Chapter 2
That woman walked right up to Finn and naturally slipped her hand into his waiting palm.
He squeezed her hand tightly.
Fingers intertwined, they moved to the dead center of the stage.
My mind went completely blank.
A heavy silence washed over the auditorium for a split second before the room erupted into fierce whispers and buzzing gossip.
"Oh my god, who is that? The CEO is actually holding her hand!" a woman next to me squealed.
"I heard a rumor he had a secret girlfriend. I guess it's true!"
"They look perfectly matched."
Girlfriend?
My fingernails dug so hard into my palms they almost drew blood.
Up on stage, Finn raised their joined hands into the air.
He wore a look of absolute, unadulterated devotion that I had never seen before.
"Allow me to introduce everyone," his voice rang out crystal clear over the speakers. "This is Selena Vance.
"As of today, she is officially joining the Crestwood Group family."
I stared intensely at the two of them, desperately searching Finn's face for a punchline or a glitch.
But there was nothing.
The deep affection in his eyes was genuine.
His love for this woman was real.
My heart plunged into ice water.
So this was the big surprise I had been waiting for. A surprise he had carefully crafted for someone else.
And I was just the delusional fool who crashed the party.
*****
Selena Vance beamed with a bashful smile.
She gave a polite little bow to the crowd. "Hi everyone, I'm Selena Vance. I look forward to working with all of you."
Her voice was sugary sweet.
Finn gazed down at her, looking like he was ready to melt.
He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
The gesture was so intimate and natural it looked rehearsed.
The applause from the crowd was scattered and hesitant.
Most people were just sitting there in absolute shock.
Flaunting a woman like this at a corporate town hall, with that level of physical intimacy, was essentially a public declaration of love.
The gossip around me grew louder.
"Who the hell is she to just parachute in? What's her title?"
"No clue, but judging by how Mr. Grayson is acting, she is definitely high up."
"Wait, is she Mr. Grayson wife?"
That phrase hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
I was his wife. The only legal Mrs. Grayson.
Yet here I was, lurking in the darkest corner of the room like a dirty secret, watching my husband parade his girlfriend in front of the world.
The irony was nauseating.
My hands shook violently in my lap.
My phone screen was still lit up with our happy couple selfie.
Right now, that photo felt like the biggest joke of the century.
On stage, Finn cleared his throat, instantly silencing the whispers.
He held their clasped hands higher and swept his gaze across the massive room.
Finally, with the ultimate voice of authority, he dropped the bomb.
"Moving forward, Selena will be Crestwood Group's new..." He paused, clearly relishing the suspense.
Then he enunciated every syllable. "Executive Vice President."
The auditorium completely lost its mind.
Executive Vice President.
It was the absolute top of the food chain, second only to Finn himself.
That position had been sitting empty for the ten years Crestwood had been in business.
Finn always swore he was saving that exact role for someone with unparalleled capability and absolute trust.
Now, he was handing it over to a total nobody. A woman he just paraded on stage hand in hand.
The implications were blindingly obvious.
Selena's smile widened.
Looking like a victorious queen, she scanned the sea of stunned faces.
Then her eyes seemed to coincidentally land right on my section of the room.
Across the massive distance and dim lighting, I couldn't see her exact expression, but I could feel the smug, provocative energy radiating off her.
Whatever warmth was left in my chest completely died.
This grand romantic surprise I had planned was nothing but a humiliating solo act.
The beautiful reunion I envisioned was just a front-row seat to my husband's infidelity.
I had poured my heart and soul into this man, and to him, it meant absolutely nothing.
For three years of long distance, I broke my back paving a path for our future together.