“You look stunning, darling,” Nathan murmured, his hand resting possessively on the small of my back. He looked dashing in his tuxedo, the picture of the successful young CEO.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice smooth. “You’ve done well, Nathan. Everyone is impressed.”
“We’ve done well,” he corrected, clinking his champagne glass against mine. “I couldn’t have done it without you by my side.”
It was almost laughable. He actually believed it. He believed that after everything, we were back to normal. That the trip to Italy he thought we were taking tomorrow had fixed everything.
“Excuse me,” I said, spotting a waiter. “I need some water.”
I slipped away from him, weaving through the crowd. I needed a moment to breathe. I needed to escape the suffocating weight of his lies.
I found a quiet corner near the terrace doors and took a sip of water. From my vantage point, I could see the entire room.
And I saw her.
Danica was there, of course. She was wearing a dress that was a little too short, a little too red, and a little too loud for a corporate event. She was standing by the bar, laughing uproariously with one of the junior partners from the acquiring firm.