Chapter 64

Emily’s POV

The party dragged on like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

Laughter, clinking glasses, flashes from phones as Sophie posed with her perfectly decorated cake and baby-blue balloons.

I stood in the corner, swirling my drink as if it were an anchor holding me steady.

But I wasn’t steady, not even close.

Every time I caught Wesley’s eyes on me across the room, something inside me clenched.

He looked like a man who had already won, who had some cruel trick up his sleeve.

I hated him for it. I hated that part of me still wanted him to look at me, even if it was with malice.

After Sophie’s toast, fake tears, and all the crowd began to thin out.

Parents and distant relatives gathered their coats, and the endless stream of Sophie’s influencer friends posted their final stories before trickling out into the night.

I should have left too but as I reached for my bag, Wesley’s voice cut through the hum.

“Emi