Fake Husband | An Open Heart Fanfic

Fake Husband Again (Part 2)

The frivolous, over-embellished ballroom was alive with laughter, conversation, and music. He watched with disgust as Boston's elite congregated in clusters, clad in expensive formal wear, champagne flutes in hand. Their ambitious smiles were just as false as their interest in the charities rallying for funds that night. It made him sick.

Ethan took a long gulp of his scotch. Why had he let Naveen bully him into attending the scene of his worst nightmare?

Instinctively, his eyes swiveled to meet hers from across the ballroom. Eyes sparkling even from a distance, she gave him a radiant and characteristically coy smile.

That was why.

Ethan forced his eyes away when he realized he was staring, his throat suddenly dry.

How could he not stare? The deadly combination of a shimmering black dress, dark hair that rippled in waves past her bare shoulders, and a delicate, crimson mouth made her look like a siren who could bring any man to his knees. By the interested glances she was attracting, many present would be willing to let her, Ethan included.

Privately, he made it his purpose to go twenty minutes without seeking her out.

He only managed ten.

By the time his eyes scanned the crowded ballroom again, desperate in their search, she was nowhere to be found.

It was no surprise he found her ten minutes later through the massive arched doors leading to a balcony. What was surprising, however, was that she was not alone. From where he stood, he could see the figure of a man that struck a sense of familiarity.

"I can't stop thinking about you, Lilac," he was saying. "I don't think I ever stopped thinking about you."

With a flash of shock, he recognized him as Lilac's ex boyfriend, the one who had been wearing a ridiculous turquoise suit on their last meeting. Briefly, Ethan marveled at how his fashion choices remained as deplorable as before. He was wearing a wine colored tuxedo made of velvet.

What a prick.

Lilac was unmoved, her gaze cold as she watched him with disinterest.

It did not deter him. "Do you think about me?"

Ethan's jaw tensed, clenched fists at his sides longing to connect with his pathetic face.

Lilac, on the other hand, did a better job at remaining composed. Her beautiful, crimson lips remained set in an inscrutable line. "Yes, I think about you sometimes, Alex," she allowed, voice low.

Ethan's heart plummeted.

Then, with a vehemence that could strike a man down, she continued, "I think about how much time I wasted feeling something you did was somehow my fault."

Velvet's shoulders tensed, the words no doubt a blow.

"All of that was a mistake," he countered in what he, no doubt, considered a reasonable tone. "I never should've–"

"Slept with my best friend?"

"I regret that every day."

"Which part? Sleeping with her or getting caught and facing consequences for once in your privileged life?"

Goddamn, Rookie.

She pulled no punches. A swell of pride burst in Ethan's chest.

"In a way, you did me a favor," Lilac went on mercilessly. "I never would've been free to fall in love with Ethan if you hadn't shown what a bastard you are."