Chapter 197

“Why would you invite her?” Cecil asked, arms crossed as she blocked the dressing room doorway.

Pamella calmly adjusted her bracelet clasp, her reflection unwavering in the mirror. “Because we’re friends,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “And because it makes us look good. You know how people talk. Let it be.”

Cecil’s eyes narrowed. “Let it be?” she repeated, incredulous. “That woman is cunning. You think she just walked in here with no motive?”

Pamella turned to face her. “She’ll behave,” she said, without a trace of doubt. “I have people watching her.”

There was a beat of silence before Pamella added, “Where’s Calen?”

Cecil’s expression shifted. “I thought he was here somewhere.”

Their gazes met, tension lingering. Neither said what they were thinking, but the silence spoke volumes.

Meanwhile, on the event hall balcony, Izzy stood alone with a glass of champagne. Night had fallen over San Francisco, draping the bridge in silver light. The Golden Gate Bridge glowed in the distance, its suspension lights blinking faintly through the fog. The air was cold, crisp against her skin.

Below, the bay reflected the city’s shimmer, boats bobbing gently in the dark water. The hum of conversation and clinking glasses from inside barely reached her. A few guests lingered nearby, whispering quietly, focused on their phones or the view.

Izzy took a slow sip and exhaled. The moment should have felt powerful—arriving alone, standing tall before her doubters. But all she could think about was Liam.

While the world believed they were on a break, they had been in constant contact. That afternoon, he had sent her a photo of his office desk—cluttered with takeout containers and blueprints. She pictured him hunched over his laptop, glasses sliding down his nose, immersed in work, missing his dinner.

She missed him. A part of her hated that, but she couldn’t deny it.

The glass in her hand dipped slightly as she stared out into the dark horizon, lost in thought. Then, a presence shifted behind her. She turned.

Calen stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

“I never expected you to come,” he said.

Izzy didn’t move at first. She set her glass down.

“Well,” she said, her eyes on him, “Pamella invited me.”

Calen glanced toward the bridge. “Still, I thought you’d avoid this.”

Izzy tucked her hair behind her ear. “Why? Because you thought I’d be too embarrassed?”

“No,” he shrugged. “Just didn’t think you’d want to deal with all this.”

“I don’t,” she admitted. “But here I am.”

He stepped closer, to stand beside her. They both looked out at the view, the silence stretching.

“You look different,” he said eventually.

Izzy scoffed. “And you look the same.”

He gave a small nod, almost accepting the jab. Then he looked at her again. “So…what are you doing here?”

Izzy didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she picked up her glass and took a sip.

“I’m just here to enjoy the view.”

Calen chuckled. “It’s my engagement party, Izzy. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Pamella invited me,” Izzy gave a casual shrug.

“You don’t look affected,” he noted.

“Should I be?”

That made him look at her, really look at her.

“You look beautiful,” Calen said after a beat. “Not in the usual way.”

Izzy didn’t respond. She shifted her gaze back toward the bridge, letting the lights distract her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he continued. “You’re my ex. You should be somewhere else, drinking, sad…wondering why your ex-boyfriend is marrying someone else.”

Izzy snorted. “That same ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my cousin. There’s nothing to be sad about.”

That shut him up for a moment. The silence stretched between them.

Then Calen asked, “Did you feel anything? When you heard I was getting married?”

Izzy turned her head slightly, her expression unreadable. “What do you mean?”

“Anything,” he said. “Even for a second. Is there a part of you that still feels something?”

Izzy studied him. “Feeling something would mean you still mattered to me,” she said. “You don’t.”

That caught him off guard. He didn’t say anything right away. His eyes lingered on her face. There was something about the way she said it—like she meant every word.

He sighed. “I’m sorry for what I did.”

Izzy didn’t answer.

“I don’t know why I did it,” he went on. “I made a mistake. But I loved you. Please don’t doubt that.”

Izzy raised an eyebrow, but she still didn’t speak. She didn’t understand the point of telling her this now.

“I thought…I actually thought that if you came to this party, you’d realize something,” Calen said. “That you’d see me again and feel something. That maybe you’d agree to fix things.”

That made her chuckle.

Calen looked at her, hope flickering in his eyes.

Izzy shook her head. “You really thought that?”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.

Izzy tilted her head slightly. “The past belongs to the past, Calen,” she said. “We should both move on.”

She downed the rest of her champagne, then placed the empty glass back on the ledge. She turned to leave, but before she could take a step, Calen reached out and grabbed her arm.

She stopped.

“Do you really think we don’t have another chance?” he asked.

Izzy looked down at his hand, then back at him. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Enjoy your engagement party,” she said. “Have a happy marriage.”

He didn’t let go right away.

“Can you forgive me?” he asked.

Izzy pressed her lips together, then pulled her arm back gently. She looked him in the eye. “There’s no point in holding a grudge,” she said. “We’re even now.”

And with that, she turned and walked away.