A cold, sudden knot tied itself tightly in my stomach, twisting until it felt like a physical ache. The playful, seductive warmth that had filled my veins just seconds ago evaporated completely.
Isabella was in town.
She was back in New York, attending the exact same exclusive gala, and William hadn't said a single word about it to me. In the office, I was his right hand, privy to every single aspect of his life.
But looking at him right now in that devastatingly expensive tuxedo, with his glamorous, high-society ex-fiancée casually texting his private line to coordinate their arrival, the massive chasm between our worlds felt blindingly wide.
William deleted the notification with a swift, aggressive swipe of his thumb, tossing the phone back onto the console as if it burned him.
He turned back to me, his expression guarded. "It's nothing. I didn't even know she was flying in for this."
