The Ex He Can Never Have Back

She couldn't help but curse under her breath. After rattling off a few quick warnings, she grabbed her camera and turned to leave.

"Wait, Nora."

I caught her arm, then reached up and tore the veil from my head without hesitation, my eyes burning. "Where is he? I'm coming with you."

Nora was a seasoned entertainment reporter. It didn't take much effort for her to shake the colleagues who'd tailed us all the way there.

The car pulled up outside the club where Jesse was. Not far off, Victoria Harbor glittered under a blanket of lights.

Prime location meant the place was crawling with trust-fund heirs looking for a good time, and the security matched. Tight. Professional.

Nora and I had our masks on, but the doorman stopped us both with a practiced smile. "I'm sorry, ladies. Without a reservation, we can't let you in."

Nora started to argue, but I pulled her back.

Right there, in full view of everyone, I removed my mask, revealing the face that practically everyone on the island recognized.

"I'm here for Jesse Swanson."

"You're welcome to stop me. As long as you can handle what comes next."

The doorman's arrogance evaporated in an instant, replaced by a fawning grin. "Best Actress Sullivan! Forgive me, I didn't recognize you. Please, right this way."

I gave a slight nod, took Nora by the arm, and walked inside.

Watching me navigate the corridors without a second's hesitation, Nora blinked. "Addie, you've been here before?"

Been here before.

This was where Jesse and I first met.

Back then, I was a nobody. A fresh-faced actress who'd just broken into the industry, too naive to know how ugly the world behind the curtain could be.

A dinner party. An investor's greasy hand landing on my thigh. The director glancing over and looking away like it was the most natural thing in the world. Panic and fury tangled together in my chest.

I struggled, but his grip held. So I made a decision. If I was going down, I was taking him with me. I drove my heel straight into his crotch and bolted for the door.

His men were close behind, their shouts gaining on me. I ran blind, no direction, no plan, until I crashed headfirst into someone's chest.

Jesse Swanson.

He looked down at me, a slow smile curving his lips, his gaze deep and bright. "Lost, little rose?"

Little rose?

I glanced down at my strapless red dress. No time to question the nickname. I grabbed the front of his shirt and begged. "Sir, please, call the police. Someone in there just tried to force himself on me."

"The police?" Jesse glanced past my shoulder, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You're too naive, little rose. In a place like this, the police can't solve anything. Your only option is to hold on tight to me."

Before the words had fully left his mouth, the men caught up.

The one in front spotted Jesse and froze. "Mr. Swanson, this one belongs to our boss. If you could just—"

Jesse let out a low, derisive laugh and lit a cigarette with no particular urgency.

"What a coincidence. I've taken an interest in her too. Tell your boss to come talk to me himself. You don't have the standing."

The standoff that followed was how I learned the truth. The so-called investor was a gang boss out of Midtown Harbor District. And the man shielding me behind his back was Jesse Swanson, the crown prince of Harbor City.

Neither side backed down. Bodyguards and thugs went at each other until the entire second floor of the club was reduced to rubble.

In the middle of the wreckage, Jesse leaned close to my ear. His voice was full of amusement.

"Little rose, I think you just became famous."

He was right.

That very night, the Swanson heir's scandal splashed across every entertainment headline. The paparazzi dubbed me "dangerously gorgeous," and from that moment on, the roles never stopped coming.

But now, stepping back into this place, everything had changed.

I gathered myself and stopped outside the VIP room Jesse always used.

Through the colored glass, I finally saw him.

My missing groom.