When The Heiress Gets Dumped

---- Chapter 2 | picked the most expensive appetizer on The Gilded Spoon's menu. Oysters with some fancy foam. Marky looked a little green when | ordered them. He' d been late, almost thirty minutes. "Sorry, babe, got held up with a client," he' d said, kissing my cheek. He smelled faintly of a perfume that wasn' t mine. Something cheap and sweet. Like Jess' s. "Big spender tonight, huh?" | said, swirling my wine. He puffed out his chest. "Only the best for my girl." His suit looked new. Probably rented. 1' d offered to buy him a really good one last month.

Areal designer suit, not a knock-off. He' d waved it off, said he was "doing just fine." ---- The oysters arrived. He watched me eat one, his Adam's apple bobbing. "So," he started, clearing his throat. Here it comes, | thought. "Chloe, we need to talk." Classic. "I' ve been doing a lot of thinking," he went on. | sipped my wine. "And, well, things change. People change." "Get to it, Marky," | said, my voice colder than | intended. He flinched. "It's Jess," he blurted out. "She's... she' s pregnant." My wine glass stopped halfway to my lips. Pregnant. Jess.

With Marky' s child "And we' re getting engaged," he added, like it was an afterthought. He wouldn't meet my eyes. "She' s ambitious, Chloe. She gets me. We' re going places." ---- He implied | wasn' t ambitious. Me. |, who was trying to build something from scratch, away from my family' s name. A laugh bubbled up, but | swallowed it. Stunned? A little. Hurt? Surprisingly, not as much as | expected. Mostly, | felt a sudden, sharp clarity. | put my fork down. "Well, Marky," | said, my voice cool and even. "Congratulations." He looked relieved. Too soon.

"Waiter?" | called, raising my hand slightly. The waiter hurried over. "Could you bring the bill, please? And split it. ' Il pay for my share now." Marky' s eyes widened. "Chloe, no, | said it was my treat-" "Don't be silly, Marky. You have a baby on the way. You need to save your money." | pulled out my wallet. Took out the Amex Black Card. ---- The waiter' s eyes nearly popped out of his head. | handed it to him. "Just my food and drinks, please." He scurried off, glancing back at the card, then at me. Marky was staring. "What... what is that?" "It's a credit card, Marky," | said sweetly.

The waiter returned, bill folder in hand, looking reverent. | signed, added a generous tip. "Thank you," | said to him. Then | stood up. "Enjoy your meal, Marky. And tell Jess | wish her all the best." | walked out. | heard him hiss, "My share? How much is my share?" as the door closed behind me. | almost smiled. The oysters alone were probably more than his "luxury car salesman" commission for a week.