Chapter 101 One Hundred & One
Izzy stood frozen, her hand tightening around her clutch. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest. Engagement? she kept thinking. Sienna?
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, a mix of anger, confusion, and hurt. Her mind couldn’t process what she just heard.
She had been with Dominic for a month, happy, trusting him… and now this announcement? It felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her and was ready to swallow her whole.
She looked at Dominic, searching his face for any sign, anything that could explain this. But his jaw was tight, his eyes dark, unreadable. He glanced at her for a split second, a flash of something… regret? Frustration? She couldn’t tell.
Sienna, on the other hand, stood beside Miranda, her smile calm, practiced, and almost mocking. The way she leaned slightly toward his mom made Izzy’s stomach twist. What’s going on?
Izzy’s chest tightened as Miranda’s words echoed in her head. “The engagement of my son, Dominic, to my amazing sweetheart, Sienna.”
Her knees nearly buckled. She had to grip the edge of the table nearby to stay standing. Her mind raced. Did Dominic… did he…?
The crowd started murmuring, glasses clinking, whispers spreading. People were turning to Dominic now, eyes curious, expecting a reaction. But he didn’t answer. He looked caught, cornered, and for the first time, vulnerable.
Izzy’s hand trembled slightly as she stepped back, keeping her gaze locked on him. She felt a mixture of disbelief and betrayal crushing her chest. Her lips parted, but no words came. She wanted to scream, ask, demand answers… but the crowd was still there, everyone was watching, she couldn't make a scene.
Her eyes flicked to Dominic again, silently pleading for an explanation. But he didn’t move. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his hands curled into fists at his sides.
Izzy’s mind screamed, This isn’t real. This can’t be real. He’s mine… he has to be mine.
But the words that had been on her lips… the ones she wanted to say.. died in her throat. Shock rooted her to the spot, and for the first time since they’d started officially dating, she felt powerless. Defeated.
Izzy’s hands trembled as she stayed frozen in the crowd, staring at Dominic. She could barely breathe. Her mind spun with questions, fear, and disbelief. Why? How? When?
Dominic finally turned and walked up to her after leaving her to go talk to his mom, his expression unreadable, controlled. He took a step closer, and for a moment, her heart leapt, hoping he would explain, deny it, reassure her.
“Izzy… Go back to your apartment,” he said calmly, almost too calmly. His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Izzy’s mouth opened, then closed again. “Wait… what? Dominic, I…”
“Later,” he interrupted, sharper this time. “Now go. I will get someone to drive you.”
Before she could protest, a suited driver stepped forward and nodded at Dominic. He waved his hand toward the car, and Izzy felt herself being gently but firmly guided out of the party, her eyes never leaving Dominic.
Her heart ached.
She opened her mouth to call after him, to demand an explanation, to cry out all the confusion and hurt she felt… but she couldn’t. His calm authority, his sheer presence, silenced her.
The driver helped her into the back seat of a sleek black car. Izzy’s hands gripped her bag tightly, knuckles white. She stared out the window, watching the party lights fade behind her. Her chest felt heavy, her stomach twisted.
Why won’t he talk to me? she thought, panic rising. Why is he letting her… Sienna… get in the way?
Her phone buzzed once, a message from Dominic. She swiped it open.
Dominic: “Will talk to you later. Wait for me.”
She dropped the phone onto her lap, jaw tight, tears threatening. No explanation. Nothing. Just wait for me.
The car moved through the quiet streets, and Izzy pressed her forehead against the glass, the city lights blurring. Anger, confusion, fear, and heartbreak warred inside her. She didn’t understand why he had let this happen, why he hadn’t stopped it… or even said a word.
By the time the car pulled up to her apartment, her hands were shaking. She opened the door, stepping inside, trying to calm herself. But the ache in her chest remained, heavy and raw.
She sank onto her couch, hugging herself, staring at the floor. The message glowed on her phone. She knew she had to wait. She had to.
But one thing was certain… she wouldn’t stop until she got answers.
The hours crawled by. Izzy sat on her couch, legs curled under her, staring at her phone as if it might suddenly buzz with a message from Dominic. She checked it again and again… nothing. No call. No text. Nothing.
Her apartment felt too quiet, too empty, like the walls themselves were pressing in. She tried to distract herself… TV, music, cleaning… but nothing worked. Every sound outside her window made her jump, thinking it might be him.
By late afternoon, frustration gnawed at her. Why won’t he call? Why wasnt he back yet? The questions looped in her mind, each one tighter and sharper than the last. Her chest ached, and her stomach twisted.
She hugged herself tightly, biting her lip to keep from crying. The thought of Sienna smiling in his mother’s house, the engagement announcement still ringing in her ears, made her hands shake. She hated feeling this powerless, this ignored.
Even as the sun dipped lower, painting the apartment in soft golden light, Dominic remained absent. No message. No knock at the door. Just silence.
Izzy sank further into the couch, exhausted, heart heavy. She wanted to call him, demand answers, confront him.. but a part of her stayed frozen, clinging to the hope that he would come.
Hours passed, the sky darkened, and still there was nothing.
Her phone sat untouched on the table beside her, glowing faintly in the dim light, a cruel reminder that tonight, he had left her waiting… for reasons she didn’t understand.
Tears threatened again, but she blinked them back, whispering to herself, I can’t let him see me like this… not again.