Chapter 25 #3
Across the room, Cipher guided the woman into a turn, his hand splayed across her lower back. Her head tilted back in laughter, exposing the elegant column of her throat. They moved like they’d been dancing together for years instead of minutes.
Stop looking. Just stop.
But I couldn’t.
She was exquisite. She was made of perfect curves wrapped in blue silk that made her look like she’d been dipped in the night sky. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in glossy waves that caught the light with every movement.
They looked right together. Beautiful people who belonged in the same world of wealth and power and privilege. A world where I was just a temporary visitor.
Cipher whispered something in her ear, and she pressed closer, her hand sliding up his arm. The intimacy of the gesture made my stomach clench.
The music shifted to something slower, more intimate. Cipher pulled the woman closer, their bodies pressed together with barely a whisper of space between them. Each movement of his hands on her body, each smile he gave her, was another wound.
The woman’s hand now rested on Cipher’s chest, her red nails stark against the black of his tuxedo. He didn’t remove it. Instead, his smile turned predatory, the one I’d seen countless times before he—
Don’t think about that.
This was deliberate cruelty. He knew I was watching. Knew exactly what he was doing. Valor was my job—I had no choice. But Cipher? He was choosing to hurt me.
His hand slid lower on her back, almost indecent, and she pressed closer, her body molded to his like she belonged there.
My chest constricted, making it hard to breathe.
This was what jealousy felt like. The burning, gnawing, hollowing sensation clawing it’s way through me.
I’d never experienced it before Cipher. Never cared enough about anyone to feel this particular brand of agony.
On the dance floor, the woman’s lips brushed Cipher’s jaw as she leaned in to whisper to him, and something inside me shattered.
I couldn’t watch another second. The woman’s lips on Cipher’s jaw was the final straw, a knife twist I couldn’t bear to witness.
I turned away, oddly calm. The storm of emotions that had been raging inside me moments ago vanished, leaving nothing but a vast, empty stillness.
So this is what breaking feels like.
I looked up at Valor, my lips curving into a perfect smile. “Can we get another drink? I’d love to mingle some more.”
Valor blinked, surprise flickering across his flawless features. “Of course.” He guided me toward the bar. “You’re in a better mood.”
“Just enjoying the evening.” My voice sounded off, like it belonged to someone else.
The bartender handed me a flute of champagne. I tipped it back, draining half in one swallow. It tasted like nothing. Not sweet, not dry, not anything. Just liquid sliding down my throat.
Funny how pain worked. Push past a certain threshold and everything just stopped.
Valor’s fingers traced circles on my back. I felt the pressure but not the sensation. Like someone touching a limb that had fallen asleep.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he murmured, leaning close.
“Thank you.” I smiled up at him, the expression perfectly calibrated. Not too wide, not too small. Just right. Just perfect.
Perfect Annie. Professional Annie. Keeper Annie. The Annie everyone wants.
We moved through the crowd, stopping to chat with donors and Alliance officials. I laughed at the right moments. Nodded at the appropriate times. Said all the correct things.
It was easy now. So easy to be exactly what everyone wanted when I felt absolutely nothing.
Valor’s arm around my waist. Nothing.
The weight of the ridiculous ring. Nothing.
The approving smiles of the Alliance PR reps watching us. Nothing.
I caught glimpses of Cipher as we circulated. By the bar, the woman’s hand on his chest. Near the entrance of the bioluminescent garden, her lips close to his ear. Each time, I registered the sight with detachment.
We had never defined what we were. Never said we were exclusive.
The thought floated through my mind like debris on still water. No ripples. No disturbance.
“Annie?” Valor’s voice pulled me back. “Charles asked if you’re excited about the wedding plans.”
I turned to Charles with a radiant smile. “We’re taking things slowly. Enjoying the engagement.”
“Smart girl,” Charles nodded. “Though with a catch like Valor, I wouldn’t wait too long!”
Everyone laughed. I joined them, the sound perfectly pitched.
Across the room, Cipher led the woman to a darkened corner, his hand resting on her hip.
He’s going to fuck her tonight.
I could picture it—his hands in her dark hair, his mouth on her throat, her back arched beneath him.
That’s fine. I’m fine. So fucking fine.
Valor squeezed my waist. “Another drink, darling?”
“Please.” My smile never faltered.
I was perfect now. Perfectly hollow. Perfectly numb.
I didn’t look for Cipher again. I didn’t need to. The image of him with her was already burned into my mind, one more scar to add to my collection.
We were even now. His betrayal. My betrayal. His revenge. My emptiness.
I accepted another glass of champagne, raising it in a toast to whatever Valor was saying. The bubbles sparkled under the shifting colors of the glass dome. Beautiful. Meaningless.
Just like everything else.