They only remembered that I used to hang around Carter a lot.

They assumed I was the one chasing him. A lovesick nobody reaching for someone out of her league, desperate to land the golden boy.

But they didn't know the truth.

From the very beginning, Carter was the one who pursued me.

He was reserved by nature, never one for public displays. He'd never once posted about us on social media. Every step forward in our relationship had been his initiative, his doing. Yet somehow, he always came out looking like the innocent party.

He was the prodigy of the business school, turning heads wherever he went, impossible to ignore. And me? In everyone's eyes, I was never good enough for him.

But that was no reason for me to be mocked. To be humiliated.

I turned to face the classmate who'd spoken, my expression flat.

"If your tongue's that useless, you could always cut it out."

The words landed without an ounce of mercy. Someone slammed a fist on the table and pointed at me, voice dripping with contempt.

"Seriously, Serena? What do you have to be so arrogant about?"

"If you actually had what it takes, you wouldn't have chased Carter for eight straight years with nothing to show for it."

"Do you even know how the whole circle laughs at you behind your back?"

"A delusional ugly duckling who actually thought she could land a guy like him."

Snickers rippled through the table, hushed but deliberate.

Heat stung my eyes. My face burned.

I turned to look at Carter.

He glanced at me once, then deliberately looked away.

In that moment, the wedding ring on my finger felt like a weight pressing down on my chest.

Aside from Carter's best friend, Samuel Henson, not a single person at that table knew.

Carter and I were already married.

Today wasn't just a class reunion. It was our fifth wedding anniversary.

I'd never been one for crowds. The only reason I'd come tonight was because Carter had begged me, over and over.

"Serena, it's been so many years since you've shown up to one of these. People are going to talk."

"Besides, it's all old classmates. We should catch up."

I hadn't said anything.

Carter wasn't the social type either. The real reason he'd been so eager to attend was simple: he'd heard that Mia Prescott would be there. The girl who'd been voted the beauty queen back in school.

When I stayed silent, Carter pulled me into his arms, his voice low and coaxing.

"Serena, you're always complaining that I never acknowledge you on social media."

"I promise. Tonight, at the reunion, I'll tell everyone. About us."

I couldn't hold out against his relentless persuasion, so I agreed.

And now, with all these old classmates laughing at me for being a delusional fool who'd chased Carter for eight years with nothing to show for it, Carter sat there in silence. Not a single word.

The room plunged into a dead, awkward quiet.

I set down my knife and fork and let a cold smile curl across my lips.

"Who said I never caught him?"

Everyone exchanged glances, some leaning forward with barely contained excitement.

"Wait, are they actually a thing?"

The only person who knew the truth was Samuel. He knew I'd been Carter's girlfriend for eight years and was now his wife.

But Samuel had never liked me. He'd always gone out of his way to antagonize me, convinced I was some shameless social climber who'd wormed her way in.

Hearing what the others were saying, he let out a scoff and drained his glass in one go.

He muttered under his breath.

"Some people just can't see themselves clearly. Don't know their own weight."

"Pure shamelessness."

His voice was low enough that no one else heard.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Carter.

The instant my words landed, his hand froze mid-air, his entire body going rigid.

His gaze swept over me, cold and dismissive. His eyes said it all: Don't you dare.

A moment later, my phone buzzed twice.

A message from Carter.

"Serena, don't tell anyone we're married."

"Now isn't the right time."

I almost laughed.

Not the right time? The only reason was that he and Mia had finally cleared up the misunderstanding from years ago. He thought there was a real chance of rekindling things with her.

But why should I step aside and play the selfless fool so the two of them could ride off into the sunset?

I rose slowly to my feet.

"Carter, weren't you going to tell everyone the truth?"

Carter shot up from his seat, every muscle in his body going rigid.

He stared at me for a long, hard moment. Then he turned stiffly toward the group.

"Yes."

"Serena and I were together once."

"But that's in the past."

"We broke up."

My head snapped up. I stared at him, disbelief written across my face, my nails digging into my palms hard enough to break skin.

Mia tilted her chin up, her face lighting with barely contained delight as she looked at Carter.

"Really? So you're single now?"

The words had barely left her mouth before the room erupted.

"Oh my God, I'm literally shipping them so hard right now."

"This is what soulmates look like! They went their separate ways, but the right person always comes back around."

"I would trade ten pounds off my body to see these two get together!"

Amid the noise and excitement, Samuel, the same guy who'd called me shameless earlier, glanced my way. Something like pity flickered in his eyes.

He passed by me, let out a sigh, and shook his head.

"You asked for it."

I sank back into my chair, boneless.

Never, not once, had I imagined Carter would humiliate me like this at a class reunion. That he'd look me in the eye and deny everything with his own mouth.

The mocking voices around me only grew louder.

"Oh, so that's who she is. Just an ex-girlfriend who couldn't make the cut."

"The way she was acting, I half expected her to claim she was the great Carter Delgado's wife."

"Please. Has she looked in a mirror? As if she could ever be good enough for him."

I lowered my gaze to the wedding ring on my left hand, tracing it with my thumb.

What a joke I am.

Mia must have noticed how pale I'd gone. She shot me a look dripping with triumph, then picked up her glass and sauntered over.

"Serena, I know what happened back then must still sting."

"But love is like that, isn't it? When it's real, not even the gods can stand in the way."

"Carter just admitted it himself. He dated you."

"But you two weren't right for each other. Otherwise, why would you have broken up? Don't you think?"

She clinked her glass lightly against mine, her smile radiant.

"Bottoms up for me. You drink as much or as little as you'd like."

Then she tipped her head back and drained every drop.

I sat there. Motionless.

The only time Carter came near me was when he made the rounds toasting everyone. When he reached my table, he paused.

He looked at me for a long, quiet moment. Then, under the pretense of clinking glasses, he leaned in close and dropped his voice.

"Serena, be smart about this."

"Don't make things awkward for Mia."

I stared back at him, my gaze ice-cold. But Carter had already looked away, drifting back to Mia's side.

The two of them talked and laughed together. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen Carter's eyes crinkle like that, his smile so easy and unguarded.

It didn't take long.

Their classmates started egging them on to share a lovers' toast.

Everyone at the table who had no idea Carter and I were married was cheering them on like it was the event of the century.

"Come on, drink! This toast is long overdue for you two."

"You're both single anyway. What's the holdup?"

"And hey, if you get a little too drunk later, Carter can always take Mia home. You're all adults here. Even if you end up getting a hotel room, who's going to judge?"

Their comments grew cruder and cruder, each one more unbearable than the last.

I shut my eyes, unable to take it anymore.

Only Samuel, drunk and swaying, kept his gaze fixed on me.

"Serena, don't take it to heart. The two of them are just old classmates catching up."

"Carter's just hung up on old memories. Probably trying to make up for some regret. You're his wife, after all. It's just a drink. It won't affect your marriage."

But even as he said it, his brow was furrowed, his eyes locked nervously on Carter.

Anyone with half a brain could see the truth.

Carter was genuinely into it this time.

I drowned my frustration one glass at a time.

Even when I stumbled to the bathroom to throw up, Carter didn't spare me a single glance.

When I came back, Mia was wrapped in Carter's arms, their bodies pressed together, lips locked.

"Serena's back!"

Someone yelped.

Carter and Mia broke apart instantly.

But his lips were smeared red, traces of lipstick still clinging to them.

Carter let go of Mia in a hurry, blurting out an explanation on instinct. "We were just playing a game..."

"A game?"

I let out a cold laugh, snatched a glass off the table, and raised it high.

Samuel's eyes went wide. "Serena, don't do anything rash!"

Too late.

The glass shattered at Carter's feet.

Shards of glass flew in every direction. One piece lodged itself in Mia's bare calf, just above her stiletto.

"Ow! Carter, it hurts..."

Carter's expression turned to ice.

"Serena, have you lost your mind?"

I stared at him, unflinching. "Yeah. I have."

I lost my mind the day I believed you, Carter.

Someone noticed the ring on my finger and let out a gasp.

"Serena, you're married to some other guy? And you're here making a scene?"

"She actually thinks Carter is her husband. That's hilarious."

"Does anyone know Serena's husband? Call him up, get him down here."

"Let him see how his wife throws herself at her ex-boyfriend at a class reunion..."

One of them even moved toward me, hands raised to shove me.

I smiled coldly and caught her wrist with pinpoint precision.

"My husband is dead."

"Would you like to meet him?"

"I'd be happy to send you underground to say hello."

The color drained from her face. She stumbled backward, shrinking away.

"They're right. You really are insane."

I slid the ring off my finger and looked at Carter, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

Before the reunion, he'd been wearing the matching band. The exact same one.

At some point, he'd taken it off.

I held his gaze. "Even now, you're going to stand there and say nothing?"

"I don't have time for this!"

Carter cut me off, his voice sharp, his eyes darting anxiously to Mia's bleeding leg.

"Mia, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I'm coming too!"

"Us too!"

Within minutes, the private room that had been buzzing with noise was reduced to scattered glasses and empty chairs. Everyone was gone.

Samuel was the last to leave. He lingered at the door, worry etched across his face.

"Serena, you've had too much to drink tonight. Go home and get some rest. Want me to give you a ride?"

I pushed his hand away. "No."

I called a car of my own and headed to the hospital Carter always went to. Sure enough, I spotted him the moment I walked in.

Attentive. Devoted. Hovering at her side like she was the only person in the world.