~Aria's POV~
I sat alone in the dimly lit restaurant of the Grand Hyatt, the soft hum of jazz music wrapping around me.
Three years — that's how long Ethan and I had been together, two of those married. And every anniversary had been a celebration of us, of our partnership, of the life we'd built together.
I thought he remembered. I thought he understood, because, today was our third wedding anniversary, and I had arrived at the restaurant with a heart full of anticipation, expecting him to join me for a night of reminiscing and renewal.
He had sent the booking message yesterday, simple and cryptic: "Meet me at the Grand Hyatt's restaurant at 8 PM. Just you. I have something special planned. It's a surprise!"
I had smiled when I read it, imagining the surprise he had in store maybe a quiet dinner, maybe a thoughtful gift, maybe words of love in a place he knew I loved.
The message had sparked a flutter of excitement in me, and I had spent the day picking out a dress, doing my hair, preparing for a night that would honour our time together.
As I sipped the glass of chilled white wine I had ordered, I glanced around the empty restaurant. How romantic Ethan was.
He had booked the entire space for the night, I had checked he wanted intimacy, he had said. But where was he?
I checked my phone discreetly, wondering if he had sent a message, if he was running late, if he was playing some elaborate game of surprise. No messages. Just the flickering candles on the tables and the courteous smile of the waiter, asking if I needed anything else while I waited.
Just as I was starting to wonder if I'd misread the message entirely, the screen overhead flickered to life.
A live stream of the TechGenius Inc. awards ceremony filled the display, and I turned my attention to it, curious.
Julian Baxter, the head of TechGenius Inc., appeared on screen, his expression serious and formal as he stood at a podium in a crowded auditorium.
I wondered distractedly when I saw my husband seated in a blazer. Why was he there? What did Ethan had to do with this he hadn't mentioned the awards ceremony to me, but maybe this was the 'something special' he'd planned.
"I've got the moment everyone in tech has been waiting for," Julian Baxter declared over the screen, his voice confident and loud. "And the winner of this year's Innovative Best Software Design award goes to...Ethan Thorne, for 'Eclipse' a revolutionary platform redefining user-centric AI integration!"
The auditorium erupted in applause, and I felt a confused frown crease my face. Ethan Thorne. My husband?! No way. It was my life's work not his! What was he doing up there, and why wasn't I being acknowledged?
My gaze stayed fixed on the screen as Ethan, smiling that charismatic smile of his, walked onto the stage amid the scene. The shock hit me like a slap.
This was our project, my whole idea Eclipse, my software platform, the culmination of months of work and I was the one who had done the bulk of the design.
I felt a sting of anger, confusion swirling into betrayal. Why was Ethan receiving this award alone? Why wasn't I on stage with him? Was this the surprise he said he had for me?
The words of Julian Baxter kept ringing in my mind "revolutionary platform redefining user-centric AI integration" and I knew them intimately because I had written them, had crafted the vision, had poured my creativity into every line of code.
Ethan reached the microphone, and the auditorium quieted. He began to speak, his words flowing smoothly, thanking TechGenius Inc. and...and not mentioning me.
"To my partner, my rock, my guiding star without you, this wouldn't have been possible," he said, his gaze drifting to where they sat, or maybe to someone else in the crowd, I wasn't sure.
His words were like a carefully crafted mask, polite and appreciative, but they felt like a lie. A wave of hurt and fury washed over me. This? This was my doing. My handwork.
Eclipse was as much mine as it was his more, because I had been the one to envision it, to push it forward, to solve the intractable problems. And now, he was up there, accepting accolades, maybe even implying I was just a footnote.
The anger hardened into a cold, sharp lump in my chest as I realized the full extent of it: this was all me, my work, my ideas and he was taking it. Publicly. Without me.
The screen, the audience, Ethan's smiling face everything seemed to narrow into a single burning point of injustice.
How could he do this? How could he stand there, pretending? I felt my face heating with indignation, my breaths shortening as I struggled to contain my emotions.
The restaurant, the soft music, the quiet table all seemed to mock me now. It was all finally coming together. I didn't matter. My contribution didn't matter. To Ethan, I was just a name to mention in passing, a tool he could use and discard.
Ethan's speech continued, his voice growing more personal.
"And I want to acknowledge the love of my life the one who stood by me through thick and thin, who supported me unwaveringly throughout this project."
I felt a rush of relief, thinking he was about to mention me. Maybe I had overreacted; maybe he did love me, and this was his moment to say it. But then his words took a sharp turn.