CEO's UNEXPECTED WIFE

Maddison's POV

The empty chair in the fifth row seemed to stare at Maddison Carter from the moment she stepped onto the graduation stage. Even as the bright lights felt hot and hundreds of proud faces blurred in front of her, that one empty seat felt like an accusation. Tyler had promised to be there. Front and center. She could still hear his words from three weeks ago, just as if he had just said them. "I'll be the guy whistling so loud they'll kick me out."

The university president talked on and on about the future, but Maddison barely heard him. She just kept staring at that empty spot where Tyler should be, the red seat untouched. Next to it Jenna sat, her best friend. Jenna's magenta dress was a splash of color, and she also had a glittering sign that said "Maddy Breaks Ceilings & Bridges!" But even with Jenna attending to show her support, she could not fill the gap Tyler's no-show left.

This was not just about missing graduation, it was about all the other times he had not shown up. There was an empty chair at her scholarship dinner, at Jenna's birthday, and at so many other times he had canceled at the last minute, leaving her to sit alone, and each time was a small problem in their relationship that she had tried to cover up with excuses. But today felt different, it felt like the end.

Her special valedictorian sash felt heavy across her shoulders as doubts started to creep in; Was her future really secure? Or was she just setting herself up to be disappointed while ignoring a big problem she did not want to see?

It was not just an empty seat, in the middle of all the noise in the auditorium, it was a loud quietness and it seemed to show everyone that he was not there, and it felt as though it took away the light and warmth from her special moment. He had promised her and the memory was so clear it felt like it had happened five minutes ago, not three weeks back during the stressful time of final exams.

She had been leaning over some plans in his house one day, when he showed up with two large coffees to make her feel better. He had rubbed the knots from her shoulders, his hands strong and sure, his voice a low whisper against her hair.

"You're going to be valedictorian, Maddy. I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he had whispered.

"Don't jinx it," she had murmured into her textbook.

"No jinx. It's a fact, and when you're up on that stage, looking like the brilliant engineer you are, I'll be right there." He had pointed to an imaginary spot in the air. "Front and center. I'll be the guy whistling so loud they kick me out. I promise."

There was no whistle for Maddison, only a profound, quiet feeling coming from that empty seat. Tyler had lied.

"And now," the President's voice unexpectedly boomed out, reminding her of the spotlight, "It is my great pleasure to introduce the valedictorian for the College of Engineering. A student whose recent research project on high-end materials has already been quite in the limelight. Please welcome... Ms. Maddison Carter."

Then there came a swell of loud applause from the crowd, and it seemed to carry her up from her seat and her legs shook as she walked the short distance to the podium. She smoothed the front of her black dress, her hands shaking ever so slightly. You can do this. She told herself. She had discovered how hard steel was, she had completed all of her hard classes, so a speech was just a different kind of plan, one made with words, and all she had to do was simply stick to the plan.

Her hands gripped the smooth wood of the podium, her knuckles turning white. It felt slick under her damp palms, then she took a breath and looked out over everyone's heads, toward the fancy gold designs on the balcony.

"Good afternoon, lecturers, proud families, and fellow graduates," she began. Her voice, made louder by the microphone, sounded surprisingly clear without showing the mess of feelings inside her. "We are often told that as civil engineers, we are the people who build the future. We build the bases for society to stand on, the connections between communities, and the things that are designed to survive powerful forces."

Her gaze dropped at that moment. She could not help but glance at the fifth row, and the empty chair was no longer just an empty spot as it appeared to be present only to hurt her, a soft hum of everything that was wrong about her and Tyler's relationship. She saw Jenna's bright smile falter for an instant when her friend spotted the empty chair beside her. Then, Jenna quickly looked back up at the stage with a face of strong support because she knew...her best friend knew the lie Maddison was living in that perfect but broken moment.

The lie was new, public, and also rather humiliating.

The next portion of her words, a page talking about being strong, was poised to be spoken, but her throat closed. The letters on the paper on her desk blurred, the gentle humming of the fan in the auditorium grew deafening in her ears as a cold single drop of sweat trickled down her spine. Her heart began to beat very rapidly. She was messing up at her most crucial moment, and in front of hundreds of people, she was losing it over a boy who hadn't even texted like: Running late, so sorry, car trouble. Anything would have been fine but his silence was the cruelest message of all.

Get it together, Maddy. Don't let him take this from you.

She looked wildly at Jenna again because she needed someone who would help her. Jenna had let her sign fall. She was leaning forward, her body tensed with her brow knotted in a fierce, protective concern. Her lips formed three silent, comprehensible words: You got this.

It was enough. It was all.

Maddison took a sharp, shallow breath, forcing air into her system then blinked once, twice. The words on the page popped back into focus, so she lifted her chin and turned away from the fifth row forever. She would never look there again, never let that empty space steal one more minute of her life.

"But the most important things we will ever build," she continued, and her voice wasn't the same anymore. The practiced tone was gone, replaced by a new, steady feeling that was forged in the previous thirty seconds. "They are not steel or concrete.". They are the ties of trust we make with one another, built and tended." But in her mind she still couldn't get over Tyler, Where is he? Why isn't he here?

"They're the faithful feelings we create, which must be strong, steady, and able to withstand the weight of every vow." You made a promise Tyler and you broke it. "And lastly, it's our own integrity that's the most important ingredient, the one thing that makes everything we construct... withstand the test of time."

She finished the speech and the last words of her speech were a bitter and unintended reality. They all stood up and applauded so vigorously but she barely felt it. While walking back to her seat, she could feel hundreds of proud people looking at her but at that time she only felt Jenna's eyes and the freezing stare from the empty chair.

Next, her name was also announced a moment later to get her diploma. She crossed the stage, and the sound of the ceremony was now background. The Dean of Engineering, Dr. Albright, a gruff-faced but gentle man and famous stern disciplinarian, greeted her with a handshake.

His hand was comforting, and he handed to her the leather portfolio that held her diploma, its weight a bracing symbol of her years of hardwork.

Although momentarily blinded by the flash on the official photographer's camera, the Dean leaned forward, whispering for her ears only.

"We have great expectations of you, Ms. Carter," he went on, his eyes reflecting that he meant it from the depths of his heart. "Don't let anything stand in your way."

The words should have been the highest praise coming from a man she admired so much but it felt as though he was accusing her of something, and she had to force a smile. As she walked off the stage with the diploma in her hand, the cheering gradually fading, she had never felt as if she had achieved so much, yet felt so completely alone.

***

The reception was much more noisier than the serene graduation event itself. Graduates in black robes trooped all over her, and they were so happy and relieved with their voices echoing through the polished marble floors and ceilings, and the air was smelling of champagne. Maddison felt separated from all the excitement, as if she was watching a film only, and then a hand gently wrapped around hers, and their fingers meshed together.

It was Jenna, and her beautiful gown was not difficult to find amid the waves of black dresses.

"Are you okay?" Jenna's voice was soft, as if she was only talking to Maddison in the midst of all the chaos.

"Never better," Maddison lied, and she tried to be bright-eyed and cheerful, but her voice sounded as if it would crack. She took a glass of champagne from a passing tray, and the cold, wet glass felt good against the heat of her palm. "I have a degree in civil engineering, so I will just build a bridge or something and get over it."

Jenna didn't smile. "Terrible joke, even for you." She led them to the side of the room where they found a quieter spot next to a tall window filled with sunlight. "Seriously, Maddy, just talk to me."

"There is nothing to talk about," Maddison said, and then she took a long sip of her champagne. The bubbles felt sharp on her tongue, which was a nice distraction for her. "He's not here and I don't know why. That's all there is to it, End of Discussion!" She looked out the window at the perfectly cut green lawn, where happy families were taking pictures under old oak trees and it suddenly made her feel very jealous.

Even though she tried not to, her eyes kept looking back at the big, arched doorway to the room, she couldn't help but picture him walking through the doors with his tie crooked and that sorry but cute smile on his face that always made her forget why she was mad. He would have a really good reason, like a small car accident or a problem at work or maybe even a lost puppy that only he could rescue. She thought about something big that she would forgive but then, the doorway stayed empty, as only a steady stream of strangers walked through it.

"Maddison! Carter! Here you are!"

The voice was that of Professor Davies, a lecturer who was known to be strict but fair. He stood at a tall height with a booming voice, and he was coming their way now wearing a wide grin on his face.

"Your words were beautiful My dear! Simply beautiful!" he cried out loudly, and he thumped her on the shoulder good-naturedly. "That part where you said that honesty is most important? Sounded heavenly! I always knew you had an idea of what was important." He winked. "I'd bet that boyfriend of yours, Tyler, is just so proud. Where is the lucky fellow? I must meet him and tell him to treat a rising star right."