The Hand-Me-Down

Heels clicked sharply against the polished marble floor of The Second Onyx Hotel. Liana Monroe kept her chin high, her gaze fixed straight ahead as she navigated the sprawling, extravagant lobby. She wore a striking sapphire dress that draped flawlessly over her slender frame, the hem stopping just two inches above her knees. Despite the relatively simple cut of the fabric, the deep blue contrasted beautifully against her fair skin, turning the heads of several passing guests. She walked with lethal confidence in her black stilettos, her long legs eating up the distance toward the main halls.

Tonight, she had a single, crystal-clear objective: crashing the engagement party of her ex-boyfriend and her former best friend.

The oppressive emotional weight of their betrayal pressed heavily on her chest. Just a week prior, Garrett had dumped her without a single valid reason, completely upending her life. He had even managed to get her fired from her part-time job in the fallout. She had spent the last seven days agonizing over what went wrong, only to receive a text from a common friend earlier this afternoon. The message revealed that the two people she trusted most in the world were secretly celebrating their union tonight.

Along the quiet stretch of the corridor leading to the event halls, a soft, muffled sob broke her train of thought. A little girl stood alone near a massive potted fern, rubbing her tear-streaked face. Liana halted her steps. Despite the heavy anger burning in her own veins, her empathetic nature instantly took over.

She approached the child slowly, keeping her voice gentle. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Liana crouched down to meet the girl’s eye level, noting the fresh tears welling up in her large eyes. “Are you lost?”

The girl sniffled, her tiny shoulders shaking. Liana quickly dug into her sleek evening purse. She always had a sweet tooth and kept candy on hand for emergencies. Her fingers brushed against the familiar plastic wrapper of a red lollipop. She pulled it out and offered it forward.

“Here, don’t be sad now,” Liana said, flashing a warm, comforting smile. “Tell me, what’s wrong.”

The bright red candy worked like a charm. Something in Liana’s gentle tone must have sparked the little girl’s interest. A hesitant smile broke through her tears, and she reached out to accept the treat.

“Big sis, do you want to meet my uncle?” the girl asked, her voice small.

A soft scoff escaped Liana’s lips before her smile widened. She tried to hold back her laughter, shaking her head. “No, dear. I need to deal with some pests right now. But let me bring you to the front desk so they can help me find your parents—”

“There you are, Kiki! Why did you leave suddenly?”

A tall man strode down the corridor, his heavy footsteps demanding immediate attention. He wore a crisp white shirt beneath a tailored black coat. His presence was commanding, his features striking and undeniably handsome. But the moment his gaze landed on the little girl, his expression darkened.

He stepped between them and swiftly snatched the red lollipop right out of Kiki's grasp.

“Never accept candies from a stranger!” he commanded, his voice sharp and laced with a stern warning. He shot Liana a deeply arrogant look, his eyes narrowing as he silently lectured her on the dangers of handing out treats to unaccompanied children.

Liana stood up, smoothing the front of her sapphire dress. Any passing appreciation she might have had for his good looks vanished instantly, replaced by sheer offense at his thick condescension. Operating under the obvious assumption that this arrogant man was the child's father, she refused to back down.

“Excuse me?” Liana’s lips twitched in sharp disagreement. She glared right back at him, her voice rising. “Sir, you need to actually take care of your daughter! How could you lose sight of her in a massive hotel like this? What an irresponsible father you are!”

She shot one last glance at the little girl. Seeing how Kiki immediately extended her hand to grasp the tall man’s coat, Liana felt fully vindicated in her assumption.

Before the handsome stranger could even process the accusation or utter a single word in his defense, Liana pivoted sharply on her heel. She threw a quick goodbye wave to the little girl and marched down the corridor, leaving the astounded man staring speechlessly at her retreating back.

Pushing the irritating encounter from her mind, Liana located the two-carat conference room. A massive canvas stand sat outside the heavy double doors. The elegant poster read: ‘Garrett Lawson and Chloe Dalton’s Engagement Party.’

She approached the hotel staff guarding the entrance.

“Your invitation, please, miss?” the guard asked, holding out a hand.

“Sure,” Liana said smoothly. She reached into her purse, grabbed the borrowed invitation card, and handed it over.

There was clear doubt flashing across the guard's face as he read the printed name, looking from the card to the beautiful woman in the sapphire dress. “Thank you for coming, miss… Dustin Hughes. Let me show you to your table.”

The heavy doors swung open. Liana took a deep breath, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. A fleeting urge to chicken out threatened her resolve, but the memory of the betrayal flared hot in her mind. She plastered a calm smile on her face and stepped into the extravagant room.

Dinner had already begun. Over fifty guests sat around beautifully decorated circular tables, busy with their sumptuous meals. Liana navigated the room and found her assigned seat among the higher ranks of her former workplace, The BXC Media Center. She sat anonymously among her ex-colleagues, tuning out the immediate whispers that sparked around her as they recognized her face.

A hotel server quickly approached her chair. “Would you like some wine, miss?”

Liana frowned slightly, eyeing the expensive bottles. “Is it included in the package?”

“Yes, miss. The couple booked several bottles for this event,” the server answered politely.

“Okay, then. I’d love to have wine,” Liana replied.

She barely touched the catered food placed in front of her. Instead, she focused entirely on building the courage required for what she was about to do. She steadily consumed her first glass, letting the alcohol warm her chest. A second glass quickly followed, then a third. The whispering of her former colleagues faded into meaningless background noise as the wine worked its magic.

By her fifth glass, her eyes began roaming the venue. She finally spotted Garrett and Chloe sitting at the front-most table, happily chatting with their parents. The engaged couple had not seen her yet.

Liana kept drinking. She consumed nine glasses of wine in total. She wasn't much of a drinker, and the heavy amount of alcohol rapidly melted away her lingering anxieties, erasing any remaining inhibitions and fortifying her courage. She felt entirely fearless.

When most of the guests had finished their meals, a hostess stepped onto the small stage and took the microphone.

“Now that our stomachs have already been graced, it’s finally time to hear from our engaged couple, and share their love story to everyone!”

Following a round of loud applause, Garrett stood up. He walked to the stage, his tall frame commanding the room. He smiled confidently at the fifty-plus guests and grabbed the microphone.

“Chloe and I met through a common friend,” Garrett started, projecting his polished, fabricated tale. His green eyes glanced adoringly at Chloe, who sat beaming at the front table. He resumed, “We started out just friends. But the more we saw each other, attraction happened after a year, and we hit it off!”

The crowd hooted and cheered, wanting to hear more.

“We have been happily together for eight months now,” Garrett boasted loudly.

Liana sat frozen, her eyes narrowing with sheer disgust at the blatant deception. Eight months. Her own relationship with him had spanned two entire years. The timelines overlapped grotesquely. He had been secretly sleeping with her best friend for nearly a year while smiling to her face.

As Garrett scanned the cheering room, his sweeping gaze drifted toward the back tables. His eyes unexpectedly locked onto Liana.

His confident smirk vanished instantly. He froze, recognizing his ex-girlfriend sitting right there in her striking sapphire dress. His jaw dropped open, and he lost his words completely. The smooth speech dissolved into a violent, hacking fit of coughing as he swallowed hard, choking on his own panic.

“Baby, what’s the hold-up!” Chloe asked from the front table, oblivious to his terror.

“Tell us, how long have you been together?” another guest shouted from the crowd.

“We’ve been together for eight months now!” Chloe answered for Garrett, turning to the inquiring guest with a bright, proud smile.

A man from the media company leaned forward at his table. “Man, Garrett. People at the media company honestly thought that other girl was your girlfriend. So she was just the link between you and Chloe. She sure is hot. Maybe I can get your friend’s number!”

Garrett forced a nervous laugh, desperate to brush the comment away. He finally found his voice, clearing his throat. “Ah—”

“And here comes my cue!”

Liana’s loud voice sliced through the murmuring crowd, cutting off Garrett’s words entirely. She pushed her chair back, the legs scraping loudly against the floor. Flushed with alcohol but radiating absolute fearlessness, she stepped out from behind the table.

She marched straight down the center aisle, her heels clicking sharply. Every eye in the extravagant room turned to watch her. Liana smiled politely at the staring guests, directing her sharp gaze directly at Chloe and her parents sitting at the front.

“Let me answer that question!” Liana announced as she carelessly made her way to the stage.

She reached the front table. Liana rejoiced internally, deriving immense satisfaction from watching the color rapidly drain from her ex-best friend's face. Chloe looked absolutely terrified, sheer panic setting into her features.

Liana completely ignored the bride for a moment, turning to greet Chloe’s oblivious parents. “Aunt Cynthia. Uncle Derek. It’s nice to see you.”

Cynthia Dalton stood up, smiling warmly. “Oh, Chloe said you won’t be making it to the party. I’m glad you finally decided to show up, Lia.” She leaned forward and offered Liana a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Garrett practically jumped off the stage, rushing toward her in a state of sheer desperation. “Lia, what are you doing here?” he hissed, fully realizing the danger his ex-girlfriend brought into the room. He reached out and attempted to physically grab her arm. “Are you drunk? Maybe you—”

“Yes! I am slightly drunk, but I am still sane enough to talk!” Liana forcefully shoved Garrett away, breaking his grasp with ease.

She turned to Garrett’s parents sitting nearby. “Hi, my name is Lia. I am your son’s girlfriend of two years, and we broke up a week ago. Surely, you remember me, right? We met a little over last year.”

Garrett’s parents stared in stunned silence, their faces twisting in deep confusion as they looked from Liana to Chloe, and then to Cynthia and Derek Dalton.

“Lia, this is insane. Haha!” Chloe jumped out of her chair, trembling violently. She tried to step in front of Liana to block her from the crowd, desperately attempting to hide the truth. Her voice shook as she addressed the guests. “You're obviously drunk and don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Lia, I’m warning you—” Garrett growled, stepping closer.

Liana persisted, glaring at him and aggressively pushing him away a second time.

“I just wanted to make a few things clear to everyone here.” Pivoting on her heel, Liana looked out at the bewildered crowd of fifty-plus guests. She expertly dismantled their lies, declaring loudly, “I was the common friend between Chloe and Garrett!”

She let out a sharp laugh, her voice echoing in the silent room. “Because I was Garrett’s girlfriend until just last week! And Chloe has been my best friend since my first year of college!”

Gasps rippled across the tables.

“Garrett, do something!” Chloe screamed at her fiancé. Liana saw the sheer, unadulterated anger burning in the bride's eyes now that the ugly truth was completely exposed to the venue.

Liana ignored the fury. She smiled sweetly at the flustered Dalton parents. “But, it’s okay,” she stated mockingly. “I love Chloe like a sister. I certainly don’t mind giving her my hand-me-down.”

Chloe stood frozen, rendered entirely speechless.

Turning her sharp, vindictive gaze back to Garrett, Liana publicly dismantled him. “And I can’t blame Garrett.” She looked at the hushed crowd, projecting her voice. “I never gave him my all. Somehow, I intuitively knew he wasn’t worthy of trust!”

Garrett stood completely paralyzed in humiliation.

Liana shifted her attention back to the guests, sarcasm dripping from every word. “I’m glad that Chloe was there for Garrett, taking care of all his base desires.” She shot Chloe a mockingly cheerful wink. “She was always good at that!”

“Lia! That’s enough!” Garrett lunged forward. He angrily grabbed her arm again, holding on tightly as he attempted to forcefully escort her out of the room.

Liana casually shook him off, boldly yanking her arm free. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m leaving. My new boyfriend is waiting outside, so I do need to leave.”

She stepped back, letting the bold claim hang in the heavy air. The oppressive weight of betrayal had fully transformed into highly satisfying, fearless public retaliation. Liana walked over to a nearby table and snatched a full glass of wine left untouched by a guest.

Her eyes turned hooded and triumphant. She took a few seconds to glance at everyone in the dead silent room.

“It’s like they say, an old relationship closes and a new one, much better, opens,” she stated.

She turned back to the devastated couple, offering a final, sarcastic toast. “Chloe, Garrett, I wish you all the best. To my best friend and ex-boyfriend; May the heavens treat you well as a married couple.” Her eyes narrowed sharply. “Exactly the same way you treated me.”

Raising her glass high into the air, she confidently called out, “Cheers!”