You Lost Me Forever, Ex-Wife

Stephanie's words dropped the room into silence, except for Maeve, who laughed. She turned to Liam and said something that carried more weight than it seemed.

"Li, looks like your girlfriend's hoping you'll make her wish come true this year. You might want to speed things up, and if it works out, save me a spot at the wedding!"

Liam was stunned at first, but soon, his face twisted with rage after her remark.

Stephanie could tell he was mad and was about to explain, but he cut her off.

"Maeve Stewart! What's your deal? Do you get some kind of thrill from driving me crazy? You know exactly…"

He wasn't yelling at Stephanie but Maeve, who had just pushed his buttons.

Everyone could tell what was upsetting Liam just by how frustrated he looked and the way he held back from speaking. He was pissed at Maeve for playing dumb and for stomping on his feelings again.

The room went dead silent.

Liam kicked a chair over, grabbed his car keys, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The birthday party, which started out great, ended on a sour note.

With everyone leaving and saying their goodbyes, Stephanie dropped her gaze, grabbed her bag, and headed to the restroom.

The guests were all gone when she came out, but a heated argument could be heard down the hallway.

"Maeve, you've gone way too far! Do you realize how much time Liam put into planning this birthday party? Why did you have to ruin all his hard work and say those things in public?"

"I was just speaking the truth, wasn't I? His girlfriend wants to get married, and it's obviously to him, not some other guy."

"Damn it! Do you actually think that's interesting? Liam's always been into you. Your rejection crushed him and turned him into a player. Later, you gave him hope, and he came back to you.

"But you bitched about him not being committed enough, so he did what you said and started dating this 'place-holder' girlfriend. How much more do you want from him? You can't just stomp all over his feelings!"

"I'm not expecting anything from him. I've never seen someone so obsessed, so I wanted to see how far he'd go for me. He's doing it on his own, so why are you freaking out about it…"

It was Maeve arguing with Liam's childhood friend.

Stephanie didn't mean to listen in, but she couldn't help wondering how Liam would react if he heard those words.

Would he be crushed? Would he feel like he was dying inside, just like she did when she learned the truth?

Liam had the upper hand in his relationship with Stephanie. Her emotions would swing with every little move he made.

But with Maeve, he was the one under her thumb. His world would crumble if she even showed the slightest hint of disinterest.

Stephanie thought anyone who stomped on someone else's heart deserved to endure the worst kind of pain. She turned and went down the stairs on the other side.

Back home, Stephanie picked up the cake left by the door and spent her birthday alone. She ate half of the six-inch cake before heading to bed.

…

The next day at noon, a knock at the door woke Stephanie up. She rubbed her eyes and got up to answer it.

It was Liam.

A night apart didn't change much—he still looked upset and in a bad mood. But when their eyes met, he quickly forced a smile and pulled a diamond bracelet out of his pocket.

"Happy birthday! This is for you. I had too much to drink yesterday and forgot to hand it over."

One look was all it took for Stephanie to realize that the bracelet was from the same set as the necklace Maeve wore last night.

She guessed Maeve didn't like it, so Liam simply gave it to her—saving himself the effort of picking a gift.

When Stephanie didn't react, Liam thought she didn't like it and quickly added, "You don't like it? Just take my card and buy whatever you want."

Stephanie shook her head, took it, and casually set it on the entryway table. "I like it, so don't worry about it."