Just Until Tomorrow, My Love

"Rebecca, is this how the Sterlings taught you to behave?"

His expression was glacial. The venom in his tone stunned the onlookers into silence.

He pulled Skylar to her feet, steadying her as his voice softened with concern. "Rebecca, apologize to her."

"Apologize to her, and I'll forget this ever happened."

It was all I could do not to laugh.

How naive I had been.

In my past life, after Skylar "drowned," I had called Griffin that very day. I told him everything I'd found on her blog, warning him not to trust her.

The next day, Skylar was found dead. For real.

The media called it an accidental drowning—a tragic end for a girl who couldn't have the man she loved.

Griffin even told me, "Good thing you warned me. I almost fell for her act."

After that...

For years, I believed he had moved on from Skylar.

After all, he hated being deceived more than anything.

Only at the moment of my death did I understand. When he spat that he'd been fooled, the "her" he was talking about wasn't Skylar.

It was me.

...

"Rebecca, are you still not going to say anything?"

"Skylar did nothing wrong. I'm the one who wants to end the engagement."

"Apologize to her, and I will overlook your rudeness."

I looked at Griffin, a small, genuine smile touching my lips.

I must have been blind.

I'd once thought he was intelligent.

"The elders are in the lounge, correct?"

I turned and asked a passing waiter.

Then, with all the grace I could muster, I strode toward the VIP lounge.

Griffin was right behind me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Are you going to run and tattle to them?"

I ignored him completely.

He was still at my heels when I reached the door.

"Rebecca, don't think the Sterling name alone makes you my fiancée."

"I've already promised to marry Skylar. I would never marry such a heartless woman."

I glanced back at him.

Just as he'd said, he was born to privilege.

He had never faced a single real hardship.

He had no idea what a capable wife was worth to a man in his position.

My stare must have been colder than I realized, because he faltered for a second.

Just then, a man at the door chuckled. "Rebecca, what's this? You two are joined at the hip, I see."

The lounge was filled with our families' most important guests.

I stepped forward and gave a slight bow. "Mr. Vanderwood, on the occasion of my birthday, I have a wish to make."

"Griffin and Miss Jones share a bond I wouldn't dare to break."

"I cannot be the one to stand in their way."

"Mr. Vanderwood, I am formally requesting to dissolve my engagement to Griffin."

The room fell dead silent.

...

Before the night was over, the news had spread through our entire social circle.

The Sterling-Vanderwood alliance was on the rocks.

Griffin's public affair was already a well-known scandal.

Now, the sole heiress of the Sterling family had, at her own birthday party and in front of everyone, publicly called for an end to the engagement.

Everyone said Griffin's expression at that moment was priceless.

The patriarch of the Vanderwood family grabbed a crystal ashtray from a nearby table and smashed it over Griffin's head. Blood sprayed across his face.

"You fool!"

I was standing right next to Griffin as cold shards of glass rained down around me.

...

"Who gave you the nerve to cause such a scene in front of so many people?"

My father was furious. "Breaking the engagement?! This was settled by your grandfather and Augustus Vanderwood decades ago. You think you can just call it off in public?"

I stood tall, meeting his gaze without flinching.

"What about the IPO? What if this sinks the deal?"

"Go to the Vanderwoods and apologize. Tell them you were impulsive, that you weren't thinking straight..."

"I'm not going," I replied firmly.

"You're not going? Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to break the engagement."

"You..." my father pointed a trembling finger at me. "You're out of your mind!"

He slammed the door and stormed out.