Emerald’s POV
Something like guilt flickered across Maya’s face. It happened so quickly I almost missed it.
Then, suddenly, her eyes reddened. The timing was so perfect it felt unnatural.
"I never wanted tonight to happen this way."
The room gradually quieted. Conversations slowed. More people turned toward us, drawn by the shift in tension. The celebration had already changed into something else. It had become pure spectacle.
Kelvin stepped closer and placed a hand on Maya’s shoulder. The gesture felt like a blade twisting deeper into my chest.
"Maya," he said softly.
She lowered her head. "I really tried."
My disbelief turned into anger. "Maya, stop," I said. Even to my own ears, my voice sounded strange.
Maya looked at me, and then her expression crumpled as if she were the one being hurt. "I didn’t want everyone finding out this way."
I stared at her in utter disbelief and confusion. Finding out what?
Before I could speak, Kelvin answered, "We were planning to keep things private."
His voice remained calm and measured, as though he had anticipated every possible reaction I might have.
"We didn’t want to hurt anyone."
The words hit harder than the engagement itself.
After six years marked by loyalty, sacrifice, and trust, he somehow turned all of it into an inconvenience.
"I can’t keep covering for her anymore," Maya whispered as she wiped her tears.
My entire body went cold. Covering for me? What sort of nonsense was she going on about?
"Maya." My voice sharpened instantly. "Think very carefully about what you’re saying."
She visibly flinched.
Immediately, I felt the atmosphere shift again. People were no longer looking at Maya with suspicion. They were staring at me.
Right then, the giant screens flickered. The photographs disappeared, and a screenshot appeared.
Initially, I couldn’t grasp what I was seeing. Then, I saw my own name.
Whispers started spreading almost instantly.
[Emerald: Kelvin’s biggest problem is that he dreams too much.]
[Emerald: Sometimes I wonder if he’s actually capable of running a company.]
Another screenshot appeared.
[Emerald: If I wasn’t helping him behind the scenes, Mercer Technologies would have failed years ago.]
My blood ran cold.
"I never sent those messages." My voice sounded distant, almost unreal. But no one responded.
Then the next screenshot appeared.
[Emerald: I settled for Kelvin because I thought he would eventually become useful.]
A murmur swept through the room as the looks around me began to shift from confusion to disappointment, then to judgment. The story was already writing itself.
’Poor Kelvin.’ That’s already what they’re saying.
’The hardworking entrepreneur and loyal boyfriend, used by an ungrateful woman.’
"Those messages are fake." This time, even I could hear how weak I sounded.
A strange tightness slowly formed in my chest. At first, I barely noticed it because my attention remained fixed on the giant screens and the countless eyes staring at me.
But gradually, something felt wrong.
My fingers had gone cold. My heartbeat no longer felt steady. It pounded heavily against my ribs in a way that made unease creep into my chest.
Even so, I forced myself to stay still. I refused to break in front of them.
The screens changed again; this time, a grainy video appeared.
A woman stood outside a luxury hotel beside an older man. The resemblance to me was close enough to make my stomach twist.
Then the man wrapped an arm around her waist before leaning in to kiss her.
Gasps spread through the ballroom.
"No." My fingers curled into fists. "That isn’t me."
But no one seemed to hear me. The whispers only grew louder.
Then an audio recording started playing, with a female voice echoing through the ballroom. It was disturbingly similar to mine.
"Half the contracts Kelvin got happened because I spent time with the right people."
"Kelvin would never survive without me anyway."
A laugh followed before the voice came up again.
"He is talented, but weak."
The recording ended.
My breathing had become uneven. I inhaled quietly through my nose, trying to steady myself, but the air suddenly felt too thin.
The ballroom felt warmer than before, and the whispers, camera flashes, and countless stares around me had started blending into a dull, suffocating hum.
I swallowed hard and tried to focus, but even that felt difficult. It was becoming increasingly harder to think clearly.
For the first time that night, I felt myself slipping out of control.
And that was enough because I understood everything now. This event had never been a celebration. It had never been about Mercer Technologies either.
This entire night had been planned for one purpose.
To destroy me.
Every accusation, lie and humiliation... Kelvin and Maya had orchestrated all of it.
One by one, the people around me chose a side, and it wasn’t mine.
"Everyone." Kelvin’s voice drew attention back to the stage. He looked solemn and regretful, as if he didn’t wish for any of this.
"I know this situation is uncomfortable."
A murmur of sympathy spread through parts of the crowd.
I stared at him in disbelief. How was he doing this? How was he standing there pretending to be reasonable and kind after everything he had done?
"But there comes a point when the truth can’t stay hidden forever."
I clenched my fists at my sides. There was no way I was taking any more of this carefully orchestrated plot against me.
Something inside me finally snapped.
"Kelvin." My voice wasn’t loud, but somehow the entire room heard it.
Every head turned to me as I stepped forward. "You planned all of this," I said to Kelvin.
"Emerald—"
"No." My voice shook with fury. "You actually spent weeks planning this."
A muscle tightened in Kelvin’s jaw. "You should calm down."
For a second, I genuinely thought I had misheard him. Kelvin, asking me to calm down, after everything?
"You cheated on me with my best friend."
A ripple moved through the crowd.
"You lied to me." My voice rose. "You let me believe—"
The rest of the words caught in my throat. I couldn’t say them. I couldn’t admit in front of everyone that I had genuinely believed he was going to propose tonight.
The humiliation burned.
Kelvin sighed. Actually sighed as if I was being unreasonable. "We both know our relationship hasn’t been working for a long time."
Then Maya spoke softly. "Please don’t do this."
This was the moment the last shred of control in me broke.
The pressure in my chest tightened sharply. My breathing became shallow, each breath shorter than the last.
The noise around me had turned into a distorted blur of voices, camera shutters, and whispers.
My heart pounded so violently that it hurt. My vision blurred again, and this time it took longer to clear.
I inhaled sharply, but the breath didn’t feel like enough. Panic clawed its way through my chest so suddenly that it nearly overwhelmed me.
The sheer audacity of Maya saying those words to me, as if they hadn’t spent weeks carefully destroying my life, shattered whatever control I had left.
My gaze fell on a passing server. A bottle of champagne rested on the silver tray he carried.
I grabbed it.
Gasps erupted throughout the ballroom as people immediately raised their phones. But my eyes remained fixed on Kelvin as uncertainty flashed across his face.
The bottle felt cold in my hand as I took steps toward the stage.
Suddenly, a firm, warm hand closed around my wrist. The movement was so quick I hadn’t even seen it happen.
The bottle stopped midair, and a collective gasp swept through the ballroom.
I froze in my tracks. After a few seconds, I slowly turned to see the man standing next to me.
It was Michael King.
His grip was not painful, but it was strong enough to hold me completely still.
Neither of us spoke. The entire ballroom just watched us, waiting for what would happen next.
Then his brown eyes met mine.
Tonight, for the first time, I wasn’t met with judgement, pity, or disgust. Only undivided, quiet focus.
When he spoke again, his voice was low enough that only I could hear.
"Are you alright?"