Chapter 7
The launch was held in an exhibition hall converted from a nineteenth-century mansion in Miranland.
White flower walls and warm light strips lined everywhere.
The air was filled with the fresh citrus top notes from Essence & Co.'s classic line.
I wore a black dress, my hair pulled back into a neat bun.
Standing in the VIP lounge, I watched the crowd outside through the one-way glass.
There were buyers, media, influencers, brand reps, and at least two hundred people.
My hands were trembling.
Footsteps drew near behind me. "Nervous?"
It was Gavin.
He was dressed to the nines today: a black suit, crisp white shirt, no tie.
He seemed taller than usual, and so much more out of reach, like he was someone from a world I could never touch.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Linda sent me an invitation," he replied.
"You know her?"
"I invested in Essence & Co.'s Eulepian funding round."
"What?"
He took in my expression and paused for a beat. "We'll talk about it later."
He came over and stood next to me, leaving half a step between us.
"All you have to do is sit there," he said. "Don't worry about anything else.
"One of the three new products they're launching today was created using your formula.
"Linda told me every buyer here placed an intent order after they tried the samples."
"All of them?"
"Yeah," he said, turning to look at me. "Anna, do you know how amazing you are?"
Before I could answer, the big screen outside lit up.
The brand logo appeared.
The name "Branche" was splashed across the entire wall in gold, handwritten lettering.
The crowd broke into applause.
Linda's voice echoed through the microphone. "This is a perfumer who prefers to keep her identity private. But her work speaks for itself."
Three unlabeled perfume bottles sat on the scent bar.
Over two hundred people waited their turn to sample the scents.
I watched the scene through the glass.
Some people closed their eyes, taking in the scent.
Some scribbled notes in their notebooks.
Some leaned in to whisper to the person next to them.
An elderly gray-haired foreign man froze for a few seconds after smelling the sample.
He then turned to Linda and spoke at length.
Linda was so happy she looked like she might jump for joy.
Gavin leaned in a bit closer. "That's the editor-in-chief of Fragrance Review, the most influential magazine in perfumery."
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said it's the most impressive scent he's come across this year. He wants to run a special feature on it," Gavin replied.
I took a deep breath.
Just then, my phone buzzed in my bag.
It wasn't a call, just a WhatsApp message.
I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
It was a photo from an unknown number.
I tapped to open it.
It was a photo of Jayden and Sophie.
He had his arm around her waist, and her head was tilted against his shoulder.
The backdrop was the sofa in my living room.
There was a message with the photo: [Anna, if you don't come back, I'm claiming this spot for good.]
She had a silk scarf draped around her neck.
The fragrance on that scarf was one I'd blended myself.
The bottle I always kept on my dressing table.
I'd handwritten "Anna" on the label.
I froze in place, my fingertips icy cold.
It felt like something deep inside me was slowly freezing over.
Jayden and I had been married for three years.
We'd been by each other's sides since I was ten.
When he said, "Anna, you're the one I love most," did he really mean it?
When he said, "Anna, we'll be together forever," did he think we'd end up like this?
The applause outside kept going.
On the big screen, "Branche" was glowing in gold letters.
More than two hundred buyers and journalists were applauding my work.
Meanwhile, my soon-to-be ex-husband brought another woman into my house, let her use my things, and sit in my place.
My phone buzzed again: Sophie sent another message.
It read: [Oh right, Jayden said he's turning your storage room into a walk-in closet for me.
[He told the maid to toss all your bottles and jars out.]
I stared at those words.
Jayden was tossing out my perfume ingredients.
Those bottles held the formulas my mom left me.
They were things I'd been collecting bit by bit since I was ten years old.
Some of those ingredients were discontinued long ago, impossible to find now.
"Anna?" Gavin's voice came from far away. "You look pale."
My hand holding the phone was trembling.
I tried to speak, but not a single word came out.
That old trouble flared up again.
The more anxious and desperate I felt, the tighter my throat got.
Gavin glanced down at my phone screen.
He didn't say a word. Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Linda," he said. "I need you to look up an address for me."
He told her the name of the residential compound Jayden and I lived in, as well as our unit number.
"Send someone over right now. Pack up everything in Anna's storage room. Make sure every single bottle is intact.
"Do it within twenty minutes," he ordered.
He hung up and turned to face me. "It's not too late."
I looked up at him, my vision blurry.
He gently wiped a tear from the corner of my eye with his thumb.
His touch was feather-light, as if I were made of glass.
He said gently, "None of your things will be lost.
"You never have to set foot in that place again."
My lips trembled. All the words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat.
He looked at me, his voice barely above a whisper. "Anna, marry me."
The lights on the big screen outside suddenly shifted.
The word "Branche" was projected onto the wall of the building across the street.
Golden light flooded the night sky over Miranland.
I stood right at the source of that light, unable to say a single word.
He waited for me, not pushing, not hurried.
He only watched me quietly and steadily.