Chapter 3

• ALEXANDRA
• My mind is everywhere and nowhere. I'm at the table with the strange man, and it's uncomfortable as hell. I tried to take a seat elsewhere, but I figured it was safe for me to just stick by his side since he looks like he eats people for sport, and no one will dare approach his table.
• Even those serving water have been shaking every time they approach our table. But, he’s relaxed.
• Leaning back like he owns the place, one arm slung over the chair beside me, his green eyes scanning the room with idle boredom like everything here is a shared waste of his precious time.
• “Ladies and gentlemen,” the MC’s voice echoes through the grand hall, “please let me introduce the man of the hour, the visionary behind Jackson & Co, Mr. Jackson Hughes!”
• A loud applause erupts and I hold my breath.
• A smile slips past my lips despite what he did earlier. I’m angry, but that doesn't take away the pride I feel.
• We finally did it!
• Jack steps on stage with a wide smile as the cameras flash while the crowd quiets down, watching him take the mic.
• “Wow…” Jack begins, grinning. “What a night. What a journey.”
• A few polite chuckles follow.
• “This company started as a dream. One I couldn’t have achieved alone. And tonight, I want to take a moment to thank the people who stood by me. The investors. My team.”
• My heart pounds harder and harder as he continues to speak.
• “But most importantly,” he says, his voice dropping with gravity, “there’s someone very special I need to acknowledge. None of this would have been possible without her.”
• My chest tightens at those words as the cameras flash again. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks, my hands trembling as I slowly begin to stand.
• He did it.
• He did all of this to surprise me.
• “I’ve made a decision,” Jack says, his eyes shining as he smiles warmly. “It’s time for a new era. A new name. A partnership. I want the world to know how much she means to me.”
• Tears prick my eyes. Finally, my long-awaited moment is here.
• “Mia, baby… come here.”
• My body stills.
• Wait.
• No.
• Mia?
• She stands gracefully, glowing in her silver dress as the crowd parts for her. She walks to the stage like she belongs there. Like she is his wife, and I am his mistress.
• I watch with a stab to my heart as Jack wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her close.
• “I’m proud to announce that Jackson & Co
• will be officially rebranding… to J. M &Co.”
• He looks down at her like she’s the center of his world.
• “To honor the woman I love.”
• The crowd erupts in applause.
• But all I hear is the sound of something ripping apart inside me.
• I remain standing and frozen, a pathetic smile still stuck on my lips as if my heart hasn't just been tossed into a blender and tossed to the side.
• Someone tell me this is a joke.
• I feel everything and nothing all at once. My ears are ringing, and my legs tremble beneath me.
• My heart, oh God, my heart doesn’t just ache, it shatters. Like it’s being ripped and torn, piece by piece, by the very man I trusted it with.
• I can’t breathe. I need to get out of here.
• I don’t remember how I move through the crowd, only that I’m pushing past people who barely notice me, people who only have eyes for the glittering couple on stage.
• I hear someone call my name faintly behind me, maybe the strange man I sat beside. Maybe no one at all.
• My heels clack against the marble floor, echoing through the grand hallway as I rush toward the exit.
• I just need air.
• I just need to get out.
• The moment I shove the door open, the world hits me all at once. A gust of cold wind slaps my face, followed by a downpour so fierce it drowns my thoughts instantly. Rain lashes down from the sky like punishment.
• But I don’t stop walking and walk right into it.
• I let it drench me.
• The drops blur my vision, mixing with the tears already streaming down my cheeks.
• My makeup is ruined, my dress is soaked through, clinging to me like dead weight.
• My hair sticks to my face, but I don’t brush it away. I don't think I have the energy to.
• I walk blindly down the street, the city lights a blur around me. My fists are clenched at my sides, my throat burning with a scream I’m too broken to release.
• My chest convulses as sobs break free in a messy and raw sound. I press a hand over my heart, like that’ll stop it from bleeding out of me right here on the sidewalk.
• But it doesn’t. It keeps breaking, shredding like paper soaked in water.
• Every step I take is a desperate attempt to outrun the pain.
• But there’s no escape.
• I thought this night would be the start of our forever.
• Instead, it became the end of everything.
• I don't know how long I walk or cry when I feel a jacket around my shoulders.
• Turning my tear-stricken face, I find the stranger from earlier standing next to me and soaked just like me.