Chapter 38
The party continued to whirl around them, a swirl of laughter and music, but Colette’s world came to a sudden halt as the door creaked open again. At first, she didn’t even notice. People came and went throughout the night, a seemingly endless stream of guests offering congratulations, compliments, and laughter. But then, her eyes caught the movement—the way heads turned, the quiet murmur that spread through the room.
And there she was.
Iris Lawson, standing in the doorway, her gaze sharp and predatory. She didn’t look like a guest, nor did she carry the warm energy of someone there to celebrate. She was an intruder.
Colette’s stomach dropped instantly.
No one else in the room seemed to blink an eye. She was, after all, Matt’s secretary. No one thought twice about her being there. But for Colette, it felt like the walls were closing in. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. Her mind raced with possibilities, her thoughts a chaotic whirl of dread.
*Why was she here? Why now?* Colette’s heart pounded in her chest as she saw the inevitable conclusion forming.
*This whole party… the smiles… the kisses…* Her mind spiraled. Was this Matt’s way of pacifying her? Lulling her into a false sense of comfort?
Her body went rigid as the realization took hold. It was all too familiar, too believable. This wasn’t the first time Matt had done something like this—made her feel safe, only to reveal the truth later, and tear her heart apart. Give poor, stupid Colette something to distract her while he orchestrated another disaster behind her back.
She closed her eyes for a moment, the knot of anger and fear tightening in her chest as she tried to steady her breath. But it was impossible because, in that same moment, she realized Iris was walking straight toward them.
*No… no, please God, no.*
Colette’s body stiffened. Her spine went rigid as she realized what was about to happen. She hadn’t even noticed Matt’s hands on her shoulders until she shrugged them off, stepping away from him. Her eyes flicked toward the approaching figure of Iris.
There she was, blonde, statuesque, and calculating in a pale blue cotton dress, her every step radiating confidence. But all Colette could feel was dread, her stomach churning, heart hammering in her chest.
“*His dear little secretary,*” Colette thought bitterly, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. She took a few more steps back, putting space between herself and Matt as Iris finally reached them.
“Itty, come back here!” Matt’s voice was pleading, strained with something she couldn’t decipher, but she refused to look at him. She couldn’t bear to see whatever expression was on his face—whether it was guilt, concern, or worse, indifference.
“I swear I don’t know why she’s here,” he said, his voice rising slightly, urgency creeping into his tone. “I told her to leave. I fired her yesterday... Itty, please…”
But Colette wasn’t listening. His words barely registered. Her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears, her thoughts drowning out everything else.
Iris was right there in front of them now, close enough that Colette could see the faint smudges of mascara beneath her eyes, the slight disarray of her usually immaculate blonde hair. She looked nothing like the poised, polished woman Colette was used to seeing at Matt’s office. Something was off—terribly off.
Before Colette could speak, before she could gather the words to confront Matt, Iris beat her to it.
“How could you do this to me, Matt?!” Iris shrieked, her voice cracking as it echoed through the room. The sudden outburst immediately silenced the surrounding guests. All eyes snapped toward the commotion, the room growing deathly quiet as Iris’s voice filled the space.
Colette’s breath caught in her throat. *What was happening?*
“How could you?!” Iris’s voice trembled, her eyes wide with a mix of fury and desperation. Colette blinked, shocked by the woman’s appearance. She looked disheveled, haggard even. Her usually perfect bun had stray strands of hair sticking out, and her eyes—red, swollen—looked like she’d been crying.
“We talked about this already, Iris,” Matt growled through gritted teeth, his voice low and controlled, but the anger behind it was palpable. “I told you the reasons I fired you. I even offered you a position at the U.S. branch, but you refused. You said you wanted to browse your options. So, I don’t understand why you’re making a scene now.”
His voice was clipped, tight with fury. Colette could sense his rage simmering beneath the surface, ready to boil over.
But Iris didn’t back down. In fact, she seemed to feed off his anger, her expression twisting into something darker. “Oh, for God’s sake, drop the act, Matt! Just for once, drop the damn act!”
Colette’s heart raced faster, her entire body frozen in place. *This wasn’t about the job,* was it? No, something far worse was about to unravel, something she wasn’t ready to face.
Iris took a step forward, pointing a trembling finger at Matt. “I’m not talking about the job, Matt! I’m talking about us! You and me and our relationship!”
The room seemed to collectively gasp. Colette’s eyes widened, her body going numb as the words sliced through her. She could hear murmurs ripple through the crowd, but they were distant, like the buzzing of a hornet’s nest, barely audible over the deafening roar in her ears.
“Yo-you told me—” Iris’s voice cracked, tears now streaming down her face as she looked at Matt with desperate, wide eyes. “You told me that you and her were over! That you and Colette had broken up!”
She glanced over Matt’s shoulder, her gaze settling on Colette with something between contempt and pity. “You asked me to spend the night with you. You swore your marriage was over!”
The words hung in the air like poison, seeping into every corner of Colette’s soul.
There it was—the truth. The unspoken fears that had gnawed at her for months, the suspicions she had pushed aside, all laid bare for everyone to hear. Her worst nightmare come to life.
The room was dead silent now, the tension thick and suffocating. People’s eyes were wide, bulging with shock as they processed what had just been revealed. Colette’s knees felt weak, her body trembling as she struggled to breathe.
She wanted to scream, to run, to disappear into the floor beneath her and never come out again. This couldn’t be happening. Not here. Not now.
Matt’s voice, low and menacing, broke the suffocating silence. “Get out, Iris.”
The rage in his voice was unmistakable. It sent a shiver down Colette’s spine, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She couldn’t face him. Not after this.
“You’ve said enough,” he continued, his voice like a thunderclap. “Now, get out.”
Iris stood her ground, her face streaked with tears, but Matt’s fury was unmistakable. He took a step toward her, his body rigid, his fists clenched at his sides, ready to explode. If Colette had looked up, she would’ve seen the fire in his eyes, the sheer force of his rage as he marched toward Iris, ready to do something irreversible.
“Get out!” he roared again, his voice echoing through the room.
Matt’s security detail moved quickly, two large men appearing seemingly out of nowhere. One of them grabbed Iris by the arm, his grip firm but not rough as they began to escort her toward the door. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, like a train wreck that couldn’t be stopped.
“Matt, you can’t do this!” Iris screamed, thrashing in their grip. “Matt, please!”
And then, just as they reached the door, Iris twisted in the guard’s hold, her voice breaking with one final plea.
“Matt, I’m pregnant with your baby!”