Chapter 17 - The Ultimate Betrayal Revealed“You locked me out of my office, you hijacked my board, and now you’re throwing a party to humiliate me?” Adrien stepped closer, his voice shaking with humiliation as hundreds of eyes watched his every move. “You’ve ruined my life over a broken engagement? Have you no decency?”
Before I could answer, a small, choked sob broke the silence behind him.
Clare stared up at Adrien, her eyes wide with sudden, terrifying realization. “Your... engagement? What is he talking about, Adrien? You told me you broke up with her months ago!”
Adrien froze, his face draining of all color as he whipped around to look at his new bride. “Clare, shut up. This isn't the time—"
“No!” Clare pulled her arm away from him, backing up a step. “You told me you were single! You told me you and Natalie were just business associates who hadn't shared a life in years! You said you married me because you loved me!”
The whispers in the crowd surged into a roaring wave of scandal.
I set my champagne glass down on a nearby table, stepping forward into the center of the spotlight.
“He didn't lie entirely, Clare,” I said clearly, my voice carrying effortlessly across the grand ballroom. “We were engaged. Up until last Saturday morning—the exact morning he went to City Hall with you—he was fitting my wedding dress, kissing my forehead, and telling me how much he loved our ten-year life together.”
Clare gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. “You... you were getting married last weekend?”
“We were,” I smiled coldly, looking directly at Adrien, who looked ready to vanish into the floorboards. “And do you want to know the best part, Adrien? When you told me to hire an actor to stand at the altar so the flowers wouldn't go to waste...”
I paused, letting the silence build.
“...you didn't know I was carrying your child.”
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The room went completely, dead-air silent. You could have heard a pin drop on the marble floor.
Adrien staggered backward, his eyes widening in pure horror. “What... what did you say?”
