Chapter 40

"Oh my! Oh my! Shit!"

She wanted to splash some water on her face, thinking that would wake her up from this nightmare. But that would ruin the makeup she had carefully applied to her skin. And the party had hardly begun.

She had to abruptly excuse herself after her short encounter with Dale, the man she had left at the altar, leaving her ex and her current husband to deal with the awkward situation.

She felt like her heart was about to explode upon having a closer look in his eyes. He did not have to say anything. His face said everything she needed to hear.

The pain was just too unbearable. The guilt she felt was killing her. Did she still love him? She did not know, but one thing was for sure. She still felt something for this man she tried to run away from and worked hard to forget.

"Jules, what have you done?" She stared at her reflection, suddenly seeing the naive girl who had met this incredible man.

She had fallen in love at first sight. She dared to dream of a life of forever bliss with the arms of this handsome, kind, and talented man.

But sadly, it seemed that was not her fate when she ditched the wedding of her dreams to run away with another man's baby.

The funny thing was, she still turned out married and a Mrs. Hawkins. But unlike her initial plan, she had to tie the knot with the older brother instead.

"Jules, are you..." Her friend's voice resounded behind her, echoing through each of the bathroom walls. "...okay?"

She could hear the concern in her voice, probably from seeing her agitated state. Of course, nothing about her or her situation was alright. She felt like shit. Therefore, how could she return to the party in this state?

"I guess the answer is an obvious NO." Her friend emphasized the last word as she held her by her shoulders and stood behind her.

Eventually, she ended up staring into her eyes through the mirror, silently reading each other thoughts. 

She could feel her friend's full support, but that was not exactly helping her with a solution.

"I feel like..." She leaned on the counter, staring more deeply into her eyes as if the answer would be there. "I don't know."

However, she still could not explain the chaos that held her paralyzed in her place, afraid to face her past and present simultaneously.

"What can I do?" Thalia asked as her friend grabbed a napkin to dab on her eyes.

She did not even notice that tears were forming in her eyes. But she guessed her frustration had finally caught up with her.

"I guess just help me with my makeup," Jules told her friend since there was nothing much she could do. 

She could not change her past. She could not do anything about her present. The only option for her was to face and dance to the music, just like her husband had paid her to do.

Luckily, they did not fall to ruin her face. Just a little touch-up and Thalia had fixed her up, making her look like a Barbie doll again, minus the blonde hair.

"Are you ready to go back out there?" Her friend asked when she straightened her shoulders and took a much-needed large air intake into her deprived lungs.

She guessed she would never be ready to face her former fiancee. Not now, maybe not ever. But unfortunately, she could not escape her fate.

She knew she would have to deal with her past eventually. It was something she could not avoid forever.

"Nope." Jules was sure about that. "It doesn't matter." She said as she finally accepted what she had to do. 

And she supposed she had to man up or woman up to her arrangement. A deal was a deal. And she had to honor it.

But at least she had her friend to accompany her. It was her only consolation.

"Hi..." A stunning woman suddenly greeted them as they joined the rest of the crowd. "Thalia, right?"

The woman directed her stare to her friend, which surprised them. The unknown woman seemed to know her friend, but Thalia appeared clueless.

"Pardon?" Her friend asked as she tried to put a name to a face.

"I am Chantal. We met at a fundraising event. You had catered for the event." The woman explained to her friend.

Then, as if a light bulb flickered in her friend's brain, her face illuminated as she would assume as recognition.

"Oh, yeah! I remember now. Chantal." Her friend offered her hand to the woman. "It is great to see you again."

"Yeah!" Chantal accepted her handshake. "I have actually been searching for you. They said that you moved your business elsewhere." 

"Oh, that is true." Her friend admitted and explained to the other woman where she had transferred her business.

"You see, I loved what you did for the fundraising event, and I wonder if you can also cater for my wedding." The woman suddenly offered her friend a job.

"Oh! Are you sure?" Thalia could not believe her ears. And she could not be happier for her friend. A project like this would help boost her friend's business, which she desperately needed.

"Oh! I am sorry." The woman suddenly apologized when she noticed her. "I did not mean to ignore you. I just got excited to see Thalia here." She politely clarified with her.

"That is perfectly fine," Jules said, not offended at all, especially after seeing the excitement in her friend's eyes and the woman's face.

"By the way, I am Chantal. And I believe congratulations is in order." The woman turned to her, offering her hand for a welcoming shake. "And I believe that you married a fine man. Damon is great."

Of course, she could not be mad at the woman as she offered her a genuine and friendly smile. She would love to meet people like her, especially in a big crowd like this.

She could assume that Chantal was a rare breed. And she would find it hard to find someone like her in these chattering, dancing, and snobbish guest lists.

However, she could not ignore her last statement. She wondered how much she knew about the man she married. What could be her relationship with her husband?

"Jules." She responded, taking the other woman's offered hand. "And thanks." She added, finding the woman quite different from most girls she had met earlier.

She could tell that she might be near their age. But unlike them, she might have come from an affluent family. She could see it in her stand, clothing, and the expensive jewelry on her body.

"And I guess I should congratulate you, too, on your engagement." She pointed to the big rock sitting on her left hand.

She believed it was safe to assume this woman was also marrying into a wealthy family just by looking at the enormous, gorgeous ring on her finger.

But unlike her marriage, she doubted this woman was marrying out of obligation, but more likely, it was more out of love.

Now, she could not help but feel envious. She could only wonder who could be the lucky guy who was about to spend the rest of his life with her.