Hey! Ex-husband, You are the loser after all

room. She'd spent the past hour smiling through clenched teeth, nodding politely as strangers commented on her emerald-g

weeks. The secret was that every time he touched her n

tion short with a polished smile. She stepped a

ed to let fall. Tonight, everything felt off, even more than usual. Lucas hadn't greeted her when she arriv

er text from Charlotte. Where are you? Why aren't you smiling more? Ava's s

from last year-beaming, hand in hand, the picture of ma

aradise for Billionaire L

o her bag. She wasn't sure which hurt more-seeing

va

standing in the doorway, his sharp tuxedo emphasizing the chiseled lines o

ed," he said,

eeping her tone light. She wasn't abou

e in

the cameras while you pre

t away. Instead, he looked at her like he was

s back to her, his shoulders squared like a fortress. Then, without a word, he turned and disap

eyes flicked nervously in her direction, like they'd been caught staring. The air was thick with te

at the center of the ro

omach

rt for the Hayes Foundation means the world to me. To both of us." He glanced toward Ava, but

I have an announcemen

hammered i

directly from me. Ava and I

t hum of murmured shock deafening. She felt every eye

her expression frozen in practiced

ast her without a glance. Ava felt her breath hitch, her th

-

n bunched awkwardly around her knees. She stared out the window as t

he driver asked, his vo

me out. How could she explain the humiliation,

aid finally, her vo

stepped inside, the cold silence swallowing her whole. The staff

nzipped her clutch. The photo of her and Lucas stared back at her

it come

n. This time, it was

nouncement

rlotte would reach out now. The timing was

ead hitting the pillows. Her eyes burned with unshed tea

-

out at the skyline. His tie was loosened, his shirt unbuttoned at the

en he'd made the announcement. The sh

had to

y that shredded his heart. Every fiber of his being screa

onning a mask of indifference, and forced himself to push her away. The thought

g down on her like a drum. It was like he'd snapped a photo of that moment, and now it was stuck on repeat in his brain

is throat, but it was nothing compared to the acid eating away at his gut. He'd just made a choice, one that

arkness, and his chest twisted into a knot