Chapter 4
Series 1 Chapter 4
Logan stared at Damian’s hand on my waist.
“I didn’t lose her.”
He stepped closer, raising his voice.
“Claire was never yours.”
Damian didn’t respond. He looked down at me, leaving the answer to me.
“I’m not yours either, Logan.”
He acted as if he hadn’t heard.
“You started dating him three months ago and married him three weeks ago. Now he happens to be my boss. You expect me to believe this wasn’t revenge?”
Several guests raised their phones again.
Sienna stood beside him, her face tight.
She had come here to prove Logan had chosen her, yet he hadn’t looked at her once since Damian arrived.
“I didn’t know Damian was taking over your company,” I said.
“You think I believe that?”
“What you believe doesn’t matter anymore.”
Logan gave a bitter laugh. “Then why did you bring him here tonight?”
“You demanded proof that my husband existed.”
“Because you were lying!”
His voice rose, as though volume could force the truth back into a shape he understood.
My mother stepped between us.
“That’s enough. Logan, take Sienna home. Claire, you and Damian should get some rest. We can discuss this tomorrow.”
Logan seized the opportunity.
“Exactly. Once she calms down, she can explain what this marriage really is.”
The old Claire might have accepted that.
I would have let everyone dismiss tonight as an emotional misunderstanding. Then I would have apologized in private, worried about our families’ twenty-year friendship, and repaired the damage Logan had caused.
He would remain the person everyone understood.
I would remain the person expected to make things right.
“There’s nothing to discuss tomorrow,” I said.
“Claire,” my mother warned.
“I can settle this now.”
I walked to the spot where Logan had announced his engagement and picked up the microphone. His champagne glass still pinned the betting money to the table.
“Before tonight, Logan and I had known each other for more than twenty years. And yes, I loved him.”
A few people lowered their phones. Others moved closer.
“I believed that if I waited long enough, he would eventually choose me. Logan knew that. He didn’t want a relationship with me, but he never wanted me to leave either.”
“That’s your version,” Logan cut in.
“So I’ll stick to my decision.”
I didn’t argue about the past.
“From tonight on, don’t call me after midnight. Don’t send our families to bring me back. Don’t use our history to pressure me into attending anything.”
Anger cracked across Logan’s face.
“Claire, stop saying things you’ll regret.”
“I’m not finished.”
I tightened my grip on the microphone.
“We are no longer friends. Unless a family obligation makes it unavoidable, I won’t see you privately again. You will not use my name as a joke, and you will not discuss my feelings with other people.”
“You’re destroying twenty years over a man you’ve known for a few months?”
“I wasn’t the one who bet on those twenty years.”
I set down the microphone.
No one applauded.
My mother looked away. Several mutual friends avoided my eyes.
This decision would cost me part of the life I knew—and perhaps everyone who preferred the version of me that never made them uncomfortable.
I didn’t take back a word.
The hotel manager approached and asked Damian if he wanted the situation handled.
Logan laughed. “What now? You’re going to fire me because of her?”
“Your job won’t be discussed tonight,” Damian said. “Claire is the host.”
He returned the choice to me.
I faced the manager.
“I want Logan removed.”
Sienna caught Logan’s arm. “Let’s go.”
“This is our engagement party,” Logan snapped, pulling away. “You can’t throw me out.”
“This is my birthday dinner. You turned it into your engagement show.”
The manager signaled security.
Logan didn’t resist. He straightened his jacket and recovered his composure.
As he passed me, he stopped.
“You think Damian loves you?”
Damian stepped between us.
Logan kept his eyes on me.
“I’ll find out why he married you. When I do, everyone here will hear the answer.”
“Leave.”
Sienna followed him toward the doors. At the exit, Logan looked back.
“Ask your husband one question, Claire.”
Damian’s fingers tightened around mine.
Logan smiled.
“Ask him why he knew my full name before you ever told him about me.”
I turned to Damian.
“What does he mean?”
Damian released my waist.
“We’ll discuss it at home.”
The ballroom doors closed behind Logan.
For the first time, my husband had refused to answer me.