Chapter 4 - THE GALA OF GHOSTS
The annual Meridian Charity Gala was the event of the season in Detroit,
a night of black ties,
silken gowns,
and high-stakes networking.
Normally,
I would be standing by Christopher's side,
playing the supportive wife,
the silent partner in his success.
Tonight,
I arrived alone,
draped in a gown of midnight blue that shimmered like the deep ocean.
Christopher was there,
too,
though he was no longer the guest of honor.
He was a man on the verge of a total collapse,
trying desperately to maintain the facade of his old life.
He had brought Sabrina,
who looked uncomfortable in the expensive jewelry she had likely bought with my money.
The twins were at home with a nanny,
but their presence haunted the room.
Everyone knew.
In a town like this,
scandal travels faster than light.
The whispers followed them like a foul odor.
'Did you hear?'
'The twins aren't even his.'
'He's been fired from the board.'
I watched from the bar as Christopher tried to approach a group of investors.
They turned their backs on him as if he were invisible,
a pariah in the world he once thought he ruled.
Penelope,
his mother,
was there as well,
sitting in a corner and looking older than I had ever seen her.
I walked over to her,
not out of spite,
but for a final conversation.
"You knew the whole time,
didn't you?"
I asked,
sitting in the chair next to her.
She didn't look at me,
her eyes fixed on the empty dance floor.
"I wanted him to be happy,
Stephanie.
I thought if he believed he was a father,
he would become the man he was supposed to be."
"You traded my life for his delusion,"
I said,
my voice devoid of emotion.
"You let me believe I was the problem for nine years."
"I’m sorry,"
she whispered,
but the words were hollow,
too little and far too late.
Christopher saw me talking to his mother and stormed over,
his face flushed with drink and rage.
"You think you've won,
don't you?"
he spat,
leaning over me.
"You think because you took my job and my house,
you've destroyed me?"
I looked up at him,
unfazed.
"I didn't take anything,
Christopher.
You forfeited it.
The moment you brought those babies into our anniversary dinner,
you ended your own life."
"I'll sue you,"
he hissed.
"I'll take the trust apart brick by brick."
"With what money?"
I asked.
"Marcus Thorne has already filed for full custody of the children.
Sabrina has already signed a statement admitting she lied to you about the paternity to secure a financial future.
She’s looking for a plea deal,
Christopher.
She’s going to testify that you coerced her into the affair."
It was a lie,
of course—Sabrina was many things,
but she wasn't a victim.
However,
she was a survivor,
and she knew that turning on Christopher was her only way out.
Christopher’s hand shook as he reached for his glass.
He looked around the room,
realizing that he was completely and utterly alone.
The men he admired,
the women he charmed,
they all saw him for exactly what he was.
A fraud.
A man who was so small he had to steal a family to feel whole.
I stood up,
brushing a stray hair from my shoulder.
"Enjoy the party,
May you like
Christopher.
It's the last one you'll be invited to."
