On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, my fiancé had me thrown out of City Hall and went in with his childhood sweetheart instead. He looked at me like it was nothing. “Chloe’s baby needs a father on paper.” “Once we divorce, I’ll marry you.” Everyone thought I’d swallow my pride and wait another month. After all, I’d already waited seven years. But that night, I left the country for an arranged marriage. I vanished from his world completely. Three years later, my husband and I flew back stateside for a family memorial. My husband had a last-minute work emergency. So he told his local branch to send a car for me. I walked out of the airport. And froze. My driver was Seth. My ex-fiancé. He looked at me and sighed. “Alright, your little tantrum has gone on long enough.” “Come home.” “Chloe’s kid starts preschool next week.” “You’re in charge of the drop-offs.” I walked into the arrivals terminal. And saw a guy holding a VIP pickup sign. With my name on it. I walked over. And froze. Holding the sign was my ex-fiancé, Seth. He was craning his neck. Looking past me at the luggage carousels. He had Chloe with him. And half his old frat-boy entourage. One of the guys nudged him. “Yo Seth, isn’t that your obsessed ex?” “Isn’t that Vanessa?” Seth looked at me. He looked surprised for a split second. Then he smirked. “See? I told you guys.” “I knew she’d come crawling back.” The whole group burst out laughing. “Vanessa vanished without a trace.” “Now she sees Seth is loaded.” “She probably cries herself to sleep every night!” One of them looked me up and down. “Vanessa, if you’re gonna fake a random run-in…” “Why show up in sweatpants?” “Couldn’t you at least put on some makeup?” “Without Seth, you can’t even buy a nice outfit?” “You look pathetic.” It was true. I used to spend hours getting ready for Seth. Full face of makeup. Tight designer dresses. Always making sure I looked absolutely perfect for him. But I didn’t need to do that anymore. Because I’m pregnant. And my husband refused to let me be uncomfortable. He banned heavy makeup. And had this “cheap loungewear” custom-tailored for me in Paris. Listening to them mock me, it suddenly clicked. They only read the name on the corporate dispatch. They had no idea the VIP they were picking up… Was me.
Since I wasn’t saying anything, an old mutual friend stepped in. Trying to play peacemaker. “Vanessa, it’s good you’re back.” “Seth actually spent years looking for you.” “He asked about you everywhere!” Seth’s smug smile stiffened. He cleared his throat and acted nonchalant. “Chloe’s kid starts preschool next week.” “From now on, you’re in charge of the drop-offs.” He was still so incredibly arrogant. But I wasn’t that naive little girl anymore. Looking at him now? I just felt exhausted. And grossed out. I didn’t want to waste another second on them. I was just about to tell them exactly who I was. But Chloe beat me to it. “Vanessa, please don’t be mad at Seth.” “He’s just trying to take care of you.” “You disappeared for three years.” “Who knows what kind of shady stuff you had to do to survive?” “Look at how rundown you are.” “Seth wanted to make you my personal secretary.” “But clearly you can’t handle that.” “Don’t worry.” “Being my nanny is a respectable job.” “No one will look down on you.” Three years apart, she’s still as arrogant as ever. She still makes me cringe. Seth saw my scowl. And thought I was just jealous. His eyes flashed with triumph. “Alright, Vanessa, drop the attitude.” “You clearly can’t survive out there.” “So stop throwing tantrums.” “Take care of the kid and learn your place.” “Don’t worry.” “My mansion has a perfectly good nanny room in the basement.” The whole group howled with laughter. “Damn, Vanessa, look how good Seth is to you!” “He’s giving you free room and board!” “Isn’t babysitting better than whatever trashy life you’re living now?” “Hurry up and say thank you!” Chloe touched her diamond earring. Putting on an affected tone. “Don’t you worry, dear.” “If my son acts up, I’ll make sure to set him straight for you.” “I won’t let you be mistreated.” Seth let out a cold laugh and shot me a glance. “Why would she be mistreated?” “She ran away over a tiny little misunderstanding.” “If she hit rock bottom out there…” “She deserves to suffer a little.” Hearing that… My heart actually skipped a beat. After three years. He still thought ditching me at the County Clerk’s Office for Chloe… Was just a “tiny little misunderstanding.” The Seth who used to love me was truly dead. He wasn’t the boy who carried me across town, ignoring his own bleeding cuts. He wasn’t the broke teenager who promised me the world. He wasn’t the man who, despite all his fame and success, was still willing to cook for me. But whatever. It was all in the past. None of it mattered anymore. Besides. I’m about to give birth to my second baby anyway.
I pushed my feelings down. I didn’t want to argue with them. It was pointless. I looked at Seth. My voice was completely calm. “Aren’t you here to pick me up?” “Let’s go.” The whole group went dead silent. They exchanged looks. Then they burst out laughing. Chloe sneered. “Pick you up?” “Don’t make me laugh.” She pointed at the VIP sign. “Read it carefully.” “We are waiting for Mrs. Vance.” “Do you even know who that is?” Vance was my new married name. Of course I knew. “Mrs. Vance is the matriarch of the Vance family.” “She is the actual wife of Grayson Vance.” “Grayson Vance is a ruthless billionaire.” “But he’s completely obsessed with his wife.” “Rumor has it, he stayed single for years.” “Just waiting for her.” “Everyone in the industry knows the rule.” “Don’t try to kiss up to Grayson.” “Kiss up to Mrs. Vance.” “She is his entire world.” Listening to them gossip about my marriage… I couldn’t help it. A genuine, happy smile spread across my face. We had been married for three years. Grayson’s empire had only gotten bigger. And his reputation as a fiercely devoted husband had spread everywhere. Chloe always needed to feel superior to me. She couldn’t pass up a chance to show off. “To win his wife’s heart…” “Grayson Vance bought a custom diamond bracelet at Christie’s.” “It’s called ‘Eternal Heart’.” “It cost twenty million dollars.” “Mrs. Vance is literally the most envied woman on earth.” Chloe paused. Her eyes darted down to my wrist. She let out a sharp gasp. “That’s the exact same bracelet!” The terminal went dead silent again. Every single person stared at my wrist. Seth violently grabbed my hand. He yanked my arm up to inspect the bracelet. Then he scoffed. “It’s a pretty good fake!” “Which broke delivery guy bought this for you?” “Buying you a cheap knockoff.” “Absolute trash.” I snatched my hand back. And gently rubbed the bracelet on my wrist. I smirked. Seeing my happy, unfazed smile… Seth’s eyes narrowed in pure rage. He lunged forward. He grabbed my wrist with a crushing grip. And violently ripped the bracelet off my arm. I gasped in shock. I wasn’t expecting him to get physical. He tore it right off. Chloe eagerly stepped forward. She snatched the bracelet from Seth’s hand. And started playing with it. “Wow, it really is a high-quality fake.” “Way better than the replica I bought.” “But I’d never actually wear mine in public.” “It’s so embarrassing.” “These overseas knockoffs hit different.” “The weight actually feels real.” She gave me a mocking, sickly sweet smile. “Or what, Vanessa?” “Are you going to tell us you’re the real Mrs. Vance?” “Are you the legendary billionaire’s wife?” The second she said it. The frat boys erupted into hysterical laughter. To them, it was the most absurd joke in the world. Grayson Vance was a globally feared financial shark. He was ruthless and unstoppable. And three years ago, I was just their pathetic friend. The loser who got dumped at the Clerk’s Office. There was absolutely no way. Chloe spun the twenty-million-dollar bracelet around her finger. “Vanessa, just sell this fake to me.” “I’ll pay you double what your broke boyfriend paid.” I panicked, terrified she was going to drop it. “Give that back right now!” “Grayson gave that to me—” I didn’t even get to finish my sentence. Seth’s hand slammed across my face. My head snapped to the side. And I tasted copper as my lip split open. “Shut your mouth!”
Seth glared at me like I was insane. “Vanessa, do you have a death wish?” “You think you can just casually drop Mr. Vance’s name?” “Are you trying to get me killed?” His frat-boy buddies stared at me with pure rage. “Do you have any idea how hard we fought for this airport pickup?” “Grayson Vance bought out Seth’s company last year.” “Our entire livelihoods depend on him now.” “The only way Seth keeps his executive spot is if we impress Mrs. Vance.” “And you’re out here spreading psychotic rumors that you know the CEO?” “Are you trying to ruin Seth’s career?” I wiped the blood from my split lip. And slowly turned my head. Then locked eyes with Seth. My stare must have been dead cold. Because Seth frowned. A flicker of genuine panic flashed across his eyes. Chloe saw that tiny shift in his expression. Her eyes turned venomous. She pointed right at my nose “Vanessa, you ungrateful bitch.” “Seth was kind enough to offer you a roof over your head!” “Don’t push your luck.” “I know you’re bitter about the past.” “But trying to sabotage his career out of petty revenge?” “That’s sick.” Hearing her say that… It felt exactly like three years ago. No matter what I did, Chloe would twist it. She would feed her poisoned version of reality to Seth. In the early days, he used to defend me. But by the end, he always took her side. Just like right now. Seth shook his head in disgust. “You’re such a jealous shrew.” But this time, he didn’t keep screaming at me. He went quiet for a second. Then he pulled out his checkbook. He scribbled a check for twenty grand. And shoved it right in my face. “For the sake of what we used to be, I’ll let this slide.” “Take the cash.” “Go buy some clothes that don’t look like trash.” “If you really don’t want to nanny Chloe’s kid…” “I’ll pull some strings and get you a decent job next week.” “Don’t worry.” “Ever since the Vance acquisition, this kind of money is pocket change to me.” Watching him play the generous billionaire savior made my stomach turn. Clearly, life had been way too easy for him lately. The whole group watched me. Waiting for me to grovel and take the money. Instead, I shoved his hand away. I reached over and snatched my diamond bracelet right out of Chloe’s hand. I gave him a polite, freezing smile. “No thank you, sir.” “I don’t take handouts from strangers.”
Seth’s face turned bright red. I ignored him and turned to walk away. But I barely made it two steps before he grabbed my arm. “Vanessa! You won’t even take my money?” “What is your problem?” “Am I just a stranger to you now?” I pulled my arm free. “We broke up three years ago.” “It’s better if we keep our distance.” “I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.” I was thinking about my fiercely loyal, slightly jealous billionaire husband. But Seth glanced over at Chloe. He looked like he had it all figured out. “My company is hosting a massive gala for Mr. Vance in three days.” “I was actually planning to bring you as my plus-one.” “To let you experience high society.” “But you’d need to buy a decent dress.” “I can’t have you embarrassing me—” I cut him off immediately. “I really don’t need to go. Thanks.” Hearing me reject him again, Seth grew annoyed. His hand, still holding the twenty-thousand-dollar check, hovered awkwardly in the air. He was grinding his teeth. “Vanessa, you’ve really grown a spine, haven’t you?” “It’s true what they say.” “The poorer you get, the bigger your attitude.” “Fine! If you don’t want to go, forget it!” “I’ll take Chloe!” Hearing that she got to attend the billionaire’s gala, Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Seth, I promise I’ll be perfect!” “I absolutely won’t embarrass you!” I was so incredibly done with them. I turned around and strode away. But I tossed one last look over my shoulder. “I hope you’re still this confident in three days.” I practically sprinted out of the arrivals terminal. Hitting the fresh air outside. Finally pushing down the nausea churning in my stomach. My mind flashed back to three years ago. My parents had been pressuring me into an arranged marriage overseas. I fought them on it. I begged Seth, my boyfriend of seven years, to just elope with me. To sign the papers and make us permanent. Seth agreed. But when I showed up at the County Clerk’s Office… He brought his childhood sweetheart, Chloe. He told me her baby needed a legal father. He told me he’d divorce her in a month and marry me then. He told me not to overthink it. Watching him hold her hand and walk into that Clerk’s Office… I’m completely done. I flew overseas for a blind date that very night. A month later, I married Grayson Vance. A year later, we had our first baby. And now, I’m pregnant with our second. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Grayson’s family memorial… I never would have set foot back in this country. And I definitely wouldn’t have bumped into Seth.
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