SAVANNAH
I looked around before I asked Rafael. “What are you doing here?”
He smirked. I wasn’t sure what he was smirking about, but his gaze slightly dropped to my breasts—to my low-cut V line.
“What do you think?”
I blinked. Was he playing with me? How was I supposed to know that? My only guess was he, too, was an invited guest. Was he some sort of celebrity I didn’t know? Because how could someone be so breathtaking? And how the hell did I not know about him yet? If thoughts had a sound, he already heard me squeal. I couldn’t take my eyes off his face.
“I don’t know.” I chuckled, shaking my head. I couldn’t believe I had got to see him again. Was this fate? Others would call it ridiculous, but I was the kind of person who believed in that. “I’m here for work. You?”
“You work for PeekFlix?” He sounded interested.
“Oh, no. But I heard we are looking forward to it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Who’s we?”
I wasn’t probably making any sense, but that wasn’t so important. I was bewildered from running into him here, of all places.
“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “How are you?” That was the most boring question a person could ever ask.
“Who are you, really? What are you doing here?”
Didn’t I ask first? “I’m an executive assistant to—” I paused. With my mouth falling open, I abruptly caught sight of the last people I wished to see.
What the fuck? Edward, Brett, and Amara were here. Almost automatically, I hid behind Rafael. The Reeds were just about a few meters from where I was standing. Why were they here?
Rafael looked over at me. “What is it?”
I spied on my soon-to-be ex-husband and his family as they greeted some people. I thought Amara and Brett weren’t acquiring a stake in PeekFlix anymore, but they were probably here for the business partnership too. I wouldn’t have come and told Wesley to back me up to our boss if I knew the Reeds would be here. Also, I didn’t tell Edward I joined SEG now. I turned to Rafael’s side when they moved.
“Hey...” Rafael murmured. “Are you hiding from someone?”
“Shh!” I grasped onto his arm, clutching the luxurious sleeve of his shit. I wasn’t sure if I was going to faint from seeing Edward or smelling Rafael’s intoxicating perfume. This just couldn’t get any better.
Rafael followed my gaze. “Do you know them?”
“What? Who?”
“Brett Reed.”
“Yes!” I hissed. “So, I’m going to run to that side.” I pointed in the restroom’s direction. “Can you help me?”
“Ex-boyfriend?”
“Not exactly.” My grip tightened around his arm, and the muscles there felt hard in my palm. I gritted through my teeth. What was I doing? This wasn’t the time to drool. Amara shouldn’t see me here as much as possible. I still wasn’t officially divorced from Edward. Until then, I had to be careful.
Rafael suddenly caught my wrist and spun me around. “So, what are you doing?” He sounded offended.
I gasped. “I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to use you as a... shield. R-really. It’s just that those people shouldn’t see me here.”
“New Star Media?” he asked as he led me to the corner. “Who are you?”
My eyes grew wide. Why did I say all that to him? That was supposed to be confidential.
“I’m no one.” I yanked my hand. What’s with his reaction?
I took a glimpse again to check on the Reeds. They were already far enough to notice me. Edward was casually holding a woman’s lower back. She had a small frame and wore an elegant pink dress that looked almost nude. She had straight blonde hair and was taller than me.
I also hadn’t seen Edward smile like that for a long time. His gray eyes were soft with fascination.
I scoffed. I couldn’t remember the last time my husband looked at me that way. It was probably her, the mistress he tried to hide from me. Questions like when it started and why I didn’t notice it sooner came to mind.
I already knew what to expect when he told me about the divorce. I thought I had accepted I had lost him, but why was my heart breaking right now?
I held my tears from bursting, but when the people moved away, the founder of PeekFlix appeared in view, and my rage for him heightened. My chest felt like it was exploding.
What the hell, Edward? My boss hadn’t even spoken to him. It was clear to me now that they wanted PeekFlix too, and they might be Sebastian Entertainment’s biggest competitor. However, I wouldn’t be there with them.
“You work for them?” I didn’t realize Rafael was watching them too. His jaw rippled.
“Worked. Past tense.” I pushed away from Rafael and sprinted. I made my way back to the restroom and started calling Wesley. I had to get out of here before the Reeds saw me. Right at this moment, memories of Edward flooded my head. Happy and painful memories.
I only knew Edward as the popular guy in school, but it was on a rainy afternoon when I first saw him. I was walking, but the sky thundered, and rain lashed all over me. I ran to the nearest shed, and Edward was there. He was scooping the water falling from the roof on his palm. His expression was serene, as though he enjoyed the weather. I thought he was peculiar. But something sparked in my chest when he pulled out an umbrella and offered to share it.
A crush. A crush that turned into infatuation to falling in love. We shared each other’s dreams, so I knew he really wanted to be an architect rather than a businessman. He supported my ambitions, even though I couldn’t fully support him. I even told him that Amara and Brett were right to give him a much better position at New Star because architecture wouldn’t give him much career growth. I regretted what I said, but he never complained. He was always understanding.
I thought I wouldn’t get hurt. I told myself I would be fine, but seeing him with someone else now killed me. I felt so insecure.
I rushed my fingers through my hair and bit my lips in unison. Wes’s phone was ringing, but he wasn’t answering. I needed to tell him I saw them too.
“Come on, Wes.”
I called him again, but the third attempt went to voicemail.
“Fuck.” I cursed under my breath.
Or I could just go there and say hi. That way, I’d see who the woman he was with. I probably had the urge to scratch her face, but I’d keep my emotions hidden. The best revenge was to stay calm and act like Edward didn’t affect me. His mistress would ask him who I was, so I’d tell her I was his wife because I was technically still married to him. And if Amara asked why I was here, I’d reason a friend invited me, not because of my new employer. After the introduction, I’d mind my business and look for Wesley or Rafael because I was rude to him tonight. I should at least apologize. I just hope he hasn’t left.
I stared at myself in the mirror. “Yeah. Good plan.”
I returned to the party and got myself a drink before I looked for Edward. I chugged a full glass of cold champagne, wiped my mouth, and marched my way. When I finally saw him, I walked past Wesley and Carter. They were talking to some people who seemed as important as they were, but I didn’t care about anything else. My steps became heavy as I got close. The surroundings became blurry, and my ears were ringing as though guests’ voices and the music were like distant noises.
I stopped in the middle, and I hadn’t realized my tears had already fallen.
I had already seen them earlier, but seeing Edward with a woman in his arms, my whole world just shattered. And the woman in his arms was someone I knew.
My very own friend Sofia.
My husband’s lips were on her cheek, his fingers behind her ear, tucking a lock of her blonde hair.
I gradually accepted that I had already lost him, but not this way. Not only they’d hurt my pride, they almost destroyed my dream. My life. And the future that I’d built for a long time.
How was this possible? When did this happen?
My blood rushed past my eardrums, and my flesh quivered in a frenzy. My sight became darker by the second. The night I wished for the best turned out to be the worst.
Sofia... How could she do this to me?
I was going to approach them, my feet moving on their own, my head picturing all the things I could do to her, but Amara appeared in front of me, blocking me from view. “Savi, darling. How are you here?”
Of course she knew. I was wrong about her. I thought she understood me.
“So, this is it, huh? Why is that woman here?”
“It’s not what you think, Savi. I didn’t know that—”
“You didn’t know?” I sneered. “It’s only less than a month. I thought I could trust you, but let you let Edward bring her mistress here? How could you not know?”
Amara reached to me, but I stepped back. “Don’t fucking touch me. I want that woman out of here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me? I was just trying to stop you from making a scene.”
I pressed my mouth into a thin line before I could say anything else. “Why would you do this to me?”
I knew that my question meant nothing. Amara didn’t have the answer, just as Edward had kept it a secret all this time. I just needed to understand why Sofia would betray me like this.
“I’ll talk to Edward, Savannah. Please, just not here. You already know the end of this. Your relationship is over.”
“That’s it? Please don’t tell me you like Edward’s new toy?” I wasn’t afraid of calling Sofia that anymore. She knew what she would bring to herself if I dragged her out here. She was a homewrecker.
“It’s not like that. You knew I supported you.”
“Well, it’s not enough. Move the fuck away, Amara.” I forced myself past her, pushing her to the side. “I swear to God if you don’t—”
“No!” Amara hauled me back and gripped my wrist.
“Let me go, you witch!” I hissed, glaring at her.
“I will, but until you listen to me.” She moved closer, so the people around us wouldn’t suspect we were fighting. “Bigger things are happening here that you won’t understand. I don’t know why you’re here or who told you about tonight, but I don’t want to ruin this for Edward or Brett. You already ruined his life when he married you. Do you hear me? So, please, Savannah, before my nephew sees you here and while I’m asking nicely. Leave.”
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Edward doesn’t need you.” She released my hand, pushing me. “We don’t need you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Her words stung my heart so deeply that I froze. So the kindness she was showing all this time was a lie?
I clenched my fist.
Wesley... Please get me out here.
The heavens probably answered that I felt someone’s presence next to me. A strong, radiating presence. It was Rafael. His expression was dark, his eyes piercing into mine.
“Savannah,” he murmured as he caught me on the waist. I didn’t realize I was already falling. “Are you okay?” his voice was low and thick, which had my heart fluttering.
Rafael...
“Rafael Sebastian,” Amara said. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?” I wasn’t sure why my aunt-in-law said called him that, but Rafael answered.
“Well.” He cocked his head. “I was here first.”
“Hold on.” She frowned, looking back and forth between Rafael and me in confusion. “What’s the meaning of this?”
She called him Rafael Sebastian. Wasn’t that Carter’s brother’s name? Sebastian Entertainment’s CEO?
I clasped my mouth, preventing my jaw from falling open. Oh my God!
I lifted my head to look at Rafael again. His face looked disgruntled. What the hell was going on?
“Savannah. Why are you with this man?” Amara questioned me as if I was cheating on her nephew. She had no right. But I couldn’t answer because Rafael had already held my hand and pulled me away.
“Hey!”
Escaping, we moved through the crowd and exited the venue. But I needed to breathe.
“Wait.” I yanked my hand from him and stopped by the emergency stairs. I needed air. “You can’t just drag me here like that,” I panted.
“You looked like you needed saving.”
“God! What is wrong with you people?” I perched down the stairs to massage my ankle. My foot hurt like hell, so I removed the strap of my stilettos and rested my bare feet on the cold tiles.
I sighed as I felt a bit of relief, but the pain in my heart wouldn’t make up for it. Rafael watched me as I did.
“I was running around all night,” I said. Sofia in Edward’s arms flashed in my mind again.
I started crying. Hard but silent—finally letting go of the tears I tried to hold back for a couple of weeks.
No wonder he couldn’t tell me the truth, and no wonder Sofia changed. How the fuck did it happen? I needed to know so badly that it hurt.
“Sorry.” I sniffed. “I’m such a baby.”
Rafael bent on his knees to wipe my tears with his thumb. “You okay?” He gazed at me with compassion, but I cringed in embarrassment.
“Stop.” I shoved his hand away, but he caught my wrist like he did earlier. He was gentler now.
“Yes, but until you calm down,” he murmured.
“I can’t!”
My feelings rose again. I couldn’t stop myself from weeping like my life depended on it—like when Michael and I lost our parents. The pain was about the same.
“Hey, don’t cry.”
I sniveled, wiping my nose. “Have you ever been betrayed by your ex and best friend and the people you trusted?”
He traced the line of my jaw with his fingers. “What do you mean?”
“It just happened to me.” I buried my face in my palms and sobbed.
“Hey, now... It’s okay.” Rafael pulled me into his arms. I still didn’t understand what happened back there, but I gave in and let his tenderness and warmth console me.