Six months after we broke up,my ex,Damian Blackwood,DM’d me a screenshot. It’s a photo I posted three minutes ago. A silhouette of me at a gallery opening,with the caption:[I miss you]. Before I could reply,my phone rang. It was him. I heard the muffled bass of a party in the background. Then came his voice—that damn lazy drawl,as controlling as ever. “So,you finally came to your senses? I hooked up with a model,so what? It’s not like I stopped loving you. This little tantrum of yours needs to end. Besides,compared to the girls around me,your quiet socialite type is honestly a little boring.” A text notification popped up—an address for a rooftop bar in Manhattan. His voice,slurring slightly,dropped to a command. “Thirty minutes.Get here,and we’ll pretend nothing ever happened.” I let out a soft,”Okay.” Then I hung up and blocked his number for good. Damian always forgot one thing. When a girl like me decided to move on… We actually moved on. We chose someone we could build a real life with. I honestly thought the call was another one of Damian’s late-night whims. But my best friend’s frantic call woke me up the next morning. She was hysterical about a limited-edition Aston Martin parked outside my building. I looked out my window. And there he was,leaning against the driver’s side door. That was when I fully woke up. He was serious. Six months apart,and he was standing there like nothing ever happened. A bag of croissants from the French patisserie I used to love was in his hand. He saw me,but didn’t ask why I’d ghosted him the night before. With a casual gesture,he opened the passenger door. It was a move straight out of our past. He motioned for me to get in,holding out the bag. “They’re still warm.” I did not take them. I just looked him straight in the eye. “Are you enjoying this,Damian?”
He paused,pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. Smoke drifted from his lips as he exhaled. “Aurora,this little act of yours is getting boring.A little jealousy is one thing.This is pathetic.” He’d said those exact words the day I broke up with him. We were at his estate in the Hamptons. A model sauntered past me,wearing nothing but his dress shirt. Her skin was covered in fresh love bites. Damian stood by the pool,casually fixing his collar. Then I saw it. A bright red scratch snaking up his neck. I felt my blood turn to ice. “Why?”My voice was a trembling whisper. He barely glanced up,his tone infuriatingly light. “Oh,her?A friend brought her over.She was fun,so I kept her around.” His casual dismissal… It was as if they’d spent the night discussing philosophy. He frowned when he saw my eyes glistening with tears. “In our circle,this is just how things are.Life’s too long to be tied to one woman,Aurora.It’s boring.Besides,you’re my girlfriend,you don’t own me.A little attitude is one thing.This is embarrassing.” I opened my mouth,ready to scream. But the accusations got stuck in my throat. All that came out was a shaky,”We’re over.”
He leaned against the bar,silent for a long moment. Then his voice dropped to a low warning. “What set you apart was that you were smart and classy.Don’t lose that now.” It hit me. In Damian Blackwood’s world,I was no different. I was just a diversion,a toy to pass the time. He’d shower me with affection when he was interested,and discard me the second he found someone new. After we broke up,he dived right back into the party scene. A new girl on his arm every other week. My leaving meant nothing to him. I was a wreck for months,lost in a spiral of self-doubt. It took everything I had to claw my way out of that darkness. I didn’t care what Damian wanted from me now. I just knew I wasn’t getting roped into his comeback tour. “Step aside,Damian.Or I’m calling the cops for harassment.” He crushed his cigarette and closed the distance between us. The faint scent of another woman’s perfume clung to him. I tried to step back,but his hand shot out and clamped around my wrist. “Harassment?That post yesterday was obviously bait for me.Now you’re playing the saint?Is this some new trick?” He always did this—ignoring my anger. He was convinced I was playing hard to get. “Look,I know you don’t have a new boyfriend,and I happen to be single.So why not get back together?” Oh. So he was bored again and decided to dig up his old favorite toy. His dark eyes locked onto mine. “This time,I’ll let you be my girlfriend again.And I promise,for the next three months,I won’t see anyone else.” The offer was delivered like some grand act of charity. In his mind,I was supposed to fall at his feet,grateful for the crumbs. His long fingers stroked my wrist. I ripped my hand away. My eyes met his. “Damian.I’m getting married.”
“Married?” Damian acted like I’d just told the funniest joke in the world. He bent down,his fingertips tracing a teasing line along my jaw. “It’s been a while.I thought you’d finally come around.Why kill the mood with all this boring marriage talk?Who are you marrying?Because I have no plans to propose.” Of course I knew that. He’d made that clear when he staged the scene to humiliate me. After five solid years,I thought we were finally ready. I was going to introduce him to my parents,to start planning our future. Instead,at our own anniversary party,I walked in on him with another woman. I ran from the Hamptons villa,stumbling onto the dark coastal road. My ankle twisted,a sharp pain shooting up my leg. As I waited for my friend to pick me up,I heard Damian talking to his business partners. “Damian,wasn’t that too cruel?”his partner asked. Damian just sounded casual,unbothered. “I overheard her on the phone with her sister.Said the‘time was right’to meet her parents.I’m not getting tied down.This was a way to get her to back off.I’m too young to be chained to one woman.” His friend snickered. “What if she’s for real this time?What if she actually leaves you?”
A confident smirk played on Damian’s lips. “She was with me for five years.She can’t leave me.Give her a month,tops.She’ll come crawling back,begging.Just watch.” That’s when it all clicked. He had heard my call. Instead of talking to me,he chose the cruelest way to cheat. All to avoid a conversation about our future.Or,god forbid,marriage. His phone rang,snapping me back to the present. Damian answered,and a sugary-sweet voice cooed from the other end. “Damian,you promised you’d make it up to me for our breakup.I’ve decided what I want.Can you come now?” Her voice caught in a fake,pathetic sob as she spoke. “We’re done.Don’t contact me again.” He probably didn’t even realize it,but his voice softened. I knew that tone. It was the same one he always used to calm me down. After hanging up,he deliberately flashed the phone in my direction. “See?I cut everyone off for you.” He shoved a cold croissant into my hands. “From now on,my world is just you.I’m giving up a lot to be here with you.” I dropped the pastry bag into the nearest trash can. I took out a wipe and scrubbed the spot on my wrist he had touched. “Who cares?Listen,we are not getting back together.” His face darkened.”Fine.You want to be ungrateful?” He immediately dialed the model back. “Address.I’m on my way.” His eyes stayed locked on my face,seeking a reaction. When he got nothing,he hung up and slid into his car. “Have it your way.You’re going to regret this.” Regret it? Never.
After he left,I took a cab to the office. I had to request my a from my boss. The wedding leave alone wasn’t enough for the honeymoon. He approved it right away. The next morning,the bridal boutique called about my final makeup trial. The moment I walked in,I ran straight into Damian. He froze for a second when he saw me. Then that lazy,arrogant smirk spread across his face. “Still chasing me,even after you said no?” I didn’t say a word. The bridal consultant beside me spoke up. “Mr.Blackwood,this client is here for her wedding day makeup trial.” The smirk on Damian’s face vanished. His hand almost twitched,as if to reach out. Then a sharp voice cut through the air from behind him. “Wow,interesting,Aurora.Heard Damian and I were here taking wedding photos,so you rushed over?And with such a pathetic excuse.” A model named Tiffany latched onto Damian’s arm,rolling her eyes at me. “I’ve never seen someone so desperate to marry rich.There isn’t even a ring on your finger,and you’re already here marking your territory?” A few of Damian’s rich friends snickered. “Oh,this is nothing.You have no idea what she’s capable of.” “She’s a total stage-five clinger.Impossible to shake off.Poor Damian was terrified.It took him forever to finally get away from her.” Another one chimed in,laughing. “Seriously.It’s been six months since the breakup.All Damian has to do is look at her,and she comes running back like a lapdog.” A sharp slap cracked through the hall.
I shook the sting from my hand,glaring at him. “Watch your mouth.Or I’ll do it for you.” He stared,stunned,before his face twisted in fury. “You bitch!How dare you?!” “You’re just Damian’s used-up toy!I could ruin you in this city with a single call!” “You pathetic piece of…” “Enough!” Damian’s voice sliced through the air. He grabbed his friend’s arm before he could swing at me. The guy tried to argue,”Damian,I…” But Damian ignored him,his eyes locked on me,his brow furrowed. “Did you really have to make a scene?” I had no time for his drama. I turned to the staff.”Can you show me to the dressing room,please?” My fiancéwas still in Europe finishing up business. I had a million wedding details to handle and couldn’t waste time on this circus. The consultant quickly led me away. My custom gown,flown in from Paris,was waiting. After the makeup trial,I slipped into the dress to see the final look. But when the curtain was pulled back,Damian was there. Sitting alone on the sofa. The moment he saw me,his dark eyes lit up. “You look…incredible in that dress.” I turned my back on him,focusing on my reflection in the mirror. A second later,I was pulled into a familiar embrace. Damian’s arms locked around my waist. “You know,I’m suddenly thinking…Marrying you might not be a bad idea.”
His touch was revolting. I felt physically sick. But Damian was oblivious. He kept talking. “I just looked it up.We can get it done in two days.A big wedding is too much to plan,but we can go straight to City Hall.” Everything I had ever wanted from him… He was now tossing it at me like it was nothing. The thought made my stomach turn. Tiffany walked in,her eyes flashing with jealousy. “Aww.Looks like your little puppy-dog routine actually worked.” The man I’d slapped chimed in,his voice dripping with venom. “See?No shame gets you everywhere.Damian really has her well-trained.” Damian raised an eyebrow. He laced his fingers through mine,forcing my hand into his. “For the next three months,she’s the only woman you’ll see on my arm.So show some respect.” He acted like he was defending me. In reality,he was just making me look pathetic. I cut him off,my voice ice. “I have a fiancé.I am not marrying you.Have some self-respect.” The air in the room froze. Damian let out a sharp,bitter laugh. “A fiancé?Aurora,are you kidding?Enough with the tantrum.Who else but me would ever marry you?” His friend snickered. “This is priceless.She’s sloppy seconds,playing hard to get because Damian looked her way.” Tiffany looked down her nose at me,like she was offering charity. “Aurora,a word of advice,woman to woman?Quit while you’re ahead.”
She mocked me with her eyes. As if I should be grateful for Damian’s pathetic”generosity.” But I didn’t want his scraps. “If you like picking up trash,be my guest.Just leave me out of it.” Tiffany’s face flushed a deep crimson. Ignoring the fury on Damian’s face,I tore myself from his grip. There was no reasoning with them. My makeup trial was over,so I headed to the fitting room to change. When I came out,the gorgeous gown was a pile of shredded fabric on the floor. Tiffany stood there,holding a pair of scissors with a taunting smile. “Oops.Guess this cheap thing just falls apart if you breathe on it.” I was shaking with pure rage,staring at the ruin she’d made. My fiancéhad a top designer work on that dress for three months. A custom gown for me. She had destroyed it. Damian met my furious glare,then stepped in front of Tiffany to shield her. “It’s just a dress.I’ll pay you back for it,alright?” He grabbed a cheap,off-the-rack dress from a nearby rack. Then he shoved it into my arms. “Two days.Wear this to City Hall.” I stood frozen,clutching the cheap fabric,as they all walked away. A staff member approached me cautiously. “Miss Hayes,are you OK…?” I took a deep breath and turned to her. “Can you please get me a copy of the security footage from here?” They thought they could get away with this? Not a chance. Later,after they left,one of Damian’s friends asked him. “Damian,after all that,you really think she’ll show up and marry you?” Damian laughed,full of confidence. “I know Aurora.She acts tough,but she’s all talk.She could never stay mad at me.” “I’ll go pick her up myself in two days.She’ll come quietly.” All Damian could picture was how stunning I looked in that wedding dress. He suddenly decided that spending his life with me wasn’t a bad idea.
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