Chapter 1
“Hey, did you get Nathan’s invitation? He’s throwing a party tonight—penthouse, catered dinner, he just invited me.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll go. To get a drink or something. What about you, Ben?”
The storm of confusion hit me the second I overheard the conversation. My laptop bag slipped further down my shoulder as the sudden, sharp spike of confusion and disbelief washed over me.
Party?
Held by Nathan, my boss and boyfriend?
How come I knew absolutely nothing about it?
Somehow, my heart skipped a beat.
… Seconds ago, I had been floating on a cloud of relief.
The Morrison account was signed. Months of sleepless nights, spreadsheets, and strategy decks had finally paid off. I had worked until my eyes burned and my back ached, and yet… the client had signed. Success tasted like victory, like freedom, like the quiet pride of being indispensable.
And now, all of that joy was slipping away.
Over the wall, the conversation that confused me was continuing.
Ben laughed. “Of course I’m going. Seven-thirty sharp. Nathan said it’s just for senior staff, but honestly, after pulling this off, we all deserve it.”
“Senior staff?” I whispered to myself, the words echoing in the hallway.
I pressed closer to the wall, straining to hear over the sudden roar in my ears. I was senior staff. I had been here since day one. I had built this company alongside Nathan, sacrificed weekends, holidays, my social life.
So why was Nathan throwing a party—and why had I not only not been invited, but also had no idea it was happening?
It didn’t make sense.
My mind raced. Maybe it was an oversight. Nathan would never forget. Not after the quiet mornings we shared, not after the stolen kisses in empty conference rooms, not after last night when he had whispered how proud he was of me.
But then, the memory of the past few weeks intruded.
The subtle distance, the missed lunches, the calls he took behind closed doors, the way his eyes sometimes skimmed past me instead of locking.
A chill ran down my spine.
By the time I realized it, the hallway had emptied. My phone buzzed against my hip: Great work today. Heading out early to prep for tonight. See you tomorrow.
No invitation. No explanation. Just… see you tomorrow.
The knot in my stomach tightened. I splashed cold water on my face in the nearest bathroom, trying to steady the trembling hands that refused to obey me. Rational thoughts whispered that there must be a mistake, that he wouldn’t exclude me intentionally. But dread settled in anyway, heavy and insistent.
I left work as soon as the clock struck five, my nerves a taut wire.
Nathan’s office door was closed when I reached it, but I could see him through the glass partition, methodically packing his briefcase. He looked up as I knocked, and for just a moment, something flickered across his face—guilt? irritation?—before it vanished.
“Come in,” he said without looking up.
I closed the door behind me, heart hammering. “Nathan, we need to talk.”
“If it’s about Morrison, we can discuss it tomorrow. I’m running late.”
“It’s not about Morrison,” I said, forcing myself closer. “It’s about tonight.”
He froze, finally looking at me. “Tonight?”
“The party. I overheard Chloe and Ben talking about it. Nathan… why wasn’t I invited?”
He straightened, expression neutral, the mask he wore for client meetings slipping over his features. “It’s just a small gathering. Nothing formal.”
“A small gathering?” My voice cracked. “Nathan, I’ve been here from the start. I worked on this project for six months. I haven’t taken a real day off in—”
“I know how hard you’ve worked,” he interrupted, clipped and professional. “And the company appreciates it. But tonight is really for department heads and key stakeholders.”
The words hit me like a blow. “Department heads? Nathan, I am senior staff. I’m the most senior person here after you.”
He snapped his briefcase shut. “It’s not personal, Eliza. Just a leadership event. That’s all.”
Not personal. Not personal, the words echoed through me. The man I had slept beside twelve hours ago, the man I had shared my life with in quiet, private moments, was telling me I didn’t belong.
I swallowed hard, anger and humiliation flooding in. “After everything we’ve—”
“Everything we’ve what?” His tone was sharp now, cutting like glass. “Eliza, I think you’re reading more into our professional relationship than there actually is.”
“Professional relationship,” I repeated, voice trembling.
“Yes. Employee-employer. That’s all it is. I’d hate for you to get the wrong idea and make things… uncomfortable.”
He moved past me to the door, leaving me alone, heart pounding, surrounded by the very company I had helped build.
I gritted my teeth at his back.
After everything I had poured into this company, after every whispered word of love, how could he think he could just cut me off?
No. No way. If he thought I wouldn’t show, he was wrong. I would go to that party.
Even if it meant showing up unannounced.