Chapter 5

The chatter in the ballroom swelled as Edward and Jeannette exited. Guests, emboldened by their departure, began to dissect the scene we had just caused.

"Can you believe Edward is engaged to Jeannette Slater?" a woman with too much lipstick whispered loudly to her companion. "She's been his obsession forever."

"Well, not anymore, apparently," her friend countered, glancing at me. "Looks like he was trying to keep his main squeeze a secret."

"Why, though?" the first woman pondered. "Allyson Moran, isn't it? She's... nice. But Jeannette is Jeannette."

Brody leaned closer to me, his arm still around my waist. "Don't listen to them," he murmured into my hair. "They don't know you."

I felt a pang of resentment. Edward had ensured I remained a secret. A quiet presence in his apartment, never his public partner. Even his inner circle barely knew I existed. They knew Jeannette Slater, the vibrant socialite, the ideal match for Edward Atkins. I was just... Allyson.

"Why wouldn't he make it official?" someone else wondered. "Edward's usually so strategic about everything. Three years is a long time to keep a relationship quiet."

"Maybe she didn't want to get married," another voice speculated. "She always seemed a bit... reserved."

Brody, ever attentive, noticed my discomfort. "What do you want, Allyson? More champagne? Another one of those delicious little pastries?" He was trying to distract me, to shield me.

"I'm fine," I said, but my voice was thin. My attention was drawn to the small, intricately folded origami crane peeking out from Brody' s breast pocket. The one I had made for him. He was wearing it. He' d kept it.

"Your little paper bird is going to get crushed in there," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "It's getting warm in here, maybe you should take your jacket off."

Brody gave me that easy, charming smile. "Never. It's my good luck charm. Besides," he glanced at his hands, "I've been shaking too many hands. They're a little... sticky. Can you get it for me?" He gestured to the tucked-in crane.

I reached into his pocket, my fingers brushing against the soft fabric, retrieving the delicate paper bird. My fingers lingered for a moment, tracing the folds.

Just then, a commotion erupted across the room. Edward, who had apparently returned unnoticed, stood by a table, a glass of red wine staining the pristine white tablecloth. His hand trembled slightly.

"My relationship with Allyson," Edward declared, his voice cutting through the chatter, "was not 'quiet' or 'secretive.' It was, for all intents and purposes, exclusive. And... stable." He sounded almost defensive, a rare thing for him. "We shared a home, a life. It was... agreeable."

Agreeable. That was Edward's word for it. Not loving. Not passionate. Agreeable.

He took a deep breath, his eyes sweeping the room, then landing on me. "As for Jeannette," he continued, his voice regaining its usual composure, "she is a lifelong friend. An old acquaintance. Nothing more. While I have always harbored... a certain fondness for her, that was a matter of the past. A youthful fantasy."

He was rewriting history, right in front of everyone.

I picked up another little pastry, a tiny almond tart, and took a bite. It was sweet, too sweet.

"So, the promise ring was a recent development, then?" I asked, my voice clear and cutting through the room like a knife. It was an impulsive question, born of a sudden, sharp anger.

All eyes snapped to me. Brody' s arm tightened around my waist, a silent warning.

Edward' s face, usually so impassive, contorted for a split second. A flash of something unmasked. Annoyance? Guilt?

"Allyson's a keeper, isn't she?" a voice chimed in from the crowd, a well-meaning but ultimately misguided attempt at humor. "That origami bird, Brody, is a sweet touch. Much better than a promise ring you have to announce."

Brody scoffed, his gaze unwavering on Edward. "Allyson is more than a 'keeper.' She's remarkable. And she deserves genuine affection, not performative gestures."

Edward gave a subtle, almost imperceptible smirk. "And you, Brody, are a master of performative gestures. I merely stated a fact about our relationship. One that Allyson, I believe, knows to be true. Her affections were, after all, quite... steadfast." He emphasized the last word, making it sound like a personal failing on my part.

The air grew thick, electric with unspoken tension.

"Wait a minute," another voice piped up, a younger woman from the fringes of the tech industry. "Is that... Allyson Moran? Edward Atkins' assistant from years ago?" She looked at me, then back at Edward, a dawning realization on her face. "But... she looks so different. And I always thought you were with Jeannette, Mr. Atkins."

Edward's composure finally cracked. He glanced nervously at Jeannette, then back at me. He looked like a cornered animal.

Jeannette, her face pale, stepped forward. "Edward, I'm going to head out. This is clearly not the time or place." She tried to take his hand, a gesture of quiet support, but he pulled away.

"Jeannette, please," Edward said, his voice clipped. "This is unnecessary drama."

"Unnecessary?" Jeannette whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "You let me believe for weeks... You encouraged it." She turned to leave, her shoulders stiff.

"Jeannette, wait!" Edward called out, but she was already making her way towards the exit.

"Honestly, Edward, you can be so obtuse," a senior executive, a long-time acquaintance of Edward's, grumbled from the crowd. "Always so focused on the bottom line, you forget the human element. Jeannette is a good woman. You owe her an apology."

Another executive, a woman with sharp eyes, added, "Give the man a break. Edward has always been a man of integrity, if a bit... socially awkward. I'm sure he'll smooth things over with Jeannette. They belong together."

Edward, seeing his carefully constructed narrative unraveling, checked his watch, a familiar gesture of his impatience. "If you'll excuse me, I have a pressing matter to attend to."

He walked briskly towards the exit, catching Jeannette just before she disappeared from view. He took her arm, a gesture that was more about reasserting control than offering comfort.

"Jeannette," I heard him say, his voice low and urgent as they walked away, "I need you to understand. This is... complicated. But we can fix it."

And just like that, they were gone. Leaving me, and Brody, in the uncomfortable aftermath.