3: The Invitation

"Debby." I said, hurriedly picking up my robe, and covering up.

She chuckled, coming in. "I came to drop off your dress for dinner. You didn't answer when I knocked, so I came in anyway. You don't mind, do you?" She was taunting me. Just like her boss, she loved to see me defeated.

She was his PA afterall, and she worshiped him. If he asked her to throw me into a burning fire, she would do so with a smirk. Maybe then she could finally get the opportunity to catch his attention beyond being a slave to his needs.

"Thank you." I faked a smile, as she dropped the bagged up dress on my bed.

"Did you watch him win tonight? He looked heavenly right?" She asked in a dreamy voice, not a care in the world if she was standing before his wife.

"He did." I simply said.

"So you watched. Did you see the woman in his arms? Didn't she used to be your best friend?" She chuckled mockingly.

The heaviness in my chest returned. I had to give it to Liam. He knew to send her to talk me down, so I showed up at the party with my head held down. "She did. Uhm Debby, could you leave now? I don't want to upset Liam by being late to the party." I said with a surprisingly steady voice.

"Definitely! But," She paused briefly, giving me a once over.

"You poor thing. Liam is always going to be upset with you. You just don't inspire anything more than pity, or hatred." She shook her head, wearing a sinister smile.

"Thank you." My once steady voice choked. "You're welcome." She smirked.

Turning around, she sashayed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding, and staggered to my bed. Clutching my chest, I waited for it to relax, breathing heavily as I did. I couldn't afford to go to Liam's party like this. He would make certain I regretted it for the rest of my life.

My eyes rested on the bag that concealed my dress, and I began to feel alive again. Once in a while, there came a silver lining to a messed up life like mine. It was times like these when I at least got to dress up. With that shimmer of hope in my deserted heart, I straightened up and walked into the bathroom.

*******

I arrived at the party when it was already packed. Steve, the personal driver my husband assigned to me, escorted me in. The moment we entered the large, grand hall, I began to feel inadequate. Everywhere I looked around me was glitz and glamor like I had never seen before. I saw celebrities hanging out casually by the bars.

The most beautiful woman you could ever imagine walking the surface of the earth. I looked down at my long sleeved turtleneck dress, which was a little too big for me. I looked like a maid in comparison to the women surrounding me.

"Mrs Avery?" Steve called, dragging my mind away from its insistence on making me insecure.

"Yes?"

"The boss is over there." He pointed to the left.

There was a table there, and yes, Liam was on that table. I was about to smile when I noticed the rest of the people present on the table. His friend, and the rest were women. But of course, I didn't know what I was expecting. It was like he felt me watching, and he raised his head up.

Our eyes met, and a look of instant disgust spread across his face. Throwing his face away like he didn't know me, he concentrated on the buxom blonde beside him.

"I'm sorry ma'am. It's not yo---"

"It's okay Steve. You've done what you're paid to do. I'll just stay at that corner over there, until Liam is ready to go home." I said, giving him a reassuring smile. I knew he pitied me, and that was what hurt me the most. I craved the day I went through life without being pitied.

"Okay ma'am." He said, letting go of my hands. He turned around, and walked away. I took a deep breath, and walked over to the corner where no one would notice me.

This was my usual routine everytime I attended a party Liam asked me to go to. I didn't want to further hurt my soul by watching him flirt openly. No one ever noticed me either, so I didn't have to say anything until it was time to leave. But today, luck was not on my side. As I sat on a chair I found by one of the empty tables, I saw him approach me. I froze on the spot.

"No please, no." My mind whispered over and over again. But it was of no use. Jamel Hancock had seen me. My ex boyfriend was just a few steps within me. I tried to jump to my feet and run, but he had already reached me before I could even make the move.

"Hello Avery." The Hazel eyes beauty said in that angelic voice of his. For a few seconds, I was lost. I didn't know how he still recognized me. To be honest, It felt good that he did.

"Are you ignoring me now Ave?" He waved a hand across my face.

"I'm not." I finally pushed myself to say.

"Good," He grinned from ear to ear.

"Cus I could never ignore you. When I saw you enter the room, my whole world lit up. You're really something special Avery." He said, giving me an affectionate smile. I suddenly felt the onset of tears again. He shouldn't be saying these things. He was my ex. Another actor. Maybe I did have things for men who loved to be on screen.

"Nice to see you here Jamel, but it'll be nice if you leave me alone." I said, fighting tears.

"Avery?" He crouched, so he could be leveled with me.

"You can't tell me to do that. Not when you still have this sadness in your eyes. Not when I still love you with all my heart. Why won't you allow me protect you, baby?" He asked.

"Please." My voice came out breathless.

"Please what?" He pressed a long finger against my cheeks, stroking it lightly.

"You can't protect me, because I don't need protection from anything," Gently, I removed his fingers from my cheeks.

"You also can't touch me like that. I'm a married woman." I said with every bit of resolve I could muster. Everything I did was for Jamels sake. Believe it or not, Liam always saw red whenever another man so much as approached me.

"No Ave. I can't leave you alone. I just can't." He shook his head.

"Oh but you'll have to. Well except you're shameless enough to openly go after other men's women." I heard Liam's voice from behind and once again, I froze.

This time, it was not from surprise, but fear of what I knew was to come.