Divorced, Now Watch Me Rise!

Engagement Party

CLAIRE

We walked forward, my heels clicking softly against the marble floor, each step felt like walking through water, slow and impossible. Vanessa saw us first.

Her smile froze on her face, her eyes went wide, then narrowed into slits of pure hatred.bShe touched Ethan's arm, her perfectly manicured nails digging into his sleeve and he turned, and when he saw me, saw us, his entire body went rigid.

For a long moment, no one said anything.bGuests continued flowing around us, offering congratulations to the happy couple, but the four of us were locked in our own frozen bubble of shock and tension. Finally, Vanessa's mask slipped back into place. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Claire," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "What a... surprise."

I didn't answer, just met her gaze and held it. Julian's hand pressed slightly firmer against my back. A silent reminder that I wasn't alone.

Ethan's jaw tightened. His eyes moved from me to Julian, then back to me, something flickered in his expression, anger, confusion, but it was gone in an instant.

"Julian," Ethan said, his voice cold and controlled. "I didn't realize you'd be attending."

"I didn't RSVP," Julian replied smoothly. "Thought we'd surprise you."

Vanessa's eyes dropped to my hand, still resting against Julian's chest where he'd guided it when we stopped walking. Her gaze locked onto the emerald ring and her smile faltered.

"How... nice of you both to come," she said tightly. "Though I have to say, I'm a little surprised you two are so comfortable showing your faces together. In public."

The implication was clear. The cheaters, together. My stomach churned, but I kept my expression calm.

"Why wouldn't we be comfortable?" Julian asked, his tone light, almost amused.

Vanessa laughed, sharp and brittle. "Oh, come on. After everything that happened? The photos? The scandal?" She looked around dramatically, as if checking to see who might be listening. "People talk, you know."

"Let them talk," Julian said simply.

Ethan's eyes hadn't left my face, he was staring at me like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Claire," he said, his voice lower now. "Can I speak with you? Privately?"

"No," Julian answered before I could.

Ethan's gaze snapped to him, cold and sharp. "I wasn't talking to you."

"And I wasn't asking permission," Julian replied, his voice still calm but with an edge of steel underneath.

The tension crackled between them. Vanessa stepped closer, threading her arm through Ethan's possessively. She tilted her head, studying me with mock concern.

"You look different, Claire," she said softly. "Almost... healthy. I was worried about you after, well, everything."

The miscarriage, she was talking about the miscarriage, the baby she'd caused me to lose. My hands curled into fists at my sides, but I forced my voice to stay steady.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Really?" Vanessa's eyes gleamed. "That's good. I mean, after losing the baby and the divorce and being thrown out with nothing, I thought for sure you'd be..." She paused, as if searching for the right word. "Destroyed."

My breath caught. Julian's hand slid from my back to my waist, pulling me slightly closer to him, a wall of protection.

"She looks far from destroyed to me," Julian said, his voice dangerously quiet.

Vanessa's smile tightened. "Well, I suppose everyone grieves differently. Some people just... move on faster than others." Her eyes flicked meaningfully between me and Julian. "Much faster."

"Vanessa," Ethan said quietly, a warning in his tone.

But she ignored him. "It's just interesting, don't you think?" Vanessa continued, her voice light and poisonous. "How the two people caught in an affair are now showing up together. At my engagement party." She laughed, the sound high and fake. "I mean, if you wanted to prove the rumors true, this is certainly one way to do it."

A few nearby guests had stopped talking, their attention drifting toward us. This was what she wanted, a scene, public humiliation. I opened my mouth to respond, but Julian spoke first.

"We're not here to prove anything," he said calmly. "We're here as guests."

"Uninvited guests," Ethan added coldly.

Julian smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "I'm family, Ethan. Or did you forget?"

"Stepbrother," Ethan corrected. "Barely family."

"Family enough to be invited," Julian countered smoothly. "Unless you're trying to say I'm not welcome at family events anymore?"

Ethan's jaw clenched. Vanessa's eyes were still fixed on my ring. I could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out what it meant.

"That's a beautiful ring," she said suddenly, her tone sharp. "Where did you get it, Claire?"

I looked down at the emerald, the green stone catching the chandelier light. "It was a gift," I said quietly.

"From Julian?" Vanessa's eyebrow arched. "How... generous."

She said it like it was something dirty, something transactional. "Very generous," I agreed, meeting her eyes.

Ethan's gaze dropped to the ring as well, something flickered across his face... recognition, maybe, or understanding. His hand fell away from Vanessa's waist.

"Claire," he said again, his voice tight. "I need to talk to you. Now."

"She doesn't need to do anything," Julian said, his tone hardening.

"This doesn't concern you," Ethan snapped.

"Everything concerning Claire concerns me now," Julian replied evenly.

The words hung in the air. Vanessa's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Julian didn't answer, just looked at her with those cold gray eyes, his expression unreadable. I could see the panic starting to creep into Vanessa's perfect facade, she looked at Ethan, then back at us.

"Are you two..." She trailed off, as if she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Together?" Julian finished for her. "Yes."

Vanessa's face went pale beneath her makeup. Ethan took a step forward, his eyes locked on me. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No joke," Julian said.

"I wasn't asking you!" Ethan's voice rose slightly, drawing more attention from nearby guests.

"Ethan," Vanessa hissed, touching his arm. "People are staring."

He shook her off, his full attention on me.

"How long?" he demanded. "How long have you been with him?"

I didn't answer, couldn't find my voice. "Answer me, Claire," Ethan pressed, his voice low and angry. "How long have you been sleeping with my brother?"

The accusation hit like a slap. Julian's entire body tensed beside me. "Careful," Julian said, his voice deadly quiet. "Very careful, Ethan."

But Ethan wasn't listening, he was staring at me, his eyes burning with something I couldn't quite name. Anger? Jealousy?

"So it's true," he said bitterly. "The photos were real. You were with him."

"The photos were fake," I said, finally finding my voice. "And you know it."

"Do I?" Ethan's laugh was harsh. "Because right now, seeing you two together, I'm starting to think maybe I was right all along."

Vanessa's hand flew to her throat, her eyes wide with false shock. "Oh my God," she whispered. "They really were having an affair."

"We weren't," I said firmly.

"Then explain this," Vanessa gestured between Julian and me. "Explain why you're here, together, wearing his ring..."

She stopped abruptly, her eyes going even wider.

"That's not just a ring," she breathed. "That's..."

"None of your business," Julian cut her off smoothly.

But the damage was done. Ethan's eyes narrowed, he looked at the ring again, really looked at it, and I saw the moment understanding hit him.

"You married him," he said, his voice flat. Disbelieving.

Silence. Vanessa's mouth fell open. "What?"

Ethan's eyes burned into mine. "You married him. That's what this is. That ring... that's a wedding ring."

I could feel every eye in the immediate area turning toward us now. Julian didn't confirm or deny, just stood there, solid and unmovable beside me.

"When?" Ethan demanded. "When did you marry him?"

"That's not your concern anymore," Julian said calmly.

"Like hell it isn't!" Ethan's voice rose. "We just got divorced a week ago, and she's already..."

"Already what?" Julian interrupted. "Already moved on? You're engaged to her stepsister a week after your divorce. What did you expect Claire to do? Sit at home and cry?"

Vanessa's face twisted with rage. "You conniving little..."

"Careful," Julian warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. "Choose your next words very carefully, Vanessa."

She snapped her mouth shut, but her eyes were filled with venom. Ethan ran a hand through his hair, looking between me and Julian like he couldn't quite process what was happening.

"This is insane," he muttered. "This is absolutely insane."

"What's insane," Julian said quietly, "is thinking you could destroy someone and expect them to stay destroyed."

The words hung heavy in the air. Ethan's face went dark. "I didn't destroy her."

"Didn't you?" Julian's voice was soft, lethal.

More guests were openly watching now, whispers rippled through the crowd. Vanessa grabbed Ethan's arm, her voice urgent. "Ethan, not here, not now. Let them go."

But Ethan wasn't listening, his eyes were still fixed on me.

"Is this revenge?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is that what this is? You married him to get back at me?"

I looked at him... this man I'd loved for four years, this man who'd thrown me away like garbage, and I smiled, a knowing smile.

"Does it matter?" I asked softly.

His face went pale. Julian's hand tightened on my waist. "We should go," he murmured.

But before we could move, Vanessa stepped forward, her voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "How perfect," she said, her voice dripping with acid. "The two cheaters finally got what they wanted. Each other."

The whispers grew louder. Julian looked at her, his expression cold and detached.

"Keep telling yourself that," he said quietly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Then he guided me past them, through the ballroom entrance, leaving Ethan and Vanessa standing there in stunned, furious silence. As we walked away, I heard Vanessa's voice, sharp and panicked, trying to salvage the situation with their guests. But all I could feel was Julian's steady hand on my back, and all I could think was:

"This is just the beginning."