10
SELENA
The venue was beautiful, string lights draped across a garden courtyard, fairy lanterns hanging from trees, long tables dressed in gold and white. Sabrina had gone all out. Of course she had. It was an Indian engagement party, which meant it was basically a wedding without the vows. Food stations lined the edges, music pulsed through the air, and family spilled into every corner.
I stepped out of the car, smoothing my dress for the hundredth time. A deep blue piece Lucien had bought me last year. It fit perfectly. Made me feel like myself again.
"You're going to rip a hole in that fabric if you keep touching it," Sabrina said, locking the car behind us.
"I'm nervous."
"You're married. To a hot CEO. Who no one here knows about yet." She grinned. "This is going to be fun."
I smiled, because she was right. I wasn't hiding Lucien. I was saving him. Letting him make an entrance. Letting them all see what I had found after I left.
"Ready to blow their minds?" she asked.
"Ready."
We walked toward the entrance, and I could already hear the chaos, Aunt Carol's laugh cutting through the air, the clink of glasses, the too-loud conversations of people who hadn't seen each other in months.
The moment we stepped through the archway, it hit me. Home. For better or worse.
"Selena!"
My mother appeared like a missile, arms wide, eyes already wet. She crashed into me before I could brace myself, and suddenly I was seven years old again, wrapped in her perfume, her hands cupping my face.
"Let me look at you." She pulled back, scanning me. "Too thin. Are you eating? Is he feeding you? You're glowing, but you're thin."
"Mum—"
"I'm your mother. I'm allowed to worry." She kissed my forehead, then my cheek, then my forehead again. "My girl. My girl is home."
My throat tightened. "I missed you."
"I missed you too. Now come, everyone wants to see you."
She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the crowd.
The next hour blurred into a parade of familiar faces.
"Selena! Look at you!"
"So beautiful!"
"So thin!"
"Are you seeing anyone? Any nice boys in London?"
I smiled. And then I dropped it. "Actually… I'm married."
The reaction was instant chaos.
"MARRIED?"
"Two years now. His name is Lucien."
"TWO YEARS? And you're just telling us?"
"Where is he? Why isn't he here?"
"He's flying in. A few days. He had meetings."
"A few days? Selena, I need time to prepare! Is he handsome? Does he have a brother? A cousin? A friend?"
I laughed. "He's very handsome. No brother. Sorry."
"Well, I'll be the judge of that."
Across the courtyard, I spotted Chloe near the dessert table, my niece, all pigtails and gap-toothed smiles. She waved excitedly, and I blew her a kiss. Then my eyes caught on my father. He stood near the back, half-hidden behind a pillar. Older. Grayer. Still distant. Our eyes met for a second, just long enough to feel the weight of everything unsaid, then I looked away. Some wounds don't heal just because time passes.
Near the bar, Martha, Kai's mother, was speaking to someone. She looked the same. Elegant. Warm. The same smile that had once made me feel like I belonged in their home. She hadn't seen me yet.
I slipped away to the bar, needing a moment. Needing air. Something stronger than fruit punch.
That's when I saw them.
Jade and Kai. They stood near each other, not together, just… close. Like two people who ended up in the same place and didn't bother to move. Jade looked perfect as always. Effortless. Polished. That same red lipstick, that same flawless hair. She laughed at something someone said, touching their arm lightly. Kai stood a few feet away with his friends, Derek, Mike, the rest.
Across from them, Rohit had his arm around Sabrina, pulling her close, whispering something that made her laugh. They looked easy. Natural. In love.
Kai looked… different. Same face. Same tattoos creeping up his neck. Same rings catching the light. But something had changed. There were shadows under his eyes I'd never seen before. A tightness in his jaw. He smiled at something Derek said, but it didn't reach his eyes. He looked tired. Worn. Like life had finally caught up to him.
The last time I'd seen him, he'd been standing in his wedding suit, saying words I would never forget. I had walked away that day. No goodbye. No explanation. No second chances. And now here he was. Right in front of me.
He hadn't seen me yet.
I waited. Waited for the jealousy. The pain. The ache that used to consume me. It didn't come.
Jade said something to him, something small, casual. He nodded. That was it. No warmth. No tension. No love. Just… nothing.
And suddenly, I understood. I had spent years comparing myself to her. Wondering what she had that I didn't. But there was nothing to compare. They had nothing. Just two people who made a mistake and finally stopped pretending it was love.
I looked away, grabbing a glass of wine and drinking half of it in one go.
"Easy there," the bartender said.
"Long night."
I moved to the edge of the garden, away from the noise. I pulled out my phone.
I miss you.
The reply came instantly.
Miss you too, little love. Two more days.
Feels like forever.
I know. But I'm right here. Always.
I smiled, just a little.
I love you.
I know. I love you too. Hold on for me.
I slipped my phone away and took a breath. Two days. Just two days.
I turned back toward the party.
And then, I saw him again.
Kai. This time, he looked up. Our eyes met.
Everything stopped.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Shock flickered across his face. Then confusion. Then guilt. Raw. Unmistakable. He knew. He knew what he'd said. What he'd done. He knew I had walked away and never looked back.
He froze, his drink halfway to his lips. His friends noticed. Derek nudged Mike. They all turned. Their eyes landed on me. The same people who once saw us as inseparable. Who never stood up for me when it mattered.
I held his gaze. And somewhere deep inside me, a voice whispered, He finally sees you.
Too late.
I looked away first. Turned. Walked back into the crowd. Found Sabrina.
"You look pale," she said immediately. "What happened?"
"Nothing." I shook my head. "Just… a lot of people."
She studied me. "Did you see him?"
I didn't answer.
"Sel."
"I'm fine." I squeezed her arm. "Lucien will be here in two days. I just have to get through tonight."
She didn't look convinced, but she nodded. "Come on. You need food."
I let her pull me toward the buffet. But the entire time, I felt it. His eyes. On my back. Watching.
I didn't turn around. I wasn't that girl anymore. I was someone else now. Someone's wife. Someone's choice.
And in two days, everyone would know it.