Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I slid my phone across the table, the picture of Chloe facing him. "Is your assistant, Chloe, the 'client' you were talking about?"

I expected him to panic, to deny it, or to just come clean.

Instead, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. Even though the restaurant was non-smoking, he held it under his nose, inhaling the scent before speaking slowly. "Chloe's ex-fiancé died in a car accident. She said I look a lot like him and asked if I would take a picture with her, just to fulfill her dream of wearing a wedding dress. It was just to give her some closure."

He looked me straight in the eye. "There is absolutely nothing going on between us."

My eyes stung, a thousand tiny needles pricking my heart. "Finn, do you know that when you truly love someone, you notice every single change in them? I always knew you were the one eating spicy hot pot with Chloe. You'd come home smelling of spices."

"And you always had the faint scent of a sweet perfume that wasn't mine."

Finn instinctively lifted his sleeve to his nose. His face darkened.

"And you never used to touch cigarettes around me, because of my asthma."

He stared at me, stunned. The cigarette fell from his fingers onto the white tablecloth. It was only then that he seemed to realize what he’d done. He looked at me in a panic. "Harper, let me explain..."

"No, you listen," I cut him off. "I came here once before. I found this exact table based on her Instagram location tag."

"I asked the manager if I could reserve it. He smiled and told me this table was permanently booked by a VIP. His 'little girlfriend' loved the view, and he was afraid she'd be sad if she came and couldn't get her favorite spot."

"Also, I'm allergic to shellfish." I pointed to the shrimp paste simmering in the spicy broth. Then I pointed to the mango juice next to it. "And mangoes. Did you get me mixed up with her?"

Finn's face went pale. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. The more I spoke, the more the tears I’d been holding back finally fell. "Those two hours I waited for you in the freezing cold... did you really think I didn't know what you were doing?"

His pupils contracted, a flicker of pain in his eyes. He got up, walked around the table, and tried to pull me into a tight embrace, ignoring the stares of other diners, whispering apologies over and over.

"Sorry, Harper, I was wrong. I was so wrong. It was a momentary lapse in judgment, maybe a mid-life crisis. I'll fire her. I'll make sure she never shows her face in our lives again. Please, just forgive me this one time."

"No." I shoved him away, my voice rising to a shout. "Finn, I already forgave you once."

Finn had forgotten. About five years ago, he couldn't stop talking about his angel investor, a glamorous older woman. I got into a huge fight with him over it and broke up with him. He panicked, drove out to her mansion on Long Island in the middle of the night, and begged her to come and talk to me.

The woman had looked at me with an amused smile. "Honey, I have an adorable baby, and my husband is a Wall Street titan, way more successful than Finn. Do you believe me now?"

Back then, Finn held me so tight, terrified of losing me. I never understood the knowing look that woman gave me as she left. Only later did I realize what it was: Finn had been using her to test my boundaries. If I hadn't cared, he would have felt free to cheat without any guilt.

He let Chloe post those pictures. He let her wear the dress and the ring. He even let her use it all to provoke me.

"Finn," I took a deep breath, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "You think I can't live without you, so you can just walk all over me. I admit, ten years is a huge sunk cost. But in this city, no one is indispensable. I told you the first time we broke up: if you can't clean up your messes, I will clean you out of my life."

Finn broke down completely, sobbing without shame. He didn't dramatically fall to his knees. His collapse was far more devastating.

He slid from his chair to the floor, clutching the hem of my dress. He buried his face in the fabric, his shoulders shaking violently. For a man so obsessed with his image, a Wall Street elite, this was the equivalent of running naked through Times Square. It was complete and utter public humiliation.

"Harper, it was a mistake. I know I messed up. I promise, this is the last time. You know how hard we worked to get here, from that basement in Brooklyn to today. I was just blinded by something new and exciting, but I swear it will never happen again."

Those ten years had been hard. We both came from nothing, rivals in high school competing for the single Ivy League scholarship.

Everyone thought we were mortal enemies. No one knew Finn was the one who secretly left a carton of milk in my locker every day.

The first year he started his company, he lost a ton of money. He worked three jobs a day to pay off the debt.

I remember a rich kid showing up in a Ferrari trying to win me over. Finn, with red-rimmed eyes, tried to break up with me. "What good is it being with me? It's just suffering."

I was so in love with him then, I refused. He clung to me, his whole body shaking with sobs, apologizing and promising that one day he would give me a life right out of Gossip Girl.

Thinking about it now, it's just ironic.

I tried with all my might to push him away. Just then, the ringing of Finn's phone broke the tension. It was Chloe's custom ringtone.

I watched Finn frown as he picked it up and immediately declined the call. But she called right back, relentlessly. His face was grim as he moved to turn his phone off.

I watched him coldly. "You should probably get that. It might be important."

With me right there, he hit the speakerphone button. Chloe's voice, choked with sobs, came through, laced with the thumping bass of a nightclub. "Finn... I'm in the bathroom at the club. There's some drunk guy harassing me. Can you please come get me? I'm so scared."

Finn exploded, his voice cold and ruthless. "What the hell does that have to do with me? Chloe, don't forget your place. You're fired, effective tomorrow. And don't you ever come near me again, or I'll get a restraining order."

Chloe's voice was filled with disbelief and a choked sob. "What do you mean? You're breaking up with me? Why? Finn, you said you loved me! You said you were going to marry―"

"Shut up!" Finn cut her off viciously. "The only person I will ever marry is Harper. I lied to you. I never liked you. You were just a game to me."

A shrill laugh came from the other end, followed by a long, eerie silence. Then, her voice turned sinister. "Finn, I'm pregnant. I'm giving you thirty minutes. If you're not here, I'm going to jump off this roof, and I'm taking your baby with me."

The line went dead.

Finn just stared at the phone, frozen. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the device. After a few seconds, he seemed to make a decision, his voice pleading. "Harper..."