"Oh, Cathie, you look breathtaking in that dress. Truly… you and Jake are the perfect couple."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
The words came one after another; Cathie had received countless compliments in just one day, her chest fluttering as she took in her look again. The blue icy gown hugged her curves perfectly, with a slight cut to her thighs. It was impeccably attractive enough to catch the attention of others, especially since she had just gotten engaged today.
Tonight was special.
Both family and friends were present for the event. She had spent hours getting ready, choosing the most perfect shade of lipstick, making her designer dress more eye-catching, and ensuring her dark hair was styled in waves
The whole arena buzzed momentarily with conversations, the clinking of wine glasses, the smell of expensive perfumes mixed with immense wealth, and a sweet, melodious song that played softly in the atmosphere.
"Where's Jake? Have you seen him?" Cathie asked Rose, her personal assistant, as she scanned the grand hall for his presence.
Rose hesitated. She flicked her eyes away from her for a second, too quickly. "He mentioned he needed to take a business call," she replied carefully.
Cathie studied Rose as she spoke, it was a reasonable answer, yet something felt unsettling in her gut. He is busy handling business again. That's typical of him.
"Ugh!" Cathie gave a tired groan as she made her way through the guests. "Can't you just leave this day fully for us, Jake?" she muttered under her breath.
The hallway to the back rooms seemed longer than usual; her heels clicked softly against the polished floor.
Once closed, she heard voices coming from behind the door, Jake's deep voice followed by a sultry moan.
"Come on babe, faster. I know you don't want her."
Cathie's hand froze on the doorknob.
"This is what I want. Yeah, take me, Helena… Argh!"
Standing close to the door, Cathie could no longer suppress the ache in her chest. The one word that caught her attention was "Helena."
She pushed open the door forcefully, and the scene that met her shattered her world into a million pieces.
Helena… her stepsister….was perched on top of Jake, taking him from below while Jake eagerly devoured her.
Helena? Stepsister… Jake? My man…
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Helena's eyes turned first; her mouth glistened with strands of saliva as she looked up at Jake, whose dark gaze showed no surprise or guilt… just a cold indifference as if they were merely interrupted.
"Jake, I–I thought… It was our engagement?" Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Helena rolled over beside Jake, adjusting the hem of her dress with a mocking smirk on her lips.
"Oh, poor Cathie. I was just coming to congratulate you! I didn't realize you'd already unwrapped your gift. Congratulations, my dear!" Helena said playfully.
"So this is how you treat me, Jake? It was all just a game!" Cathie's tears trembled as she spoke, ignoring Helena completely.
Jake stood up calmly, pulling up his trousers and adjusting himself without a hint of concern for Cathie's anguish.
"Answer me!" Cathie's voice broke through the silence as panic rose in her chest.
Jake's jaw tightened. "What do you expect? You couldn't give me a child all these years, and now you're whining? You should be grateful I'm even proposing."
"What is love without a child?"
The room spun around her; Cathie's mouth opened to speak but no words came out… it felt like they were stuck in her throat.
"What?" Why act surprised? Jake scoffed.
Cathie's voice trembled, and tears flowed freely from her eyes. "Why… Jake. Why! Does it have to be my sister?"
Helena shifted her weight to the edge of the bed and crossed her legs with an eye roll. "Ugh! Come on, Cathie, you should be grateful that Mom and Dad don't know you're barren yet. Because if they find out…" She leaned forward with a cruel smile. "The whole company will be in my name before long."
They hadn't found out yet, right? All your years of loving different men ended because of one secret you keep hidden from them, yet you still act ungrateful towards Jake.
Her words struck like a nightmare come to life. Cathie's knees buckled, and she collapsed onto her side, staring at the floor as if it were a silent film.
"I think I'm calling off the wedding; I see no point," Jake said as he adjusted his tie and approached where Cathie lay sprawled. "You don't need love; what you need is a solution."
With that, he walked away with Helena by his side, sporting a mocking smirk as they left her behind.
Cathie's scream shattered the silence of the room.
*****
Later that night…
Cathie sat weakly behind some cushion chairs, gazing through the floor-to-ceiling window lit by city lights against the dark asphalt. Her eyes remained fixed on the indescribable view, calm and quiet as if it could wash away her broken heart.
Earlier, Rose had managed to drive her home, sensing her boss's fragile state; she felt something was off when she realized Jake was up to something. Unable to hold back, she informed Cathie of where he had gone.
Taking a deep breath to muster courage, she stepped into the room where Cathie sat with her back to her. "Ma'am, I brought your dinner, you need to regain your strength. There's also a letter for you."
Cathie didn't respond at first.
However, Rose persisted. "Ma'am?" Cathie snapped suddenly, "I'm not interested! Can't you see me? What more do they want? Am I not broken enough?" Her voice cracked and slowly turned into sobs as she turned to face Rose.
"I understand how you feel, Ma'am. I apologize for intruding," Rose said calmly.
Just as she was about to leave the room, she heard Cathie's phone buzzing behind her.
Cathie's hand trembled over the table in front of her as she managed to answer.
"Hello!" The voice rushed out; she hadn't even checked who was calling. It was her dad. "H…hello, Dad…"
Her voice was abruptly interrupted from the other end.
"Cathie, what did you do? Answer me! You embarrassed me in public and in front of my guests. Jake confronted me demanding that this party end. And now he's claiming he's cutting off the marriage. Who acts like that all of a sudden?"
"Dad, listen, I can explain," she stammered in shock and trembling.
"Explain what exactly? You haven't been able to bring home any man for years. Then Jake comes along...loyal and trustworthy... and yet you've done something terrible behind his back."
"What?! Dad, no, honestly I… d–"
"Save your excuses; you have nothing left to say and I've made my decision this time. If you don't get married within a week and continue to mess around, I'll transfer the company name to your stepsister. You either find a way to reconcile with him—I don't care how... but my decision is final! No marriage means no company."
The call ended abruptly. Cathie stood frozen, phone still pressed to her ear, as something inside her finally broke.