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“I did inform you that I was coming, only that you chose to ignore me and block off my line.”
“You don’t know that I did that.”
“I’m sure my message was sent to the right number. I know you haven’t changed your number since the last time we spoke before I disconnected my lines.”
“I’m happy you remember you did that with no prior information whatsoever.”
“I didn’t intend to ghost you like that, Madison—you know this. I was just in a lot of mess at the time.”
“I don’t think you need to explain anything to me. It’s not like we had anything serious together. We were just a couple of young adults fooling around.”
“Fooling around? You can’t be serious right now, Madison. Is that what all of that meant to you?”
“Come on, Dylan. No one falls in love over social media. We barely even knew each other.”
“And yet I fought hard to be here, for your sake, because I wanted to be with you.”
“It’s been almost five years, Dylan. Are you joking? Who stays away for five years and expects to just waltz his way back into someone’s life and be welcomed with open arms? Doesn’t that sound crazy to you? The last time we spoke, I was still a teenager. And now, I’m a full-fledged woman. A lot has changed. I want different things now. I have a different life now. My heart was never with you. What we had was just mere childhood infatuation.”
Hudson had noticed Dylan beside me and observed how his presence made me feel uncomfortable. He became distracted and had his eyes on me most of the time. I plastered a smile on my face to give the impression that all was well, keeping him from worrying too much.
“Take that back, Madison.” Dylan was getting furious but tried not to show it. He kept a straight face and smiled at intervals, too.
“The truth is a bitter pill, Dylan. Please move on with your life, like I have done. I’m certain there are plenty of ladies who would love to get to know you. Redirect your focus toward them. I’m sure you’ll find your perfect lady.”
“Oh, but that’s where you are wrong, Madison. You belong to me, and I wouldn’t have another man take my place in your life. I have come back for you, and I will stop at nothing until I make you mine again. Your business tycoon can go find another girl to be with—someone closer to his age this time.”
“It’s my life, Dylan, and I choose who I want to be with, and that person is certainly not you.”
Hudson was rounding off his speech now. I joined in the applause, clapping harder than anyone else again—but this time, in a bid to block Dylan off.
Dylan smirked, then leaned closer to utter these last words: “We will see about that then.” He walked away and blended with the crowd before Hudson could get any closer.
“That was a beautiful talk. I’m so proud of you,” I said to Hudson when he returned to my side.
“Thank you, love,” Hudson responded, flashing a half smile. “Are you all right? Who was that guy?”
“He’s no one of importance, babe. Don’t worry about him. I already told him I was here with you.”
“I was beginning to think that he was bothering you. You seemed so uneasy around him, like you were scared or something.”
“I was just irritated, that’s all. There are the crazy ones even at such elite events, after all.”
“Best believe it,” Hudson responded, laughing.
From where Dylan stood, he cast his gaze on us occasionally, fuming. I prayed silently in my mind that he wouldn’t decide to create a scene. If there was one thing I remembered about him, it was that he had tendencies of going haywire all of a sudden, like a poorly connected electric circuit. He could create a commotion that could set everywhere and everything on fire.
“Do we have to stay for much longer?” I asked.
“I guess not. Why? Is there a problem?”
“I’m just having a bit of a headache. I’m guessing it’s the wine. I may have grabbed another glass of a stronger brew.”
“You beautiful drunk,” he teased. “It’s fine. We can leave now.”
He signaled the host that we were leaving and took me by the hand, out of the hall. I got into the car and waited for him to get in.
As soon as the car was set in motion, I heaved a sigh of relief and shut my eyes to the feel of the night wind blowing across my face. I knew Hudson’s eyes were on me, so I kept my eyes shut.
