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Somewhere in my brain I wonder if Alec’s post is wishing me a happy birthday.
My curiosity is piqued. But the moment the post and photo come up, I regret it.
It’s not a birthday post.
It’s Alec smiling ear to ear with Brecken in his arms. He looks handsome in a crisp white button-down and slacks, while her long platinum locks spill over her shoulder and against her white mini dress. Their perfect, toothpaste-ad smiles are blinding.
Brecken’s left hand is pressed against Alec’s chest in the universal ‘just engaged’ photo pose. Her nails are manicured, painted light pink and buffed into a perfect almond shape. There, nestled onto her ring finger is a large, brilliant princess cut diamond.
Oh my God. I should close the app. Drop my phone back into my purse. Pretend like I never saw it. But my brain is already running wild with the unsettling image.
Maybe it’s one of those parties where you try on the diamonds for fun.
I can make out the rooftop of the Gansevoort Hotel in the background. The same place Alec broke up with me. He must be insane. Or he’s really into full circle moments. Except this doesn’t feel like a full circle. It’s more of an obtuse triangle where all points meet each other.
And because my brain is searching for answers to thisTwilight Zoneturn of events, I read the caption.
‘SHE SAID YES!’
That’s all it says. Oh, and#loveofmylife
He used a hashtag. Alec hates hashtags.
Love of his life?! They’ve known each other two months! Unless he was cheating on me and that most certainly does not make it better.
I’m trying to process the evidence.
Alec is engaged.
Two months after we broke up, he has proposed to his girlfriend.
On my birthday.
The juxtaposition of the smiling, celebratory faces that surround me and the shocking news about Alec’s engagement is overwhelming. I’m shook. Someone thrusts a champagne glass into my hand and clinks it with their own.
“Cheers! You killed it!” Leo, the social media manager for Emma Belle Bridal, shouts over the noise. “I need a shot for socials.” He holds up his phone to take a picture. Shaking his head in disapproval, he shifts me sideways. “Better, but do something different with your face. Like smile.”
I plaster on my best smile. Leo is a perfectionist and if he doesn’t get the shot he wants, he’ll be on me all night.
He looks at his phone and scrunches his face, but I’m saved by Kiara, Emma Belle Bridal’s sales manager.
“Emma,” Kiara rushes to my side, “I’ve got a proposal from Bergman’s. They want exclusive and when Bloomingdale’s got wind of it, they upped their offer. We’re in a bidding war! Isn’t that amazing?!”
Everyone from the models to the hair and makeup teams to the fashion show production staff and my team at Emma Belle Bridal are gathering around me.
“Wow,” is all I can say because I’m still processing Alec’s news.
Jess appears beside me.
“Tonight was a wild success and we couldn’t have done it without our fearless leader, Emma.” Jess raises her glass. “Your designs are officially out in the wild now, and we all know that with every thoughtful stitch, your exquisitely designed gowns will make every bride feel like a queen on her wedding day.”
“Cheers to Emma Belle Bridal!” everyone shouts.
Jess hushes everyone with her hands. “And, even with all this excitement, we didn’t forget that today is another special day.”
The gathered group parts and a person from the venue’s catering team wheels out a cart with a large white cake with sparklers on it. There’s a topper with a gown similar to one in my collection. The icing work is impeccable. It’s beautiful, but it also looks lonely on there. A bride without a groom.
The crowd around me sings a joyous and off-key happy birthday song that should make me giggle, but right now my brain is racing a mile a minute trying to process the highs and lows of the last ten minutes. It’s giving me whiplash.
