Why the hell am I feeling so nervous right now?

I’ve splurged on a beautiful thousand-dollar dress, I’m wearing my best Jimmy Choos, and there’s a let’s-take-over-the-world smile on my face. And still, my legs feel like spaghetti noodles.

“Are you ready?” Renne asks me, looking out the window of our taxi, one of her hands already grabbing the door handle.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I tell her, pretending that I’m okay even though I’m a nervous wreck. But what the hell - a woman must conquer her fears, right? Even if her fears include attending a black tie event in a five-star hotel. I know, after Liam’s little note I should be feeling at least a little hopeful… But I just can’t seem to do it. What if I stroll inside to see him arm-in-arm with another woman? What if he went to all this length just to humiliate me? I don’t think that Liam’s the kind of guy who’d do such a thing, but when it comes to men… Well, you never know, right?

“Whatever Liam has on his mind,” Renee starts as we leave the taxi and start walking toward the hotel lobby, “he sure didn’t care about the cost.”

“Yeah,” I mutter under my breath. Liam booked the Mandarin Oriental, one of the most expensive hotels in New York, for his surprise event - and that just makes me feel even more nervous about the whole thing.

The moment we step inside the lobby, one of the clerks walks straight toward us and asks for our names. After checking that we’re on the list (well, I’m the one on the list, Renee’s just my plus-one) he then gets us inside an elevator; then, he leads us through a few luxurious corridors, the walls lined with what I suspect to be expensive and original paintings, and finally stops in front of two large double doors.

“In there,” he proclaims solemnly, pushing one of the doors open and allowing us a peek of the most amazing ballroom I’ve ever seen. Renee and I both step inside at the same time, and I struggle to stop my jaw from hanging open as I look around the room.

Three gigantic chandeliers hang from the ceiling, their sparkling light covering the room; instead of walls, half the ballroom has huge floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing everyone inside a nice clear view of Central Park. Circular tables, covered with red tablecloth and expensive silverware, are dispersed on the floor, and the distance between them is so perfect you’d say someone went around the room with a ruler.

More than just the decoration, the room is packed with New York’s crème de la crème. I haven’t even blinked twice and I’ve already spotted three billionaires and two famous actresses. Are these part of Liam’s social circle? What the hell is exactly going on in here?

“Cara!” I hear a feminine voice say my name, and I turn on my heels to face its owner. “So wonderful to see you again,” Liam’s mom says and, before I can do anything about it, she wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight.

“Ah, you’re choking her out,” Liam’s dad laughs from behind her, and then he offers me his hand and his wife finally releases me from her hold. Instead of taking his hand, I just take one step forward and hug him. I don’t even know why I’m doing it, but I just feel close to the Donovan’s. Which will make it all more painful if Liam just brought me here to break up with me.

“Cara, is that…?” Renee asks me, whispering in my ear as she holds my arm and points to the end of the room. My gaze follows the trajectory of her finger, and I just nod at her as I see what’s there.

“Yeah, that’s the press,” I tell, watching as a crowd of journalists set up their cameras and microphones, all of them pointing toward the stage on the opposite side of the ballroom. Something big is going to happen, and it seems that everyone in here knows what it is - everyone except me, of course. Which is driving me completely mad, if you ask me. Usually, I’m the one that knows everything about everything…

But it seems that this time the tables have been turned.

“Champagne, ma’am?” One of the waiters waltzing among the guests ask me, and I give him one quick nod. Taking a flute of champagne out from his tray, he hands it to me with a slight bow.

“Thank you,” I mutter, taking the glass to my lips and downing all of the champagne at once. God, I hope nobody was watching me - I don’t want to look like a drunken idiot that came here just because there was free booze. Still, I don’t say no when the waiter comes around a few minutes later; this time, though, I take my time with the second flute of champagne.

“Where’s Liam?” I ask his mom as she passes by me again. Even though I’ve spent most of my time in here looking around the room, trying to find Liam, he seems to be nowhere.

“I haven’t seen him in a while, dear,” she simply shrugs, offering me a kind smile.

“Oh,” I reply, having no idea on what else to say.

“I’m sure he’ll be here anytime now,” she comforts, tenderly patting my arm. “Oh, look! There he is!” She suddenly says, pointing to the entrance. I turn my gaze there immediately, and I do it just in time to see Liam walk in, buttoning up his jacket as he strolls toward the stage.

Looking straight ahead, he doesn’t greet anyone as he takes over the stage. There, he stands up still behind the mic mounted right on the center, and he scans the room with his gaze. When his eyes meet mine, I swear I can almost see a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he starts, “I have an announcement to make.”