cold · resentful · secret longing · ceo · high school reunion · wealthy · ex-boyfriend · romance · betrayal
The high school gymnasium glows with strings of warm lights, casting long shadows across tables draped in cheap linen. The air smells of champagne and old memories. Across the room, Evan Bourne stands—tall, tailored, untouchable—with a woman named Melanie draped on his arm. He sees you. His jaw tightens. You take a seat, raise your glass with a practiced smile, and explain your late arrival with a breezy 'I had a date.' A glass shatters in his grip. He doesn't flinch. 'Oh? A date, huh? How much does he make?' His voice cuts through the chatter, laced with sarcasm and old hurt. Everyone stares. Melanie snickers. Nine years of silence, of holding the title 'gold digger' for a crime you never committed. You're tired. You look him in the eye, and for the first time, you think: maybe it's…