The billionaire regret;the heiress revenge

Chapter 3: Invite

Sienna’s POV

The Laurent family was throwing their annual gala, and as the only daughter-in-law and the wife of the heir, I was expected to play my part. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, smoothing out the red silk gown that flowed down my body like a waterfall.

Xavier had once told me red was my color. Now, looking at my reflection, I wondered if he had said it just to be polite or if it was another hollow compliment meant to keep me quiet. I had chosen this dress specifically, a small, desperate part of me still hoping to catch a flicker of the man I used to know.

A week had passed since he threw those divorce papers at me. A week of living in a house that felt more like a tomb. I still couldn’t bring myself to sign them. I kept telling myself that he was just stressed, that he didn't mean it, that we could still find a way back.

When we reached the entrance of the grand ballroom, Xavier didn't even look at me. He gave a sharp, cold nod and placed his hand on my waist. His touch was heavy but completely empty of warmth.

"Remember the plan," he leaned in and whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "We are the perfect couple tonight. No scenes. No drama. I’m not ready for the world to know our business yet."

It was all a lie. We walked through the doors as a golden couple, but I felt like I was walking to my own execution.

Vivian Laurent, his mother, rushed over to us the moment she saw us. She beamed, looking at me with genuine affection. "Sienna, darling! You look absolutely breathtaking. Xavier, you are a lucky man to have such a beautiful woman by your side." She turned to him, her eyes sharpening slightly. "You’re treating her well, aren't you?"

Xavier forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Of course, Mother."

He hadn't even finished the sentence when the room seemed to go silent. I followed his gaze toward the door and felt my heart drop into my stomach.

Vanessa Reed had arrived.

My hand instinctively pulled away from Xavier’s side. My skin felt like it was peeling .What was she doing here? This was a private family event.

Vanessa walked straight toward us, a confident, predatory smile on her face. Before I could move, she pulled me into a hug, pecking my cheeks with a fake sweetness that turned my blood to ice. I stood there like a statue, refusing to hug her back.

"Sienna," she whispered into my ear, her voice dripping with mockery. "Three years later and he still hasn't learned to love you. Don't you think it’s time to stop embarrassing yourself?

I tried to pull away, but she held on tighter.

"Xavier never forgot me," she hissed, her voice low enough that only I could hear. "The day I landed, he was the one waiting at the airport. We’ve spent every night together since then. We’re already planning a future, Sienna. A real one. With a baby. He doesn't want a family with a girl he was forced to marry."

I shoved her back, my chest heaving. "You're lying," I breathed, trying to keep my voice steady. "He told me he wasn't ready for children. He wouldn't... he wouldn't do that."

But even as the words left my mouth, I remembered the message I saw on his phone. I remembered the way he looked at her photos. The truth was a pill I couldn't bring myself swallow.

"Darling, thank you so much for the invite," Vanessa said loudly, her eyes darting to Xavier before landing back on me with a smirk.

"Invite?" I repeated. I felt the eyes of the guests turning toward us. I was done being the quiet, suffering wife. I was done protecting his secrets while he shredded my heart.

Vivian stepped forward, her face clouded with confusion. "Sienna, you invited this woman?"

Xavier’s gaze cut into me like a knife. It was a silent command. He wanted me to take the fall. He wanted me to lie and say I had welcomed his mistress into our family gala just to save his reputation.

For three years, I had followed his lead. I had been the "good wife" who stayed silent while he treated me like trash. But tonight, the thread finally snapped.

I looked Xavier dead in the eye, my chin tilting up. "I haven't spoken to Vanessa in years," I said, my voice clear and ringing through the sudden silence of the hall. "I have no idea how she even got past the front door."

A wave of shocked whispers erupted around us. Vanessa’s face went pale, her mouth falling open. She hadn't expected me to bite back.

Xavier stiffened, his jaw clenching so hard I thought it might break. The air between us was thick with his rage, but for the first time, I didn't care.

Vivian slammed her hand down on a nearby table, making the champagne glasses rattle. She wasn't just Xavier’s mother; she was the matriarch of the Laurent empire, and she didn't tolerate disrespect. She had been the one to send Vanessa away years ago, and seeing her back was an insult.

"Then what are you doing here, Vanessa?" Vivian shouted, her voice cutting through the room. "Who gave you permission to step foot in this house?"

"I... I was invited," Vanessa stammered, her confidence crumbling. Her eyes flicked desperately to Xavier, pleading for him to step in.

"By who?" Vivian stepped closer, her expression one of pure disgust. "Not by me. Certainly not by Sienna. Get out. Get out right now before I have security drag you out into the street."

Vanessa looked around, seeing the judgment and mockery on every face in the room. She looked at Xavier one last time, waiting for him to save her.

But he didn't. He stood there like a statue, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Vanessa turned and fled, her heels clicking rapidly against the marble as she rushed out of the hall.

I let out a long, shaky breath, thinking the nightmare was over. I thought maybe, just maybe, him staying silent meant he had chosen me.

But then I looked at him.

Xavier wasn't looking at me with regret or apology. He looked at me with pure, burning hatred. Without a single word to his mother or his guests, he shoved his chair aside with a deafening scrape and stormed out after her.

"Xavier!" Vivian yelled, but he didn't stop.

He didn't hesitate. He didn't look back. He chose her. He chose her in front of his family, in front of the world, and in front of the wife who had spent three years bleeding for him.

A sob broke through my throat as I stood there in my red dress,the dress he supposedly liked. I realized then that I wasn't just a fool. I was a ghost chasing a man who had never even been there.

The divorce wasn't just coming. It was already over. I knew right then and there we had been separate since the day we got married, it just took me three years to realize it. The papers were just a formality and I was tired of holding on to a marriage that already failed.