The pregnancy test sat on my bathroom counter like a loaded gun. Two pink lines. Unmistakable. Undeniable. Life-changing. I stared at those lines until they blurred, my hands trembling as I gripped the marble countertop. Nine years. Nine years I'd given Liam everything—my twenties, my dreams, my whole heart. And now, three weeks after he walked out, I was carrying his child. The irony wasn't lost on me. My phone buzzed on the counter, and I jumped. A text from my best friend Rachel lit up the screen: *Maya, please tell me you're not actually going tonight. This is insane.* Tonight. The engagement party. Liam's engagement party. To her. To Sienna Chen, the twenty-four-year-old marketing associate from his firm with perfect skin and a trust fund that could buy a small country. They'd been engaged for exactly two weeks. He'd known her for three months. We'd been together for nine years. I picked up my phone with shaking fingers and typed back: *I need closure.* Rachel's response was immediate: *That's what therapy is for, not torturing yourself at your ex's engagement party.* She wasn't wrong. Every rational part of my brain was screaming at me to stay home, to delete the digital invitation that had somehow found its way to my email—probably an oversight by whoever was managing the guest list. Surely Liam hadn't wanted me there. But I couldn't stay away. I needed to see it with my own eyes. Needed to understand how nine years could be erased so completely, so quickly. Needed to see the woman who had replaced me before the ink on our relationship had even dried. And maybe, just maybe, I needed him to see me one last time. I walked to my closet and pulled out the dress—a deep emerald silk that hugged every curve, with a neckline that dipped just low enough to be devastating. Liam had loved this dress. I'd worn it on our fifth anniversary, and he'd barely let me keep it on through dinner. That felt like a lifetime ago. Now, as I slipped it on, I noticed it fit differently. My breasts were fuller, more sensitive. My body was already changing, preparing for the life growing inside me. A life Liam knew nothing about. I wasn't showing yet. Wouldn't be for months. Tonight, I could still hide this secret, could still pretend I was just Maya—heartbroken, maybe, but not broken. Not carrying the child of a man who had chosen someone else. The venue was exactly what I'd expected—the Meridian Gallery, an upscale art space in the heart of downtown with floor-to-ceiling windows and champagne that cost more per bottle than my monthly rent. String lights draped across exposed beams, and a jazz quartet played softly in the corner. It was elegant, sophisticated, and painfully beautiful. Everything Liam had promised me our wedding would be. I stood outside for ten minutes, watching beautiful people filter through the entrance in their designer clothes and practiced smiles. My hand unconsciously moved to my stomach, to the secret growing there. "You don't have to do this," I whispered to myself. "You can still leave." But my feet carried me forward anyway. The moment I stepped inside, I felt eyes on me. Conversations paused mid-sentence. Someone gasped—actually gasped—and the sound rippled through the crowd like a stone dropped in still water. I held my head high and walked deeper into the room. The space was stunning. White roses everywhere, their scent almost overwhelming. Photographs of Liam and Sienna displayed on easels throughout the gallery—laughing on a beach, kissing at sunset, looking at each other like they'd invented love. Three months. They'd known each other for three months. "Maya?" I turned at the familiar voice and found Liam's brother, Marcus, staring at me with wide eyes. We'd always gotten along well. He'd been like family to me. "Marcus." I managed a smile. "Congratulations to your brother." He glanced around nervously, lowering his voice. "Does Liam know you're here?" "Does it matter?" "Maya, I don't think this is a good idea. Sienna's family is very... traditional. Very protective. If they think there's drama—" "I'm not here to cause drama," I interrupted, my voice steadier than I felt. "I'm here to pay my respects to nine years of my life. That's all." Marcus looked like he wanted to argue, but someone called his name from across the room. He squeezed my arm gently before walking away, leaving me alone in a sea of strangers who all knew exactly who I was. The ex-girlfriend. The one who got replaced. I made my way to the bar and ordered a sparkling water with lime, ignoring the bartender's assumption that I'd want champagne. I couldn't drink anyway. Couldn't do a lot of things now. "I didn't think you'd actually come." The voice sent ice down my spine. I turned slowly, and there he was. Liam. My Liam—except he wasn't mine anymore, was he? He looked good. He always looked good. Dark hair perfectly styled, sharp jawline, those blue eyes that had once looked at me like I was his entire world. Now they looked at me with something between guilt and discomfort. "Liam." I took a sip of my water, buying time. "Congratulations." He shifted his weight, hands in his pockets. The gesture was so familiar it hurt. "I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't think... I mean, after everything..." "After you ended our nine-year relationship over text message and got engaged three weeks later?" I kept my voice light, conversational. "Why wouldn't I want to celebrate that?" He flinched. "Maya, that's not fair. You know it wasn't that simple." "Actually, it was exactly that simple." I met his eyes steadily. "But I'm not here to rehash the past. I came to properly say goodbye. Nine years deserves more than a text message, don't you think?" Something flickered across his face—regret, maybe, or shame. He glanced over his shoulder toward the center of the room, where a stunning woman in a white cocktail dress held court among a circle of admirers. Sienna. Of course. She was everything I wasn't. Young, wealthy, connected. The kind of woman who looked like she'd been born knowing which fork to use at fancy dinners. "She's beautiful," I said, and meant it. "You must be very happy." "Maya, don't do this." "Do what? Be gracious?" I smiled, though it felt like my face might crack. "I can be happy for you, Liam. I can wish you well. That's why I came tonight—to prove to myself that I can let you go." He studied my face, and I wondered what he saw there. Could he tell I was lying? Could he sense the life we'd created together, growing inside me even as we stood here pretending to be civilized? "You look beautiful," he said quietly. "That dress..." "I know." I cut him off before he could finish the memory. "I should go mingle. I'm sure your fiancée is wondering who you're talking to." "She knows who you are," Liam said. "I told her about us. About... everything." "Everything?" I raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell her how you promised me forever? How we looked at engagement rings together last Christmas? How you said you couldn't imagine your life without me?" "Maya—" "It's fine, Liam." I touched his arm gently, feeling him tense under my fingers. "Really. I just needed to see you one more time. To say goodbye properly. To close this chapter." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but Sienna's laugh carried across the room—bright, effortless, everything mine wasn't right now. "Go," I said softly. "Go be with your fiancée. Be happy. I mean that."