Adrian nodded. “Do you want him humiliated, rattled, or jealous?”
I stared at him. “Is this your full-time job?”
“No,” he said. “I’m a theater actor. This is just something I do on the side for fun.”
I laughed despite myself.
Then I told him the truth. That Adam wanted me to show up alone and that he’d spent years making me feel ordinary. That I did not want him back, not even for sport, but I did want one perfect evening where he realized I had survived him beautifully.
Adrian listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he said, “So your goal isn’t revenge. It’s to make him jealous and realize that he didn’t destroy you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That sounded exactly right.”
He smiled. “I’ll give you exactly what you need.”
By the end of that meeting, we had a backstory. We had met through mutual friends. He worked in the creative industry as a talent manager.
He liked old movies and smoked occasionally on balconies at parties, though not enough to smell of it. He was attentive without hovering and warm without performing.
“You’ve done this before,” I said.
“A few times.”
“And nobody ever falls in love?”
He lifted one shoulder. “That would be unprofessional.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really?”
He grinned, “Yes, it would be.”
Then the wedding day came.
I wore a stunning bareback dress, paired with heels and gold jewelry. Adrian arrived in a tuxedo that was perfectly tailored and showed just how sculpted he looks. When I opened the door, he took one look at me and said, “Your ex is in trouble.”
I laughed, and just like that, my nerves eased.
The vineyard was full of polished people pretending not to stare.
The second we stepped out of the car, I felt eyes turn. I slid my hand through Adrian’s arm and told myself to breathe.
We walked into the reception hall after the ceremony had already ended. That had been strategic.
I didn’t want to sit through vows. I only wanted to be seen at the reception, which more people normally attend.
I wanted Adam and his bride to see me as they interacted with their guests.
Adam saw us first.
He was near the bar with one hand around a champagne flute, half-turned toward a group of relatives.
The moment his eyes landed on me, his whole face changed.
He seemed happier than before, most likely because he thought I was there to see him and his bride.
Then he saw Adrian, and he went white like someone had kicked all the blood out of him in one blow.
At the same moment, the bride, who was chatting near Adam with other guests, turned.
She was beautiful in her umbrella gown. Her dark hair was pinned up, diamonds on her neck and ears. She saw me, frowned, then saw Adrian and physically stiffened.
That was when Adrian’s hand tightened around mine.
He leaned down, smiling for the watching guests, and whispered, “I promise you, I didn’t know this, but the bride, your ex’s new wife, was my fiancée.”
For one wild second, I forgot how to breathe.
I turned my head slightly. “What?”
“Keep smiling,” he murmured. “I’ll explain later.”
I should have let go of his arm and demanded answers. I should have walked out right then and left all of them to their nonsense.
Instead, maybe because I was already there and too deep in, maybe because Adam still looked like he was seeing a ghost, I smiled.
And Adrian smiled.
And together we crossed the room like we had absolutely nothing to hide.
Adam met us halfway, moving too fast for a man trying to look casual.
“Nora,” he said. “You came.”
His eyes flicked to Adrian again, and I saw fear in them, something I had never seen before.
I gave him my best pleasant expression. “You invited me.”
Adrian, to his credit, looked almost amused.
Adam said, too evenly, “I didn’t realize you were bringing someone, or that you even knew Adrian.”
I tilted my head. “That’s funny. Your note made such a point of hoping I would come alone. As for Adrian, he is my boyfriend. Apparently, you know him. Tell me how.”
His jaw tightened.
The bride was at his shoulder now, staring openly at Adrian. “What is Adrian doing here? What is your ex doing here?”
Her questions came out sharper than she’d intended. A few nearby guests went quiet.
I looked at her. “You should ask your husband. He invited me.”
She turned to Adam, a look of betrayal on her face, “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t invite our exes.”
Adam looked apologetic and resorted to the fake apology voice he used to use on me, “I am sorry. I just wanted her to see that we were happy.”
“Is that what was more important? Us getting married should be enough. Does she have to know you are happy? Are you not over her?” the bride spiraled as Adrian and I looked on. A few guests were also listening in.
“No, no, that’s not it,” Adam struggled to explain himself, “I love you, and you are enough. I just…”
“Just selfish and caring about you only as usual,” I chimed in, glad to see that Adam had not changed.
The bride turned his attention to us, “And what are you doing with my ex-fiancé?”
Adrian pulled me closer by the waist as I replied, “Oh, you mean my boyfriend. We also just wanted you two to see that we are happy.”
“This is crazy,” the bride murmured.
She directed her steaming anger towards Adam, “Look at the drama that you invited to our wedding. And for what? Just to satisfy your ego.”
As more guests gathered to listen to the drama, I realized I had accomplished what I came to do here. This was not even a celebration of love. It was just my ex-husband showcasing his selfish nature to a larger audience.
“Let’s go,” I told Adrian, “There is no wedding here. Just the endless drama, the ego and selfishness Adam has tends to drag everywhere.”
Adrian nodded, taking that moment to kiss my cheek. We walked away as Adam was still asking his bride to forgive him, that he meant no harm.
Only a delusional man like him could say that after causing harm on a day that should be about their happiest.
Only when we were out of immediate earshot did I hiss, “How do you know Adam and his bride?”
“Her name is Elise,” he said quietly. “We were together for four years and engaged for eight months. Then she started pulling away. She would go on work trips over the weekend, say she was busy, and hide things from me.”
I nodded because that was the same behavior change I saw in Adam when he was cheating on me.
“I later found out she’d been sleeping with a married man after finding their messages on her laptop. She was not even sorry,” Adrian sighed.
