hands.
From here, I could see everything. The stage at the far end, draped in sheer fabric that glowed under purple uplighting. The bar where waiters in white gloves poured champagne into crystal flutes. The crowd of investors, food critics, lifestyle bloggers—all the people I'd watched Cade court for the past three years.
I built this room.
Not the venue. Not the décor. But the reason everyone was here. The signature dishes they'd tasted on the way in. The heirloom spice blends in the samplers on every table. The menu descriptions printed on heavy cardstock that used words like "heritage" and "artisan" and "roots."
Every single one came from Grandma Eloise's kitchen.
I pressed my thumb into the clasp of my clutch until the metal edge bit into my skin.
The lights dimmed. A hush rolled over the crowd. Cade stepped onto the stage.
He looked good. He always looked good. Charcoal suit, crisp white shirt open at the collar, no tie. His dark hair was swept back, and when he smiled, the whole room seemed to lean forward.
"Good evening," he said. His voice was warm, easy, like he was talking to old friends. "Thank you all for being here tonight. This company—this dream—wouldn't exist without the people who believed in it from the beginning."
Applause rippled through the room. I didn't move.
"Three years ago," Cade continued, "I had a vision. I wanted to build something that honored tradition while embracing innovation. Something that felt like home, but tasted like the future."
He paused. Let the words settle.
"But I couldn't have done it alone."
My chest tightened.
"Every dish you've tasted tonight," he said, "every flavor that's become a signature of this brand—it's because of one person. Someone who saw what I couldn't see. Who pushed me to be bolder, sharper, better."
I stopped breathing.
"Natasha Wells."
The room erupted. Heads turned toward the VIP section. Natasha stood, one hand pressed to her chest in mock surprise, the other smoothing down her emerald-green dress. She looked radiant. She looked like she belonged there.
Cade extended his hand toward her. "Come up here."
She walked to the stage. Heels clicking. Smile wide. When she reached him, he pulled her into a side hug, and the applause grew louder.
I set my champagne glass down. I hadn't touched it.
Natasha took the microphone. Her voice was bright, confident. "Thank you so much, Cade. Honestly, I have to say—working with you has been the most creatively fulfilling experience of my life. From day one, you believed in my vision. You trusted me to take these recipes and make them something bigger. Something that could reach people everywhere."
My vision.
My recipes.
She kept talking. Something about innovation. Something about honoring the past while building the future. The words blurred together.
I stood up.
No one noticed. The room was fixed on the stage, on Natasha's glowing face, on Cade's proud smile.
I picked up my clutch and walked toward the exit. My heels made no sound on the carpet. I passed the bar, the press tables, the glossy step-and-repeat banner covered in our company logo.
I pushed open the rooftop door and stepped into the stairwell. The heavy door swung shut behind me, muffling the applause.
I didn't cry.
I walked down five flights of stairs, out onto the street, and hailed a cab.
"Upper East Side," I said.
The driver nodded and pulled into traffic.
I stared out the window at the lights streaking past. My jaw was set. My hands were steady.
When I got home, the brownstone was quiet. I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Somewhere upstairs, I heard water running. Cade's mother was probably still getting ready for the after-party.
Then I heard laughter.
I followed the sound down the hall to the kitchen.
Natasha was standing at my marble island. She had her back to me, her hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. In front of her were Grandma Eloise's copper pots—the ones I kept on the open shelf by the window. Next to them, a row of small plastic packets. Synthetic flavor compounds. The kind you buy in bulk from restaurant supply stores.
She tore one open and dumped the powder into a mixing bowl.
Laurel stood beside her, pouring coffee into one of my mugs. "You're so clever, Natasha," she said. "Cade's lucky to have someone who understands the business side."
"It's all about scalability," Natasha said. She stirred the powder into the bowl. "Artisan is great for branding, but if we want to grow, we need consistency. That means cutting out the variables."
She was talking about my grandmother's recipes.
I stepped into the doorway.
Laurel glanced up. Her expression didn't change. "Oh," she said. "You're home."
That was it. No smile. No acknowledgment that I'd just been erased at my own company's gala.
She turned back to Natasha. "What were you saying about the spice ratios?"
I didn't say anything.
I turned around, walked upstairs, and closed the bedroom door behind me.
I sat on the edge of the bed in the dark. My hands were shaking.
Not with sadness.
With something colder.
