Chapter 3 - The Gala
At 8:00 PM that evening, the grand ballroom of the Columbus Ritz-Carlton was glowing.
The annual Children’s Hope Charity Gala was the most important social event of the medical season. The room was a sea of crystal chandeliers, silk gowns, sharp tuxedos, and flowing champagne. I was wearing a tailored navy blue evening gown, my hair pinned up, looking exactly like the Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology I was.
I stood near the center of the room, speaking with two hospital board members, when I saw them arrive.
Mark strode into the ballroom like he owned it, wearing a bespoke tuxedo and a smug grin. Jessica walked slightly behind him, wearing a glittering gold dress, clutching the baby boy on her hip. Bringing an infant to a black-tie gala was completely inappropriate, but Mark didn't care. The baby was a prop. A trophy he intended to parade in front of my colleagues.
He spotted me immediately.
He excused himself from a local politician and marched straight toward me, dragging Jessica and the baby along. He wanted an audience. He wanted to finish the humiliation he had started in the pediatric wing that morning.
"Emily," Mark said loudly, his voice cutting through the polite jazz music playing in the background. Several doctors and donors turned to look at us.
"Mark," I replied calmly, sipping my sparkling water.
"I'm surprised you came," he sneered, puffing out his chest. "I figured seeing us this morning would have sent you home to your empty apartment. It must be hard, standing here pretending you're fulfilled, when you know you'll never have what I have."
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Jessica closed her eyes, looking nauseous. "Mark, don't do this here."
"Why not?" Mark laughed arrogantly, raising a hand to gesture at me. "She needs to hear it. It's time she faces reality. She's a useless, barren woman, and I finally have a real family."
