I felt the world tilt the moment I stepped into that ballroom. The scent of expensive champagne, the low hum of string music, the glittering chandeliers—it was all overwhelming. But nothing rattled me more than the sight of my parents standing at the center of it all, beaming at Camille like she was the greatest treasure they'd ever received.
I shouldn't have come.
Chase had told me to smile, to be polite, to keep up appearances. He had given me a cursory glance before we stepped out of the car, his voice as smooth as ever.
“Don’t embarrass me tonight.”
That was all he had said. No warmth, no concern, just a reminder that I was here for one reason—to be seen, but never truly acknowledged.
I kept my hands clasped tightly together as we made our way through the room. Camille turned at just the right moment, as if she had been waiting for this entrance, for this moment of staged perfection. She looked breathtaking, wrapped in a dress that shimmered like liquid gold under the soft glow of the chandeliers. Her smile was slow, practiced, just the right amount of pleasant surprise.
“Oh, sister,” she breathed, taking a few graceful steps toward me. “You actually made it.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. The words sat heavy on my tongue, tangled and impossible. My heartbeat thrummed against my ribs. Chase had already stepped ahead, answering for me.
“Of course we came. It’s your big night.” His voice was effortlessly smooth, his hand reaching into his pocket.
Camille’s eyes gleamed with anticipation before he had even presented the small, velvet box. I already knew what was inside before she had even opened it. A delicate silver bracelet, one I had seen in old photographs of Chase’s mother. An heirloom passed down through generations of the Knight family.
He had told me it was lost.
I had asked about it once, early in our marriage, when I still believed in the illusion of love between us. I remembered the way he had brushed off my question with a lazy shrug, his lips curving into a faint, dismissive smile.
“Just an old piece of jewelry,” he had said. “Nothing important.”
But it was important. Just not to me.
Camille gasped softly as she lifted the bracelet into the light. “Chase, this is beautiful.”
He smiled at her in a way he had never smiled at me. “It suits you.”
My fingers twitched at my sides. I felt unsteady, like I had wandered onto a stage where everyone else knew their lines except me. I turned quickly, my voice barely above a whisper. “N-Need air.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I slipped away from the crowd, moving toward the garden, where the cool air pressed against my skin like a balm. The estate grounds were just as grand as I remembered—pristine hedges, marble fountains, flowers blooming in curated perfection. I clutched the railing of the balcony that overlooked the pool, staring at my trembling hands.
This wasn’t new. I had long since learned how to stomach heartbreak in silence. But tonight, it felt unbearable.
“Running away already?”
Camille’s voice drifted through the night air, as soft as silk and just as suffocating. I didn’t turn to face her. I didn’t need to.
She stepped closer, her perfume cloying and sweet. “It’s pathetic, you know.”
My fingers curled around the railing. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “D-Don’t…” The word came out fragile, unsteady.
Camille only laughed. “Don’t what? Tell the truth?” She leaned in, her voice dropping lower. “You must be the most oblivious woman alive. Did you really think Chase married you out of love?”
I stiffened.
She sighed dramatically. “He needed to keep Michael under control. You were a convenient way to do it. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. The words jumbled together, twisting, turning, pressing against my skull.
Camille hummed. “No? Still in denial? Fine, I’ll spell it out for you. Chase never wanted you. He belongs to someone else—always has.”
I wanted to say something—anything—but my throat burned, my thoughts tangled beyond repair.
Camille reached for my wrist, her nails pressing into my skin. “You should just leave, Mia. Leave before you embarrass yourself even more.”
I yanked my arm back, my breath uneven. “S-Stop.”
She tilted her head, watching me struggle to force out the word. Her smirk deepened. “You’re so weak,” she murmured. Then, without another word, she stepped back—stepped up onto the stone ledge overlooking the pool.
And then she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
I barely had time to react before she flung herself backward, crashing into the water with a dramatic splash. The noise shattered the quiet, sent ripples of panic through the air.
Within seconds, voices called out, hurried footsteps echoing against the marble. The doors burst open, and people rushed forward.
Chase was the first to reach the pool’s edge. His face twisted in alarm as he pulled off his jacket, ready to jump in.
Camille surfaced, gasping for air, her hands thrashing. “Mia—she pushed me!”
The words slammed into me like a fist.
My breath caught. My stomach twisted violently. “N-No, I—”
“She pushed me!” Camille’s sobs were choked, her voice trembling. “I was just trying to talk to her, and she—she shoved me in!”
I took a step back, shaking my head. “T-That’s… n-not…” The words wouldn’t come out right. They never did when I needed them most.
Camille reached toward Chase. “I was so scared,” she whispered. “I thought I was going to drown.”
Chase didn’t look at me. Not even once. He pulled Camille into his arms, his voice low, soothing. “You’re safe now.”
The whispers started, soft but growing. The murmurs of the guests, the judgment in their eyes.
I turned on unsteady feet, my heart hammering against my ribs. I needed to leave. I needed to get out of there.
But as I moved toward the front of the house, I saw something that stopped me cold.
Through the blur of tears, beyond the marble steps, Chase was walking toward a sleek black car parked by the entrance. And he wasn’t alone.
A woman stood by the open door, waiting. Chase’s hand touched her waist, a slow, intimate motion. She tilted her head up, her lips parting in a soft smile.
And then he kissed her.
A deep, unhurried kiss, filled with something I had never once seen in his gaze when he looked at me.
I stared, the weight of realization settling like a stone in my stomach.
He had never been mine. Not for a single moment.
And she kissed him back.
Not a secret. Not a mistake.
A promise. Chase was trying to punish me for God knows what. Why he kept touching Camille in front of me could only mean punishment.
Twice tonight he has kissed her without a care in the world.
I felt something inside me crack.
I stood there, frozen, as Chase pulled away and murmured something to her—something soft, something gentle—before opening the car door for her.
She slid inside effortlessly.
Then, without a single glance in my direction, Chase followed.
The engine hummed to life.
And just like that, they were gone.
Leaving me alone in the cold.
Alone with the truth I had been too blind to see. I Needed to leave.
