The Ex He Can Never Have Back

After five years together, Jesse Swanson finally agreed to marry me.

On the day of the wedding, I was over the moon. My best friend, serving as my maid of honor, was so happy she burst into tears.

Girl, you actually made it into that blue-blood family!

But the wedding car never came. What I got instead was a phone call dripping with apologya breakup call.

"I'm sorry, Addie. I fought for us, I really did. But my mother still refuses to let me marry an actress."

That day, the news exploded across Harbor City: Jesse Swanson, golden heir to the Swanson empire, had courted and discarded Adela Sullivan, the city's reigning Best Actress.

I disappeared from the public eye for three years. When I resurfaced, I was an internationally acclaimed painter with a prestigious gold medal to my name.

Camera flashes popped like fireworks. The reporters were just as ruthless as they'd been three years ago.

"Ms. Sullivan, in three days Jesse Swanson will be marrying the newly crowned Miss Harbor City, Alice Winters, in what's being called the wedding of the century. As his former flame, do you have anything to say to him?"

I let the corner of my mouth curve upward, lifted my left hand so the diamond on my ring finger caught the light, and smiled with perfect ease.

"I'm already married. I owe him a debt of gratitude for not marrying me back then."

That night, the proudest man Harbor City had ever known stumbled toward me reeking of liquor, eyes bloodshot, and blocked my path.

"Adela Sullivan, who gave you permission to marry someone else?"

Even after five years of dating, when Jesse Swanson said he wanted to marry me, I still couldn't believe it.

We stood on a bustling Harbor City street, and I gripped his hand so tightly my knuckles ached, desperate to confirm I wasn't dreaming.

"Jesse, your mother... she really agreed to let me into the family?"

Something flickered across his facea flash of uneasebut in the next breath, his expression hardened with resolve, and he pulled me into the bridal boutique on the corner.

There it was, waiting behind the glass display: the pristine white wedding gown I'd fantasized about a thousand times. Tiny crystals covered the bodice like a scattering of stars, so brilliant they hurt to look at.

Jesse stood before it and slowly lowered himself to one knee, his eyes full of love.

"Addie, I need you to remember something. You're not marrying the Swanson family. You're marrying me."

"Trust me. Three days from now, put on this dress and wait for me at home. I'll come for you."

In that moment, I was certain I'd heard the most beautiful words ever spoken.

Every doubt, every worryI shoved them all aside and nodded, my heart brimming with hope.

Three days later, on a morning the rest of the world would have called perfectly ordinary, every dream I'd ever carried was about to come to a head.

I was an orphan. I had no parents. The only person in this world I could call family was Nora Dotson, my best friend, who'd grown up beside me in the same orphanage.

We'd entered the entertainment industry around the same time. I'd gone into acting; she'd become an entertainment reporter. We'd had each other's backs ever since.

When I stood before the mirror and slipped into that dazzling gown, Nora fastened the lace ties at my back one careful loop at a time. When she finally spoke, there was hesitation in her voice.

"Addie. Marrying Jesse Swansonyou really won't regret it?"

I frowned. "Why would you ask me that, Nora?"

I watched her draw a long breath, then point toward the trees beyond the villa. "Addie, do you have any idea how many of my colleagues are hiding in that banyan grove right now?"

"Every last one of them got tipped off. They're betting the Swanson family will look down on you and humiliate you, and they're out there waiting to splash your worst moment across tomorrow's front page."

"I'm only going to ask you once. If things are already this hard before it's even begun, do you honestly believe you and Jesse will be happy after the wedding?"

Nora's warning landed like a stone in my chest.

But when I lifted my gaze to the woman in the mirror, the unease slowly faded.

In all the time we'd been together, Jesse had never once broken a promise to me.

He had offered me the happiness I'd spent my whole life longing for. No matter how much ridicule or slander waited down the road, I was going to walk it with him.

So I gently took Nora's hand. My voice was barely a whisper, but steady as stone.

"Nora, I trust him."

Nora drew another deep breath. Finally, she tied the last ribbon into a perfect bow.

Against the glow of the morning sun, I heard her mutter through gritted teeth.

"Jesse Swanson better act like a man this time and protect you."

"If he dares let you down, he'd better pray I never catch another Swanson in my crosshairs."

By the time the clock struck twelve, I had wrinkled the lace hem of my wedding dress beyond recognition.

There was an unspoken rule for weddings in Harbor City: anything past noon was bad luck.

A family like the Swansons, with all their obsession over tradition and propriety, would never allow such a blunder.

My texts went unanswered. My calls rang out.

A bad feeling settled in my gut.

Nora handed me a glass of water, worry etched across her face.

At first, she had been ranting about how unreliable Jesse was. Then she had gone quiet.

Now, somehow, she was the one making excuses for him.

"Addie, don't overthink this. Jesse might be a lot of things, but even he wouldn't joke around with something as serious as a wedding. He'll come."

I tightened my grip on the glass and turned my gaze toward Shoreline Bay in the distance.

Sunlight spilled across the sand. A couple stood by the water's edge, posing for wedding photos, their smiles wide and radiant.

Five years with Jesse, and we had been just like that. No fights, no arguments. Only each other.

The thought steadied me. I nodded at Nora. "You don't need to comfort me. Maybe something happened on the way. Let's just wait a little longer."

But that little longer stretched all the way until dark.

When my phone finally rang, I caught the familiar name on the screen, and the dull ache in my chest cracked open into light.

I pressed answer before the second ring. "Jesse, did something happen? Is that why you didn't come? It's okay, I"

He cut me off.

His voice was low and hoarse, and it shattered the last sliver of hope I had left.

"I'm sorry, Addie. I tried. I fought for us. But my mother... she still can't accept your background. She won't allow an actress into the Swanson family."

"Let's break up. That's it."

He didn't even wait for my answer. The line went dead.

A beat of silence.

Then Nora erupted. She ripped the corsage off her bridesmaid dress and hurled it to the floor. "Jesse Swanson, that spineless piece of garbage! I am not done with him!"

She was already dialing. I didn't know who she called, but her voice came out like a blade. "Listen up. You've got five minutes. Find out where Jesse Swanson is right now. Don't give me excuses. Yes or no."

The moment she hung up, she tossed her phone aside and pulled me into her arms, her face crumpling with heartbreak. "Addie, stop crying. A man like that isn't worth a single tear. Trust me. I'm going to make him pay."

I was... crying?

I touched my cheek. Only then did I realize that cold tears had been streaming down my face all along.

A sharp ache seized my heart, and the pain that had been slow to arrive now flooded through every limb, every nerve, until I could barely breathe.

Because of the gap between our worlds, I had imagined a hundred different ways Jesse and I might end. But not once, not in any version, had I pictured standing in my wedding dress while he threw me away like I was nothing.

Some time later, Nora's phone buzzed with a message.

"Son of a He's out at a club right now? He actually has the nerve to be chasing women tonight?" She was shaking with fury. "I'll ruin him before sunrise!"

"Addie, there are too many paparazzi outside. Stay in and keep a low profile for a while." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Don't worry. I'm settling this score tonight."

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.

He sat there, drink in hand, swirling a glass of whiskey with the carelessness of a man who had nowhere better to be. Women draped themselves around him like ornaments.

Wealth, excess, indulgence. So this was all it amounted to.

Through the noise and the laughter, I heard someone speak up. "Jesse, that Adela Sullivan of yours you're still not tired of her?"

My breath caught. I stood frozen, waiting for Jesse's answer.

What came next sent me plunging into ice water. Every word chilled me to the bone.

"Pretty face, killer body. An absolute ten. Tell me you wouldn't do the same."

"Only problem is, she's been getting ideas lately. Keeps pushing me for a ring, for a title. Real buzzkill."

Laughter erupted through the room. When it died down, Hudson Simmons shook his head with a sneer. "That's your own fault, man. You put her on too high a pedestal. No wonder she started getting delusional."

"She's an actress, Jesse. An actress. And she thought she could become Mrs. Swanson?" He let out a scoff. "Honestly, dumping her right after you had your fun was the smartest move you've ever made. Just wait. She'll figure out where she stands soon enough, and she'll come crawling back on her knees, begging like a dog."

My head was ringing. Whatever came after that, I couldn't hear anymore.

Nora caught me before my legs gave out. Her eyes were bloodshot, murderous. "These pieces of garbage how dare they talk about you like that!"

Just then, a waiter passed by carrying a tray of bottles.

Before I could react, Nora snatched one off the tray and kicked the door open so hard it slammed against the wall. "Swanson! I've never seen a man as pathetic as you! Get out here and face me!"

Every trust-fund prince inside flinched. Hudson Simmons shot to his feet, his voice laced with menace.

"Who the hell are you, barging in here screaming?"

"One phone call. That's all it takes, and you'll be at the bottom of Victoria Harbor feeding the fish."

The moment I heard how brazen he was, my own heartbreak didn't matter anymore. I stepped into the room and planted myself in front of Nora. "She's my friend. If you want to settle a score, Mr. Simmons, you can take it up with me."

Seeing me appear, Hudson went still for a beat. Then a slow, amused grin spread across his face, and he kicked Jesse's leg. "Hey, Jesse. What did I tell you? You've spoiled this woman so rotten she doesn't know her place anymore. You gonna handle this, or what?"

Every person in the room set down their drinks, their cards, their phones. All eyes turned to us, waiting for the show.

I looked straight at Jesse. I was waiting too.

A long silence passed before he finally lifted his head.

The lights in the room were dim. I couldn't make out his expression. All I heard was his voice, level and unhurried, without a trace of anger.

"This isn't a place for you."

"Addie, go home."

He knew. He knew I'd heard every word. And still he could say Addie like nothing had happened.

He really was the same as always. Perfectly composed. Every inch the well-bred heir.

I closed my eyes and forced the tears back. Then I turned toward him and bowed, deep and deliberate.

"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Swanson. I know my place now. You have my word Adela Sullivan will never appear before you again or be an eyesore to you."

I grabbed Nora, who was still refusing to leave, and pulled her out of that room.

The second we stepped outside the club, a swarm of reporters descended. They'd been waiting.

Camera flashes erupted in the darkness, one after another, so relentless I could barely keep my eyes open.

Microphones were shoved in my face, the questions sharper than knives, each one more cutting than the last. The one they kept circling back to was how it felt to be abandoned by Jesse Swanson on my wedding day.

I pushed Nora into a corner behind me, shielding her, then reached for a handful of the microphones. My voice rang out, clear and unwavering.

"The wedding was nothing but a rumor. Mr. Swanson and I have parted ways amicably. This relationship was always me reaching above my station."

"And I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my fans. I, Adela Sullivan, have decided to retire from acting and withdraw from the Harbor City entertainment industry indefinitely."