Gabi stared at herself in the elevator mirror, fighting the urge to run her nervous hands over the shiny silver satin of her gown. The charcoal fabric clung tight, accentuating her hips and waist, gracefully falling to her ankles. The dress wasn’t new. Hell, after the money she’d spent on the flight and the one night accommodation at The Plaza, she’d never be able to afford retail again. But she was here now, currently descending to the Terrace Room where the engagement party would already be taking place.

Her stomach was woozy from the hours spent cramped on the plane, and the more she thought about making her entrance to the party, the more it churned. Her anger had vanished mid-flight, replaced with an eerie clarity. Tonight wouldn’t end well. She could feel it in the ache of her bones and the shallow throb of her heart.

She even made sure not to call Blake and announce her arrival, giving her the element of surprise. His initial reaction to her appearance would tell her everything she needed to know.

Exiting the empty elevator on the second floor, she strode into a wide foyer smelling of sweet roses. The blooms were placed in large vases along a long gift-laden table. She made her way to the middle of the empty room and glanced through the archway to her left.

“Ma’am,” a male voice greeted her.

Two security guards stood in the next room, each standing beside one of the four French doors holding out the laughter and chatter Gabi could hear coming from the other side.

“Are you here for the engagement party?” One of them stepped forward with a clipboard while fidgeting with the coiled cord running down from his earpiece.

Damn it. She hadn’t anticipated security. “Yes,” she answered, a little breathless. “I’m sorry I’m late. My flight from Sydney only arrived a few hours ago, and I needed to freshen up.”

“All the way from Australia?” He grinned, his gaze lingering on the visible swell of cleavage at her neckline. “What name?”

“Ah.” She froze and cleared her throat. “I’m Blake Kennedy’s guest.”

The man frowned and focused on the clipboard in his hands. “I thought I saw Mr. Kennedy enter a while ago with another woman.”

Her mouth worked, and she felt the blood rush from her face. Think. Think. Think. She’d come too far to be turned away now, another woman or not. “He may have arrived with another guest,” she spoke politely when what she really wanted to do was crumple against the wall. “I told him to meet me inside because I wouldn’t make it on time.” The lies slid from her lips, made easier because the guy wasn’t looking at her, and the man standing beside the next door appeared half asleep.

“Mmm.” He continued scrolling down the list. “Here he is.”

He tapped his index finger near the bottom of the page, and Gabi stopped breathing. If there was another woman’s name beside Blake’s, she was screwed.

“It just says ‘plus one.’”

Gabi lifted her chin and nodded, feigning excitement. “That’s me.”

He looked up again, this time scrutinizing her. “Right.” He stepped back, giving the other security guard a glance before hesitantly opening the door behind him. Noise filtered into the foyer, a mass of people talking, laughing, and clinking glasses.

“Thank you.” She ignored his skeptical gaze and sauntered forward, acting like she owned the place.

And boy, what a place. She stood on a walkway that ran the length of the room. Before her were huge archways bordered with a golden railing that gave a view to the mingling guests below. Beautiful people were bathed in the soft orange glow of a breathtaking chandelier in the center of the ceiling. And everywhere she looked hotel staff greeted guests with trays of food or wine.

Gabi really needed wine.

With shaky limbs, she walked along the walkway, close to the wall, hopefully blending into her surroundings. When she reached the sanctuary of the last archway pillar, she stopped, hiding behind it, and took a deep breath.

“Gabi!” Alana’s familiar voice called.

Oh, shit. Gabi had no plans to flee, yet now that she’d been spotted it made the situation more real. More crazy.

She peered around the pillar and found Alana and Mitch making their way up the staircase.

“What are you doing here?” Alana’s eyes were filled with excitement. She rushed forward in a sparkling ruby dress and enveloped Gabi in a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

Gabi returned the embrace and glanced at Mitch over Alana’s shoulder. He stood tall, his gaze frantically scanning the crowd below, his lips pressed firmly together.

“It’s good to see you, too.” Gabi stepped back and nervously ran her fingers along the necklace Blake had given her. Even with the threat of him moving on without her, she hadn’t found the strength to stop wearing his gift.

Mitch stepped forward. “Hey, Gab. We’re glad you made it.” His words were hesitant while he glanced between her and Alana, a slight frown marring his brow. “Ah…does Blake know you’re here?”

She wanted to laugh at his lack of subtlety. The panic in his tone made the tension grow inside her. Her body now simply waiting for the bad news to hit. “No.” She shook her head. “I know I’ve turned up unannounced, but I needed to see him. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Alana reached for Gabi’s hands and squeezed, the three of them now hiding behind the archway. “Why don’t you let Mitchell go find him while we catch up?”

Gabi stared into Alana’s eyes, pleading. “No, please let me find him.” She clutched Alana’s hands while Mitch went back to nervously scanning the crowd. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I just need to find out what’s going on. If he doesn’t want to see me I’ll leave, I promise.”

Alana glanced over her shoulder at Mitch. His features softened and pity entered his expression. “Gabi, Blake’s struggling to deal with a few things at the moment. He’s—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “I know he has things going on, and the secrets are what scare me the most. He’s always told me everything.” Her eyes began to burn, and still she didn’t look away. She needed Mitch to know how serious she was. If she left, there was no coming back. “I can’t sit around and wonder if he’s shutting me out of his life anymore. I need an answer so I can move on.”

Mitch searched her gaze, his shoulders slowly slumping. Finally, he let out a sigh. “Let me come with you. We can find him together.”

Gabi released the breath tightening her lungs. “Thank you.” She turned to Alana. “Thank you. I won’t make a scene. I promise.”

With a sad smile, Alana turned to descend the stairs. Gabi followed, taking each step cautiously, scanning the crowd while Mitch remained at her side.

“There.” Mitch jerked his head to the other side of the room. “At the bar.”

Gabi ignored the rampant beat of her pulse while she sought out Blake. Groups of people lined the bar. Men in suits, women in cocktail dresses, staff waiting for trays to be filled with drinks. Then there he was. She would’ve recognized his profile anywhere—the dark spiked hair, the broad shoulders.

“Let Mitchell go get him for you,” Alana said.

Gabi shook her head, her focus remaining on the gorgeous man at the bar. Blake hadn’t spared her the decency of a phone call. She wouldn’t give him the opportunity to hide or come up with an escape plan. “No.” She glanced at Alana and smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Gabi poised to take another step when Blake pivoted, turning to show his face. She paused, her foot hanging in midair. Was that really him? He seemed darker, harsher in the dim light. Maybe it was the distance between them. He didn’t look like the fun-loving man she’d fallen in love with.

He raised a glass to his lips, and she squinted, making sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Seconds ticked by in aching heartbeats, and not once did the vision change. Blake remained at the bar, sculling the dark liquid from a half full scotch glass.

“He’s drinking,” she whispered to herself, lowering her gaze to the floor. A knife of betrayal stabbed through her chest while her foot fell to the step below. He’d broken his sobriety without even mentioning it to her. What the hell? He always told her everything. And no, she wasn’t his mother, but god damn it, she’d been his best friend for years.

“Shit,” Mitch muttered beside her.

She glanced back to the bar and the force of Blake’s gaze hit her like a burst of flames. His eyes were wide, his mouth now slightly ajar. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, his lips tilted in a grin and her blood heated in response.

That’s all it took. One simple smile and the hurt dissipated, the pain flittered away, and in tiny increments her life brightened. She smiled back at him, her cheeks lifting, heating. He wouldn’t be happy to see her if he no longer had feelings for her. He wouldn’t look pleased by her presence if he had something to hide.

He stepped forward and her stomach clenched, waiting, wanting the comfort of his proximity.

Then a feminine hand grabbed his shoulder and he froze. His lips tightened, his chin raised, yet it was his eyes, the pity and the shame that made Gabi’s skin shiver. She didn’t need to glance at the woman who clutched his black collared shirt. Intuition and common sense told her who it was.

Michelle.

The viper moved around Blake, running her hands along his chest and encircling his neck, her long beautiful hair hanging low on her back. Gabi held the staircase railing to stop herself from falling. The pictures of them on social media had hurt. They’d sliced her open, leaving her vulnerable and weak. Seeing them in real life broke her foundation, shredding her soul into irreparable pieces.

Blake stepped back, ignoring Michelle’s attention. That’s when the heiress turned, following his line of sight to where Gabi stood on the stairs.

Mitch grabbed her elbow. “Maybe we should—”

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving,” Gabi rushed out. “I’m sorry for turning up unannounced.” She turned to Alana, pasting a smile on her face even though the expression hurt. “I wish you both happiness for the future.”

Before her throat closed, Gabi turned on her toes and used the railing for support to pull herself up the stairs.

“Gabi.”

She ignored Alana and Mitch’s calls, retracing the few steps she’d walked down, striding along the walkway to push through the French doors. She held her head high—even though her ankles wobbled—and made it to the elevator without looking back.

She ignored the security guards, the sweet rose scent that would always remind her of betrayal, and rammed her finger into the elevator button. “Hurry up.”

“Gabi…wait!” Blake’s voice carried from the main room.

She bit her lip, refusing to look over her shoulder and wrenched open the doors as they began to slide apart. Blake was her weakness, her heart, her everything. She couldn’t sit through an explanation of why he decided to go back to Michelle. She’d deserved more than this from a man she’d stuck by for so long.

“Gabi,” his voice grew louder, closer.

She rushed to the panel, frantically tapping at the button to close the doors. They moved with the speed of a snail on valium, one tiny inch at a time. When they were almost shut, a bang sounded from outside and Blake’s face came into view through the tiny slither of space.

“Gabi, stop!”

She broke eye contact, unable to deal with the anguish tainting his features. He was so perfect. Angry, upset, frustrated, it didn’t matter. He would always be gorgeous to her.

“God damn it!” His bellow echoed through the small room, ripping a choked sob from her mouth.

Once the doors were firmly shut, she pressed a numb finger against the button to the lobby and fell back into the wall. She needed fresh air. Well, as fresh as it could get in New York. And the bitter night chill would keep her mind away from the emotional pain.

Yeah, she was pathetic, completely and utterly ridiculous. Who the hell flew across the world to get an answer that had already been written on the wall? Anyone could’ve foreseen this. Yet she’d ignored her instincts and wasted her savings on the bonus of being humiliated in public.

The elevator jolted, and she raised her gaze from the floor when the doors opened. She took a moment to regain her composure, and then pushed from the wall, squeezing past a couple waiting for her to get out.

“Excuse me,” she muttered and made it a few steps before the weight of Blake’s betrayal had her slumping against the arm rest of the nearest chair.

Lying. Cheating. Drinking. That wasn’t Blake. That was an asshole in the body of the man who owned her heart. She knew the real Blake. Knew how much of a kindhearted, compassionate, and sympathetic soul he was. Yet she didn’t have the strength to confront the stranger who’d taken over.

“Gabi!” Blake’s voice vibrated off the lobby walls.

She straightened, her body jumping to life as he stalked across the room from the hotel staircase, his chest heaving. He was menacing, his black silk shirt untucked, the first two buttons undone, his sleeves rolled to expose his tattoos. Stubble covered his jaw, and his eyes flashed with determination, enough to make her want to run.

She glanced toward the doors, trying to figure out if she could escape in time. No. Trying would be useless, especially in heels and an evening gown. The bright flashes of light from outside announced the awaiting paparazzi, resigning her to her fate. The last thing she wanted was to be humiliated on a global scale.

Raising her chin, she stood tall to face him. He strode toward her, slowing his pace the closer he came. He looked the way she felt, broken, tired, and miserable. She wouldn’t feel sorry for him though. He deserved it.

“Gabi…”

Her name was breathy and so damn tortured that she wanted to whimper. Instead, she let it fuel her anger. He reached for her and she jerked back. An anguished crease marred his forehead while his hand fell limp at his side.

“Let me explain.”

“Explain?” She let out a sardonic laugh. “No, I don’t think so. The time for explanations passed weeks ago. I was just too stupid to realize. I hope you’ve found everything in Michelle that I must have lacked—”

“She’s not—”

“And,” she snarled, “I also hope you enjoy your break from sobriety.” Rage heated her cheeks, causing her nose to tingle. Why the hell did her body decide to turn on the waterworks when she was fuming? She didn’t want to cry. She wasn’t sad. She was fucking furious!

He stepped closer. “I’m not drinking.” He lowered his voice and glanced over his shoulder at the gawkers.

“I don’t care.” She shrugged. “It’s none of my business anymore.”

He slid closer, bridging the gap between them and grabbed her arm in a light hold. She raised her chin and glared at him, hating that her heart ached as soon as his fingers brushed her skin.

“Smell my breath.” He leaned into her, his lips hovering an inch from hers. “I’m not drinking.”

For a brief second she enjoyed his nearness—his smell, his heat, his attention. And no, there was no scent of alcohol. That didn’t matter. “I don’t understand why you’re bothering to try and convince me. I no longer care,” she finished on a whisper and yanked her arm away.

Her flesh burned where his hand had been, and before she could walk away, she was back within his arms, his hands gripping her shoulders, yanking her forward. His mouth hit hers in an unyielding crush and his tongue licked the seam of her lips, sliding further when she gasped.

Shock left her weak and confused. She couldn’t separate the pleasurable memories from their past with the current way he passionately kissed her. But the moan that vibrated from his chest broke the spell. She pushed away, fumbling backward on her heels as she panted.

“You bastard.” She covered her scorched lips with a trembling hand. “You heartless, lying, bastard.” Her voice grew with each word.

“Blake?” The unfamiliar feminine tone came from behind him, seconds before Michelle came into view.

Gabi retreated, not wanting to be anywhere near the happy couple. She always imagined his ex would be less appealing in person. That the glitz and glamour would fade in real life, but no, fate wasn’t that kind. Michelle beamed with beauty, even under a truck-load of make-up and drug glazed eyes.

“I’m ready to leave, honey,” she cooed, leaning in to press her glossy red lips against Blake’s cheek.

He pulled away. “Not now,” he growled.

“Yes, now.” Michelle smirked at Gabi while she entwined her fingers with Blake’s. “Don’t make me explain to your little toy why I’m so eager to leave.”

Gabi raised a brow and ignored the taunt. She didn’t need fake boobs and lipo to know how the trolls of the Upper East Side worked. She’d watched Gossip Girl a time or two and knew that rich bitches fought their battles from the safety of their ivory towers. Gabi wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Have fun.” Gabi smiled sweetly.

Blake squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second before opening them again, fixing her with his gaze. “I’ll explain everything.”

Michelle tugged at his hand and huffed.

Gabi stared at the man she’d been in love with for years and found somebody new—someone she no longer wanted to know. She didn’t need to reiterate her thoughts; the recognition was already in his eyes. With a slight shake of her head, she moved around him and strode to the elevators, ignoring the curious stares of hotel guests.

The time for fresh air had passed. She needed to have a shower, re-pack her things, and get some sleep before begging her airline for the first available seat out of JFK.

Stepping into the elevator, she pressed the button to her floor and mentally congratulated herself for not looking back. She could move on—start anew. Then the doors closed, signaling the end of an important part of her life. Her chest tightened with the beginning of the ascent, ripping a sob from her throat.

Blake meant everything to her. He was her strength, her happiness, her light, and no amount of denial or determination could convince her that she could live without him.