Before I could respond, Sophia appeared at Daniel's side like a perfectly coordinated accessory. She looked beautiful, as always—her auburn hair gleaming under the soft lighting, her emerald green dress showing off her figure to perfection. Once upon a time, we would have spent hours getting ready for parties together, sharing clothes and gossip and dreams for the future.
"Maya!" she said, her voice pitched with artificial enthusiasm. "I was just telling everyone how excited we are for you. Though I have to admit, I'm a little hurt you didn't tell me you were seeing someone. We used to share everything."
The subtle accusation—that I had somehow betrayed our friendship by not confiding in her—was so perfectly Sophia that I almost laughed. The woman who had been secretly seeing my fiancé behind my back was hurt that I hadn't shared relationship news with her.
"Things moved very fast," I said diplomatically. "We wanted to keep it private initially."
"Private is one word for it," murmured someone behind me. I turned to find Marcus Webb, one of Daniel's college friends, holding a beer and wearing a knowing smirk. "Though I have to say, the photos from the Art Institute Gala were very convincing. Professional quality, almost."
The implication hit me like a physical blow. He was suggesting the photos were staged, fake. Which, technically, they were—but not in the way he meant.
"Marcus," Sophia said with false reproach, "don't be rude."
"I'm not being rude," he continued, emboldened by the growing audience. "I'm just saying it's interesting how someone can go from heartbroken to engaged to a billionaire in the span of a few weeks. Almost like something out of a fairy tale."
Heat rose to my cheeks, but I kept my voice steady. "Sometimes life surprises you."
"Oh, it certainly does," said another voice. I turned to find Jessica Chen—no relation, despite the shared surname—a woman who'd always resented that people confused us in college. "Though I have to wonder what a man like Ethan Blackwood sees in—well, present company excluded, of course."
The conversation was taking on the feel of a pack closing in on wounded prey. I looked around the circle of faces—some curious, some skeptical, some openly hostile—and realized with growing horror that this had been planned. Daniel hadn't invited me to catch up or congratulate me; he'd invited me to be exposed, humiliated, put back in my place.
"Actually," Daniel said, his voice carrying just enough volume to draw attention from nearby groups, "I have to admit I was curious about the timeline myself. Three months ago, Maya was devastated about our breakup—calling me crying, begging me to reconsider—"
"That's not—" I started, but he continued over me.
"—and now suddenly she's engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in the city? A man none of us have ever seen her with, who conveniently can't make it to meet her oldest friends?" He shook his head with mock concern. "I just hope she's not getting in over her head."
The room had gone quiet around us, conversations halting as people turned to watch the drama unfold. I felt exposed, vulnerable, like an animal caught in headlights. Every instinct screamed at me to defend myself, to lash out, to reveal exactly why I'd been devastated—not just by his betrayal, but by Sophia's.
Instead, I forced myself to smile calmly. "I appreciate your concern, Daniel, but I can assure you I'm exactly where I want to be."
"Are you, though?" Sophia asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Because this all seems so... sudden. So convenient. Almost like you're trying to prove something."
The accusation hung in the air like smoke. Around us, I could feel the weight of everyone's attention, their judgment, their waiting for me to crumble under the pressure.
"The only thing I'm trying to prove," I said carefully, "is that people can move on from disappointing situations and find something better."
Daniel's eyes flashed with anger at the implied insult. "Disappointing? Maya, we talked about this. Your parents' medical bills, your inability to commit to our timeline—"
"My inability to commit?" The words came out sharper than I'd intended, my carefully maintained composure finally cracking. "That's an interesting way to frame your decision to sleep with my best friend while I was caring for my sick parents."
A collective intake of breath rippled through the nearby listeners. Sophia's face went white, then flushed red.
"Maya," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "that's not fair. You know it wasn't like that."
"What was it like then?" I asked, surprised by the steadiness of my own voice. "Because from where I was standing, it looked like betrayal."
"You were never around," Daniel said defensively. "Always at the hospital, always dealing with family crisis. Sophia was there when—"
"When you needed someone who wasn't dealing with real problems?" I finished. "Someone who could focus entirely on your needs without the inconvenience of her own life getting in the way?"
The silence that followed was deafening. I became acutely aware of every pair of eyes on us, of phones potentially recording, of the way this moment would be dissected and shared for weeks to come.
Marcus cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Maybe we should—"
"No," I said, finding my strength in the anger that had been building for months. "Let's finish this conversation. You want to know about my relationship with Ethan? It's built on honesty, respect, and mutual support. He doesn't need me to be convenient or uncomplicated. He values my strength, not my availability."
"How convenient that he's not here to confirm any of this," Jessica muttered.
Something snapped inside me. "You want proof? Fine."
I pulled out my phone, hands shaking with adrenaline, and called Ethan's number. It rang once, twice—
"Maya?" His voice came through clearly, concerned. "Is everything alright? You sound upset."
The fact that he'd answered immediately, that he'd heard the distress in my voice from just saying his name, nearly undid me.
"I'm fine," I managed. "I'm at a friend's party, and they were hoping to say hello."
"Of course," he said without hesitation. "Put me on speaker."
I held the phone out, acutely aware of everyone leaning in to listen.
"Hello everyone," Ethan's voice filled the room, warm and confident. "I apologize for not being able to join Maya tonight. Unfortunately, work doesn't always respect social schedules."
"Mr. Blackwood," Daniel said, stepping closer to the phone, "Daniel Whitman. Maya's mentioned you, of course. We were just curious about how you two met."
There was a slight pause—barely perceptible unless you were listening for it.
"At a charity gala three months ago," Ethan replied smoothly. "Maya was there representing her design firm, and I was immediately struck by her intelligence and passion for her work. It took me weeks to convince her to have dinner with me."
The lie came so easily, so convincingly, that for a moment I almost believed it myself.
"How romantic," Sophia said, her voice tight. "And the engagement happened so quickly."