The champagne flute in my hand trembles slightly as I watch Marcus Bennett walk into the Grand Ballroom with his wife on his arm. Six years. It's been six years since I last saw him, and my body still remembers everything—the weight of his gaze, the timbre of his voice, the way he used to whisper promises he never intended to keep. "Elena, you okay?" My assistant director, James, touches my elbow gently. "You look like you've seen a ghost." If only he knew how accurate that assessment is. "I'm fine," I lie smoothly, forcing my shoulders back. I've built an empire since leaving Marcus. I'm not the desperate twenty-three-year-old who waited by the phone anymore, hoping he'd finally choose me over his "obligations." I'm Elena Rodriguez, Chief Creative Officer of Lumière Productions, and I deserve to be at this corporate dinner just as much as anyone else. Even if the guest of honor is the man who shattered me into a thousand pieces. Victoria Chen—now Victoria Bennett—looks exactly like her photographs. Elegant. Refined. Old money wrapped in a Chanel dress. She's everything I could never be, everything Marcus's family wanted for him. Her hand rests possessively on his arm as they make their way through the crowd, accepting congratulations on their recent acquisition of Chen-Bennett Technologies. The merger marriage that finally happened. How romantic. I remember the day Marcus told me about the "arrangement" his family had made. We were lying in bed in the penthouse he'd bought for me—for us, I'd foolishly thought—and he'd stroked my hair like I was a child he needed to console. "It's just business, Elena. You're the one I love. Nothing will change between us." Everything changed. I spent three more years after that conversation waiting. Waiting for him to stand up to his family. Waiting for him to choose love over legacy. Waiting while he married Victoria in a ceremony that made the cover of every business magazine, while I watched from the shadows like the dirty little secret I'd become. Then I found out I was pregnant. And I finally woke up. "Ladies and gentlemen," the event coordinator's voice rings through the ballroom, "please welcome our guests of honor, Marcus and Victoria Bennett!" Applause erupts around me. I join in mechanically, my hands moving while my mind spirals back to that tiny bathroom, staring at two pink lines, knowing with absolute certainty that I couldn't raise a child in the margins of someone else's life. I left the next day. Disappeared without a trace. Let him think whatever he wanted. Three weeks later, alone in a new city, I miscarried. At least, that's what I told myself I'd tell him if we ever crossed paths again. The truth—my beautiful, brilliant five-year-old daughter Lily, currently at home with my mother—is mine alone to keep. "Elena Rodriguez?" A familiar voice cuts through my thoughts. I turn to find Victoria Bennett standing beside me, her smile polished and perfect. Up close, I can see the calculation in her eyes. She knows exactly who I am. "Mrs. Bennett," I extend my hand professionally. "Congratulations on the merger." "Please, call me Victoria." Her handshake is firm, competitive. "Marcus mentioned you two knew each other. Years ago, wasn't it?" The champagne in my stomach turns acidic. "Briefly. We worked together on a project." "How lovely." Her smile doesn't reach her eyes. "You'll have to sit at our table during dinner. I'm sure you two have so much to catch up on." It's not a request. Before I can formulate a polite decline, Marcus appears at his wife's side. Our eyes meet for the first time in six years, and I feel the impact like a physical blow. He's older. There are lines around his eyes that weren't there before, silver threading through his dark hair at the temples. But he's still devastatingly handsome, still the man who could make me forget my own name with a single look. "Elena." My name on his lips sounds like a prayer and a curse. "Mr. Bennett." I keep my voice steady, professional. "Congratulations on your success." Something flickers in his dark eyes—pain, maybe, or regret. "Thank you. You look..." He trails off, his gaze traveling over me in a way that makes Victoria's smile tighten. "You look well." "I am well." I lift my chin. "Very well, actually." The tension between us is thick enough to cut. Victoria's fingers dig into Marcus's arm, a subtle claim of ownership that makes me want to laugh. If only she knew how little I want what she has. I already took the best part of Marcus Bennett with me when I left. "Shall we?" Victoria gestures toward the dining area, her voice saccharine sweet. "I simply insist Elena join us." Dinner is torture. I'm seated directly across from Marcus, forced to watch him play the devoted husband while Victoria monopolizes the conversation, dropping mentions of their penthouse, their upcoming vacation to the Maldives, their perfect life. I smile and nod, contributing just enough to be polite while my mind counts down the minutes until I can escape. Marcus barely speaks. He pushes food around his plate and drinks too much wine, his eyes finding mine every few minutes before darting away. Does he think about those three years we spent together? The promises he made in the dark? The future he dangled in front of me like a carrot I'd never quite reach? Does he ever wonder what happened to me? "Elena doesn't have a ring," Victoria observes suddenly, her tone deceptively casual. "Are you married? Children?" The question lands like a grenade.