Chapter 5

Vanessa’s greeting carried to the stage. The ballroom went still.

Vanessa’s casual "darling" lingered in the silence, sounding especially cruel beneath the banner celebrating our fifteenth anniversary.

Gasps spread through the crowd.

Beside me, Adrian stared at her in horror. His lips parted, but no explanation came out.

Before he could invent one, I spoke.

My voice was steadier than I expected.

"Are you talking to my ex-husband?"

All the color vanished from Adrian’s face.

Vanessa stopped at the foot of the stage. Her left hand remained slightly raised, and the diamond wedding ring on her finger flashed beneath the…