Chapter 3 The Woman Behind The Glass

The applause started as soon as she entered the lobby; it was gradual at first, but it seemed to be planned. It was a deafening sound. The intense light from the rapidly flashing cameras was blinding, reflecting off the glass walls and gleaming floors.

the woman's chest constricted. In a manner she was unable to describe, she felt vulnerable and exposed, as if every eye in the room was on her, observing, assessing. They weren't waiting for her, though.

Simeon's tiny voice was hardly audible as he pulled at her sleeve. "What's going on, Mom?"

Her fingers trembled a little as she tightened her grip on his. She glanced around, but for a brief time, the crowd appeared to thin out, and there he was-James, standing in the middle of the room, his arms out wide as though to greet her, a smile on his face.

However, it wasn't James who left her speechless. It was the woman next to him, her palm lightly resting on his breast, her smile premeditated and sly.

Mimi's throat tightened each breath. The lights were bright, as though everything had been stripped of color except for that woman's form, and the acclaim seemed to have faded from her ears. Scarlett.

Now, this was her universe. Mimi was no longer able to deny it.

In a way that made Mimi feel alienated from her own life, she was with James rather than merely standing beside him.

As Scarlett turned to face the throng, her icy, calculating eyes changed slightly, and her smile grew as though she had already prevailed in some unsaid conflict. Her fingers curled possessively around James' arm as her eyes returned to him. Mimi took note of the delicate move, the way Scarlett's contact lingered longer than was necessary, and the unmistakable intimacy of it.

James was the epitome of poise, standing upright in his fitted suit, but Mimi knew otherwise. She noticed that his jaw was slightly tense and that his fists were clenched at his sides, as though he was attempting to keep control of the circumstance. But Scarlett was unfazed. It didn't.

The cheers from the audience became louder, but Mimi could not hear them because of the overwhelming quiet in her ears. What had previously been hers was being claimed by this woman, this stranger. James had never before given her that type of attention or that level of love.

With her pulse racing, Mimi's fingers tightened around her son's tiny palm. It was this. She had never been ready for this reality.

Mimi noticed James's gaze on her through the sea of faces, camera flashes, and constant chatter. Across the room, they locked. For a little moment, the world appeared to stop, but the bond that had previously been between them felt shattered. His mouth opened slightly as though he were going to say something, but he didn't.

As Mimi attempted to interpret the expression in his eyes, her breath caught. Did it involve guilt? Feeling sorry? Or something else? She was unable to contact him and could not tell. The gap between them seemed unfathomably wide, and Scarlett's proximity to him just served to widen it.

With a gentle but forceful voice, Simeon pulled at her once more. "What's wrong, Mom?"

Mimi blinked as she attempted to recover from the fog of betrayal and confusion. Standing there, seeing the guy she had once loved so deeply stand next to another woman, broke the commitment she had made to herself that she would be strong for Simeon.

She made an effort to smile as though nothing was wrong, but it fell short of her eyes.

When James finally looked away, his eyes fell to the ground, and for a split second, Mimi believed she saw something-something genuine, something vulnerable. But before she could take it in, it was gone.

Unable to look at James any longer, she said, "Let's go, sweetheart," and drew Simeon closer.

The sting of his apathy, however, was more intense than anything she had ever experienced as they turned to go.

As Scarlett moved forward, her steps steady and methodical, Mimi stood motionless, her eyes wide with shock. With everyone's attention on the woman who had taken her place in James's life, the room went hushed in expectation. With delicate yet possessive fingers, Scarlett grabbed James's hand and brought his palm to her lips. The moment was captured in a thousand bright, blinding blasts as the cameras flashed once more.

Scarlett's voice boomed, confident and polished, "To the future of CrossCorp with Mr. and Mrs. Cross."

Like a physical blow, the words brought home to Mimi what she had just lost. Standing in the shadow of the moment, her gut twisted under the weight of the public declaration, her heart hammering in her chest. It was not just an announcement. It was a declaration of ownership. A statement that Scarlett, not her, now owned James.

Mimi's throat grew constricted. She had always been aware of the rifts in her marriage, the hints of uncertainty that had gradually infiltrated her life. However, it felt like the last crack as James stood there, so docile and unresponsive to Scarlett's audacious assertion. The guy who had previously spoken promises of eternity had changed. She no longer had him.

Mimi turned away, her back straight, her jaw gritted as the yells and camera clicks blended with the applause that filled the room. She was unable to watch. Not right now. Not in front of strangers in a room where everything she had battled for had been torn away.

With his little fingers squeezed tightly in hers, Simeon pulled at her sleeve. "Mom? What is going on? His voice was bewildered, like a child's naive request for clarification amid the uncertainty. Blinking against the sting of unshed tears, Mimi swallowed. She couldn't allow him to witness her breakdown. Not right now.

As they stood on the edge of the crowd, Simeon's hold on her hand became more firm. His innocent eyes darted between Mimi and the scene playing out in front of them, his little face contorted in bewilderment. Mimi sensed his tenseness, the way his petite frame stiffened next to her, as though he was attempting to make sense of the raging emotional storm in the room. "That's my father!" With a furious, primordial certainty, Simeon's voice broke through the cacophony, louder than it had been during the morning. He gripped the box close to his chest, his hands clinched, small knuckles white against it. He continued, sounding both confused and defiant, as though attempting to assert his authority in a world that felt strange all of a sudden. "That's my mom!" he exclaimed. More than anything Scarlett had done, the piercing sting of his words caused Mimi's heart to heave in her chest. There was no mistaking the fire in her son's eyes as she turned to face him, her eyes wide with dread. He wasn't only a youngster bewildered by what he was seeing. The pain on his face was enough to shatter Mimi's heart in two; he was a child with a strong, instinctive sense of ownership over the people he loved.

Simeon pushed forward before Mimi could respond, moving toward the middle of the room on his tiny feet. His tiny frame moved with a purpose that belied his age, and his eyes were focused on Scarlett and James. As he rushed ahead with reckless abandon, the cake box he had been holding suddenly hung from his hand, forgotten.

He screamed, "Mom! Dad!" with a voice full of emotion and a small frame shaking with hurt and rage. Astonished, the audience turned to observe the scene as it developed.

When Mimi realized what was occurring, her breath seized in her throat. She attempted to approach him, but her body was immobile and her legs felt like lead. It was taking place. Now, right here. And she was unable to stop it.

Simeon's words echoed again, and the room appeared to hold its breath.