Audrey's
His jaw tightened, but his eyes betrayed something else — surprise, maybe even regret." You see I have real connection unlike you, Audrey," he said, voice low. "You look… good, who did you scam?"
"Scam," I said. "Well I don't have to."
The silence around us was thick enough to slice through. Guests glanced our way, pretending not to watch, but of course they were.
Then — as if fate decided to twist the knife further — Simon stepped into view. Sharp suit, that faintly reckless smile, and the kind of timing that could make a story go viral.
"Am I interrupting something?" Simon asked smoothly, sliding beside me.
Jeremy's eyes darkened, his jaw locking. "What the hell is this?"
"My date," I said simply. And before either of them could speak, I linked my arm with Simon's, turned to the nearest photographer, and smiled.
Flash.
Just like that, the room exploded — whispers, gasps, the beginning of something electric.
Jeremy Gillian had always been the man who broke me. But tonight, I wasn't the broken one. I was the woman who walked back into the spotlight — and took the narrative with her.
Later that evening. He was storming through the crowd, his eyes searching, his anger palpable even before he saw me.
When his gaze found me, it was like the room froze. "Unbelievable," he muttered, his voice sharp with disgust. "So this is what you've been doing while running from me? You really traded me for some rich man who could get you an invitation here?"
A few heads turned. My grip on the champagne glass tightened.
"Jeremy—" I started, my tone soft but firm.
"No. Don't." He took a step closer, bitterness in his voice. "I should've known. You vanished, divorced me, and suddenly you're in some billionaire's mansion, playing princess? You think I wouldn't find out who invited you? I asked around. Nobody even knows your last name here."
My heart thudded painfully. He didn't know. Not yet.
He laughed under his breath, mocking. "Who is it this time, Audrey? Another rich man to replace me? Tell me—what did you promise him?"
Before I could answer, a voice boomed behind us — smooth, deep, commanding.
"She promised him nothing." Every sound in the room went still.I turned, and there stood Ethan Anderson — my father — elegant in his black tuxedo, eyes sharp as steel.
Jeremy froze, confusion clouding his features. "Sir, I—" he began, his tone faltering. But my father wasn't looking at him. He was looking at me.
"Are you alright, baby girl?" Dad asked softly.
The way he said baby girl — that warmth, that pride — it silenced the entire ballroom. My heart squeezed. "I'm fine, Dad," I said quietly.
Jeremy's mouth parted. "D-Dad?" he echoed in disbelief, glancing between us. "You're… her father?"
Ethan turned his cold gaze on him. "I am Ethan Anderson, CEO of the Anderson Group and patriarch of the Shepherd-Anderson family."He took a step closer. "And she—" his hand gently touched my shoulder "—is my daughter, Audrey Shepherd Anderson."
The silence that followed was deafening. The room seemed to breathe with me — every whisper, every stare now aimed at Jeremy.
His face paled, color draining from it completely. "Wait… no, that can't—"He turned toward me, searching my expression for some sign that it was a cruel joke. But I only held his gaze, calm, collected.
"Shepherd… Anderson," he whispered. "You… you're that Audrey Anderson?"
I nodded slowly. "Surprised?"
He staggered back a step, running a hand through his hair, disbelief and regret fighting on his face. "All this time… all this damn time I thought you were—" His voice broke. "Adel said you—she told me—"
"—that she was related to the Shepherd family?" my father cut in icily. "We've heard that lie before."
At that, Adel froze where she stood at the edge of the hall, her hand clutching her clutch bag too tightly. Everyone turned to her. My father's voice grew dangerously calm."Tell me, young lady, which part of my family do you claim as yours?"
"I—I—" she stammered, her face flushing. "It was just—Jeremy asked and—"
"Enough." My father's voice sliced through the air like a blade. "You deceived her husband to gain status. You used my daughter's name. You humiliated her." He stepped back, placing an arm around my shoulders. "Now, you face the consequences of your lies."
Jeremy's shoulders sagged, his proud posture crumbling. He looked at me again — but this time, the arrogance was gone. What replaced it was regret. Pure, raw regret.
"I didn't know," he said softly. "I swear, Audrey, if I had—"
I cut him off. "You had three years to know who I really was, Jeremy. You just never cared enough to look."
The orchestra resumed softly in the background, and with every note, I felt the old version of me fade away — the broken wife, the woman who once begged for love.
Ethan Anderson smiled at me, his hand still on my shoulder. "Welcome home, my daughter," he said with quiet pride.
And as Jeremy watched us — the truth finally shattering his illusion — I realized the sweetest revenge wasn't hatred. It was finally being seen for who I was all along and Simon had that proud smile.
Jeremy's POV
The night air outside the Anderson mansion was sharp, biting, heavy with humiliation.My fists were still clenched from holding back the urge to punch the marble pillars on my way out. I could still hear the whispers echoing behind me — "The ex-husband? He accused her of gold-digging?" — "She's Ethan Anderson's daughter, didn't he know?"
God. I had no idea.
I yanked at my tie, ripping it loose, my chest burning. Every word I'd thrown at Audrey came crashing back, cutting deeper each time. You traded me for a rich man.You think I wouldn't find out?What did you promise him?
She hadn't needed to promise anyone anything.She was the damn promise.
And I was the fool who never saw it.
A hand caught my sleeve."Jeremy—wait," Adel's voice came out breathless as she ran after me, heels clicking against the stone. "Please, don't walk away like that. We can explain—"
"Explain?" I turned sharply, my voice low and venomous. "Go ahead, Adel. Explain how you managed to convince me that you were related to the Shepherd-Anderson family while lying about Audrey being some penniless nobody."
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
"Say something!" I snapped, stepping closer. "You lied to me for years. You said she was manipulating me, using me for status—when it was you feeding me those damn lies!"
"I did it for you!" she shouted suddenly, tears filling her eyes. "You were losing everything—your father's trust, the company shares—and she was ruining you! I thought if I could protect you from her—"
"Protect me?" I let out a dark, humorless laugh. "You ruined me."
Adel's face twisted. "You loved her too much. She was going to destroy you, Jeremy. That family—her kind—they chew men up and spit them out."
"That family," I said coldly, "is the same one you tried to marry into by pretending to be one of them."
Her face went pale.
"Tell me, Adel," I said, stepping closer, voice tightening. "When you told me Audrey wasn't good enough… when you told me she was a fraud, a parasite—did you ever feel guilty? Even for a second?"
She shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I was only trying to help you—"
"By lying to me? By breaking her?" My voice cracked then, anger giving way to something worse—remorse. "She begged me to believe her, Adel. She begged me."
Adel's silence was the final confirmation.Every memory with Audrey — her tears, her silences, her soft "I'm fine" when she clearly wasn't — hit me like glass shattering inside my chest.
I took a step back, my voice breaking."You know what the worst part is?" I said quietly. "I believed you. Every word. And now… she'll never believe me again."
Adel reached for me. "Jeremy—"
I jerked my arm away. "Don't." My tone turned cold again, almost foreign to my own ears. "We're done. I don't want to see you, speak to you, or hear your name again. You took the only good thing I ever had and poisoned it."
Her tears fell freely now, but I couldn't feel anything anymore.
I turned and walked toward my car. The lights of the mansion glowed behind me — golden, distant, untouchable.
Through the glass windows, I caught a glimpse of Audrey laughing softly beside her father.That smile used to belong to me.
I had the world in my hands once — and I threw it away because I was too blind to see her worth.
I climbed into the car, slammed the door shut, and let out a shaky breath.For the first time in years, I realized what real loss felt like.
And this time, there was no one left to blame but myself.