After the Bloom,No Looking Back

She held Ferdinand's arm, working the room from one executive to the next.

Anyone watching would have assumed they were the real couple.

A greasy, leering man sidled up to me, seized my hand, and insisted I share a toast with him.

I shot Ferdinand a look, silently begging him to step in.

He glanced at me once, briefly, then turned away as if nothing had happened.

I finally shook the man off and escaped to the restroom, where I overheard two of Ferdinand's colleagues chatting.

"Ferdinand and Vera are such a perfect match. It's a shame they never made it work back then."

"Did you see the woman Ferdinand brought? That type of influencer would sell her own dignity for clicks."

"Let's be honest, influencers are just kept women with ring lights. Vera's nothing like that. She and Ferdinand are equals. Now that's a love story worth rooting for."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, makeup flawless, every line in place. In my own world, I'd clawed my way up through sheer, relentless effort.

So why, the moment I stood next to Ferdinand, did I become nothing more than an embarrassment he couldn't put on display?

Back in the ballroom, Ferdinand was talking to Vera.

They stood close enough that from a distance their heads nearly touched, intimate as lovers.

Nothing like me. In public, Ferdinand always kept at least three feet between us, as if by instinct.

I walked over. Ferdinand saw me and straightened, his expression perfectly composed.

Vera gave me a small nod.

"Just catching up with Ferdinand. You don't mind, do you, Ms. Winfield?"

"He's changed so much. He wasn't nearly this composed back in the day. When we were on assignment together, someone just brushed my hand once and he nearly beat the guy half to death."

Ferdinand's eyes darkened, as though the memory had surfaced on its own.

"I was young and hot-headed back then."

Someone had brushed Vera's hand, and he'd nearly crippled the man for it.

Minutes ago, he'd watched another man paw at me and hadn't so much as blinked.

So that was it. The difference between love and indifference really was that obvious.

As the event wound down, a message from Ferdinand lit up my phone.

"I still have some work to discuss here. Take a cab home."

When I walked through the front door, Ferdinand's parents were sitting in the living room. I hadn't expected them.

The moment I stepped inside, Doris Sanchez's gaze swept me from head to toe, sharp with disapproval.

"This late, dressed like that. Have you no shame?"

"I hear the influencer business is a messy world. I didn't realize you fit right in."

I couldn't stop myself from pushing back.

"Being an influencer is a legitimate career. I have eight million followers."

Doris slammed the remote onto the coffee table.

"Followers? Who gives a damn about followers?"

"Our Ferdinand works at Channel 5. A state institution. What you do, let's call it what it is, is a circus act. Do you have any idea where circus performers ranked in the old days?"

"Ferdinand is being groomed for bigger things at the station. People are just waiting for a reason to drag him down, and your little career is exactly the kind of liability he doesn't need."

Keith Sanchez chimed in from the side.

"We're not attacking you. But if you truly love Ferdinand, you'll find a different job. Study for civil service exams, or take an office position at a real company."

"Look at Vera. Studied abroad, top of her class. Now that's someone who's actually in Ferdinand's league."

Five years of marriage, and Ferdinand's parents had never once thought I was good enough.

It didn't matter that I'd worked myself to the bone. It didn't matter that my eight million followers brought in dozens of times what Ferdinand earned.

In their eyes, I would never deserve their son.

And now that Vera was back, they couldn't wait to show up at my door and push me out.

I opened my mouth to fire back, but Doris's phone rang.

Vera's radiant face filled the screen.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez! I'm so sorry, I've been swamped since getting back. Haven't had a chance to come visit you yet."

"Ferdinand had a little too much to drink, but don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

Doris and Keith huddled together over the phone, their faces breaking into wide, delighted smiles.

"As long as he's with you, we've got nothing to worry about."