arm from Sebastian's grip, narrowing my eyes at him. Unlike the moment we'd had at Lucky Strike weeks ago, I don't feel any rapid heart beatings or clammy hands. Instead, I feel pure, red-hot anger. As well as a longing to pummel my fist into his face, but alas, I know that won't fare well with the guests in attendance.

"It's a free country, Seb," I reply in a snark manner. He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you think you can control me now, you're wrong."

"What do you mean?" He furrows his brows in confusion, staring at me. "You're acting as if I've always controlled you or something."

"Are you an idiot?" I ask, completely flabbergasted by his oblivious attitude. "Actually, don't answer that. Because you are, you've always been."

He frowns, taking a small step toward me. "I'm not some kind of angel, alright? I know that, but here I thought you'd listen to me for once."

"Riddle me this, why did you not want me to come here in the first place?" I throw the question at him with a raised brow, waiting for his excuses to come spilling from his lips.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he snaps. "You'll see for yourself soon enough." His tone is one of defeat, shoulders sagging in misery. My pissed-off attitude almost fades away when I catch the dejected look on his face. I've never seen Sebastian look as remorseful as he does standing before me at this moment. It almost makes me feel sorry for whatever he's been trying to hide from me.

"Listen, I'd love to stay and finish this chat but I need to get back to–"

"Your boyfriend?" Sebastian finishes, the word boyfriend rolling off of his tongue in clear disgust.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I give him a challenging look. I don't miss the flicker of animosity that flashes over his eyes when Miles and I walked up the front steps of Helena's house. "He's not my boyfriend, and even if he was, you have no right to object about it."

"Sebastian!" We are thankfully interrupted by the sound of a shrill voice calling out his name. Turning, I catch sight of a gorgeous dark skin woman, her long braids piled high into a bun. Immediately, I relax, smiling when I recognize her as Camilla Harrier.

Sebastian gives Camilla a forced smile, letting her engulf him in her arms. Her grin is spread widely, her melodic laughter bouncing around the room. She squeezes him tightly before pulling away.

"Congratulations on–" With an intimidating look from Sebastian, Camilla clamps her lips shut, giving me a sheepish smile. I frown, wondering what she had been about to say.

"Evie, I've missed you." I don't have time to inquire about the weird moment they'd just shared, laughing as Camilla embraces me as well. I'd met her through Sebastian, as they've been friends since diapers. She has been one of the only friends of his that I can stand to be around. Camilla doesn't let the wealth turn her into a sour person, she is sweet and has empathy for other people.

She looks gorgeous in her yellow gown, the color doing wonders against her skin. I've always been envious of her effortless beauty.

"It's been so long," I say, smiling at her. I notice from the corner of my eye that Sebastian has begun to walk away, not bothering to spare me another glance. Camilla follows my line of vision, her lips parting ever so slightly.

"I take it the breakup wasn't amicable?" she asks breezily. When I shake my head, she gives me a sympathetic look. "I know you probably hate him, trust me, I don't blame you. But Sebastian has had one of the worst years of his entire life."

An astonished look crosses my features. "What are you talking about?"

Camilla looks despondent, biting down on her lower lip as we both watch Sebastian become swarmed with older-looking partygoers, and I instantly recognize one of them as his mother. She has her arm wrapped around his bicep, a proud smile on her lips as she looks over at her only child. If I haven't known Sebastian for as long as I do, I would've easily mistaken the grin on his face for one of happiness, but I can see the pinched corners. He's in pain.

Looking back to Camilla, I try to push down any solace I'm beginning to develop for him.

"It's complicated, Eve," she says softly. "I just hope you can one day forgive him for everything."

"You're acting strange," I blurt. "Does this complication have anything to do with this party?"

The silence from Camilla is enough to confirm my suspicions. I hate being kept out of the loop, and it seems like everyone here, apart from my friends and me, is in on the secret. Even Helena. The look she'd given me as I walked into the ballroom, just screamed something sinister. I shiver, wondering if I should've just listened to Sebastian in the first place instead of trying to be stubborn and defiant.

Camilla gives my shoulder a tight squeeze, quickly excusing herself as I watch her scurry across the ballroom floor, disappearing into the crowd of people. I'm stunned, as well as a bit irritated. I'd at least would have hoped that Camilla could've filled me in, given me a heads up into what is about to go down.

Hiking up the hem of my dress, I start in search of Miles. After a few moments of standing in the middle of the floor, looking around like a lost puppy, I find him leaning against one of the pillars, listening to something a woman was saying to him. From my position, I can see the mask of boredom being hidden well behind his easygoing smile. When he catches my eyes, he quirks an eyebrow at me, his way of saying please don't leave me alone anymore.

I chuckle, making my way over. His shoulder sag in what I can only assume was relief, and I sink into his touch as his hand creeps onto my waist, clutching me tighter to him. I don't recognize the woman who's been chatting him up, but she sends me a slight glare when I make my presence known.

"How about we continue this conversation later, Miles," she says, batting her eyelashes at him. I want to laugh at her flirtatious tone, especially when I feel him tense up next to me.

"Maybe." That cryptic response is enough for her, wiggling her fingers at him before turning around and walking away, my laughter bubbles up again when I notice how forcefully she is rocking her hips.

"Took you long enough," he says, pinching my arm slightly. "I was about to jump out of a window if she kept speaking to me."

This time I don't hold in my laughs, letting them spill from my lips as Miles playfully glares at me. "Sorry, sorry. Next time I'll make sure to come rescue you sooner."

Miles laughs, looking at something over my shoulder before fixing his gaze on me. "Do you want to dance?"

Raising my brows skeptically, I don't object as he takes my hand in his, leading me out onto the dance floor. From the corner of my eye, I see Wesley and Monica slow dancing a couple of feet away, Monica winking slyly at me when she notices Miles and I. Nick is off to the side, talking to two older men in business suits. I strain my eyes over the heads of people, trying to locate Veronica, Talia, and Olivia, but to no avail.

Clasping my fingers around the back of his neck, Miles pulls me flush against his front, hands resting right on my waist. We sway along to the jazz music playing from the band onstage.

"I've been meaning to tell you something," Miles says, breaking the silence. I tighten my hold on him, letting it be known that I'm listening. I feel his breath tickle the side of my neck, the cologne he is wearing quickly infiltrating my nose. He smells amazing. Vanilla with a hint of musk added to it.

"Remember that night I played at Mercury Lounge?" he asks vaguely. I pull back a little so I can look at his face. He is fighting a smile, thumb softly caressing the side of my cheek.

Nodding, I fake a sour expression. "And you failed to invite me to watch you, yes I remember." He laughs, squeezing my hips tenderly.

"There was an A&R from Republic Records in the crowd. He came up to me after the show and offered me an opportunity to meet with the label." My jaw drops, looking at Miles who isn't holding back the excited grin on his lips anymore. We've stopped swaying to the music entirely now, everyone else around us shooting exasperated glances our way as they try to dance around us.

"Miles, that's insane!" I practically jump into his arms, knocking him a few steps back as his chest rumbles from laughter underneath me. "I'm so proud of you."

He hugs me tight, his face burrowing into my shoulder. "Nothing's final yet. I'm not signed or anything, and who knows if this meeting will go well or–"

Without thinking, I press my lips to his, effectively cutting off his rambles. Miles sucks in a breath, clearly caught off guard, but quickly recovers. His hands cupping the sides of my cheeks as he smiles into the kiss, giving me a few small pecks before pulling away fully.

"They'd be absolute idiots not to sign you," I say softly, gently running my fingers through his curls. A dimple appears on his cheek as he smiles, bending his head lower so he can kiss me again, although this time, we were interrupted.

A hand roughly pulls at my shoulder and I'm spinning around to face a teary-eyed Talia. Her mascara has left obvious black streaks down her face, her eyes are red and puffy. But beneath the obvious sadness, I can see anger simmering in her blue eyes. I gape at her, immediately moving forward to try and console her but she takes another step back, flinching from my touch.

"Did you know?" she asks lowly. I furrow my brows, parting my lips to question her when I suddenly Veronica and Olivia run over. Veronica is a few paces in front, tears flowing down her face. It's like it's all happening in slow motion, but it suddenly clicks in my brain what Talia is asking, what Talia now knows.

My heart practically falls to my feet, and I feel sick as my gaze slowly moves back to Talia.

"Evie!" Talia snaps at me. My mouth is dry, and I can't seem to form any sort of sentence right now. I quickly search my brain for something to say. Her look of anger quickly dissolves to disbelief when she notices my lack of response, shaking her head a few times. "I can't believe this. You knew about Veronica leaving. The both of you knew . . . and you didn't tell me."

"Tal, I wanted to tell you," Veronica starts, her eyes pleading for Talia to listen. I notice that we are gaining a few odd looks from passing guests, their ears tuning into the eruption about to occur. Nick, Wesley, and Monica have slowly begun to gravitate over to us, their eyes moving back and forth, trying to discern the issue. I feel a cool hand on the small of my back, and I immediately know it's Miles.

"So why didn't you?!" she practically shrieks. I winced at the high volume of her voice, thankful that she was being drowned out by the music. "You've both been lying to me for what? Months?" Talia turns her steely glare on me, pointing her finger at my face. "I came to you, begging to know what was going on with Veronica. You looked me in the eyes and said you didn't know anything. You fucking lied to me. I thought we were supposed to be sisters."

"We are," I say urgently. "I wanted to tell you, believe me, but it wasn't my secret to say."

"I was scared," Veronica says, her voice cracking at the end. I can see Talia's shoulders deflate a little but she isn't backing down. "I was scared to see how you would react. I know how important this friendship is to you, and I just didn't want to break your heart by telling you that I'm leaving. That all of the plans we made in high school won't happen."

A visible sob wracks throughout Talia's body, and Nick doesn't waste any time sprinting forward, his arms encircling her waist. She slumps against him, and I know that without his support, she would've gone crashing to the ground.

Veronica is sobbing next to Olivia, trying to reach out and touch Talia, but she isn't letting her. Burrowing further into Nick and away from us.

"You should take her home," I say to Nick, already knowing that Talia is completely over being at this party. He nods sullenly, exchanging looks with Miles and Wesley before gently beginning to walk towards the entrance, Talia shaking like a leaf in his arms.

"She hates me," Veronica says softly, looking at our friend's retreating back. Olivia shakes her head, squeezing Veronica's shoulder tenderly. "God, I just lost my best friend."

"Ronnie, you didn't lose her. She just needs some time. We can all talk in the morning." I let out a sigh when Veronica whirls around, tears streaming down her face as she walks in the direction of the bathrooms, Olivia hot on her heels.

Miles bends down, his lips mere centimeters from my ear. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head, feeling a wave of sorrow rush through me. I don't think I will ever be able to erase the image of misery that had been on Talia's face from my brain. I have never seen her look as crushed as she did at that moment.

I feel my body being pulled against Miles', his hands rubbing up and down my back soothingly. "She just needs some time. I'm sure you guys will patch it all up tomorrow."

"And what if we don't?" I mumble against his chest. "What if this is the end of our friendship?"

He doesn't answer, instead, kissing the top of my head as we rock back and forth. I don't want to think about this being the end-all of our years of close friendship. It can't be. I'm not going to let it be.

Looking up at Miles through my lashes, I quickly make a decision. "I think we should leave. I don't want Talia being home alone."

"I don't think Nick would leave without making sure she's alright," he replies softly, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger. "But we can leave if you want."

I nod, already stepping out of his warm embrace. "I don't even know why I let Talia convince me to come anyway." Before Miles can respond, the band that has been currently playing on the stage goes quiet, everyone in the crowd ceasing their dancing. I look to the platform to see Helena walking towards the microphone, her dazzling smile practically blinding even from my position in the back.

She taps the mic a few times, the feedback careening around the room and making a few people wince. "Thank you all for coming to my birthday party, it means so much to me to see everyone who cares about me under one roof."

The snort that leaves me is practically comical.

From the side of the stage, I can see Sebastian inching towards Helena. I furrow my brows, noticing the uneasy expression on his face as his blue eyes scan the crowd. Frankly, he looks as if he is about to shit his pants. From the corner of my eye, I notice Camilla anxiously chewing on her nails, her eyes flitting around the ballroom before they land on me. When I raise my brows at her, she quickly averts her gaze.

Shrugging it off, I turn my attention back to the stage, wanting Helena to say what she needs to say so that I can leave. Sebastian has made it to her side, pulling at the collar of his suit.

Helena is glowing, her dark eyes swimming with so much pleasure. I don't think I've ever seen her as enthused than in this moment. "I've been holding in this secret for the last two months. But I knew that tonight would be the perfect opportunity to reveal what has made me the happiest woman in all of New York."

The next few moments seem to happen in slow motion. I watch as Helena grabs Sebastian's hand, pressing her entire body into his side. She lifts her other hand, and sitting on her ring finger is the biggest diamond ring I've ever seen in my life. The crowd goes ballistic, people cheering and hollering, Helena's face practically splitting from how much she is grinning.

"I'm engaged!"

Those two words feel like an ice bucket has just been dumped over my head. I blink. Once. Twice. But it isn't a dream. I'm standing in the crowd, watching my ex-boyfriend and his new fiancé.

I feel like I'm going to throw up.

Sebastian isn't smiling. His eyes have found mine in the crowded room, among the excited chatter and gushing of everyone else. We are both frozen. I can hear Miles whispering things into my ear, his hand tugging on mine almost as if he's trying to lead me away, but my feet won't budge. I'm frozen. Staring at Sebastian.

He looks full of sorrow. And I'm sure my face resembles his in the same way.

And just as fast as I've been caught in my daze, the spell is broken. I tear my eyes away from Sebastian to Miles, who is looking down at me with blatant concern.

Wesley and Monica are standing behind me, their expression an exact mirror of Miles. I feel something wet hit my chin, and when I brush my fingers over my face, I realize I am crying. When did I start crying?

"Evie, c'mon, we need to leave," Miles says softly, his expression ranging from concern to disbelief and finally, to anger.

I nod, allowing him to grab my hand and start walking towards the front exit. I spot Veronica and Olivia outside, both of them looking up and down the street, most likely waiting for an Uber. I concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, not wanting to let my mind dwell on the events that have just transpired.

"Evie!"

I turn at the sound of my name to see Sebastian running towards me. Against my judgment, I stop, letting him catch up to me. He is blinking away unshed tears, and the heavy bags under his eyes make him look so much older than he is.

"Evie," he breathes my name, his voice cracking. I close my eyes, feeling another stream of tears roll down my face. "I'm sorry."

Those two words don't mean anything to me anymore. I feel as if Sebastian had just started saying them so much that they've lost their actual meaning.

"Dude, I think you should go back in there and leave her alone," Miles says angrily. I don't even realize he's come to stand beside me, not until I hear his voice. My eyes fly open to see his emerald ones glaring a deadly glare at my ex-boyfriend. It makes me almost stumble back. I've never seen Miles look as angry as he does in this moment.

Sebastian looks torn, obviously not wanting to pick a fight but wanting to talk to me. "I swear to God, I never meant to hurt you. Eves, I love–"

"Don't," I say, my voice eerily calm. Sebastian clamps his mouth shut. "Love is a lot of things, but I can tell you one thing. It's definitely not this."

"Seb! I need you back!" We all look to see Helena standing a few feet away from us, her dark eyes regarding us with caution. She is staring at Sebastian, though I notice how her eyes skirt over to mine, her lips twitching into a sadistic smirk when she notices my distraught expression.

Helena has only invited me to this party so that she can rub her engagement in my face. So she can rub her final victory in my face. She'd come out on top, and this is her way of bragging about it.

"I think you should go back to your fiancé," I say dryly. Sebastian flinches, and I don't give him time to say anything else, turning around to walk towards the outside steps.

I'd thought walking away from Sebastian after our breakup had been hard, little did I know how much worse it would hurt to walk away from him now.

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