The Fallout
The ballroom buzzed like a beehive poked one too many times, every whisper and sharp glance directed straight at me and Jackson. It was official: the night had gone from bad to catastrophic.
I could feel the weight of judgment pressing in from every side, like I was trapped in some tragic reality show. 'The Woman Who Married a Scandal,' now playing nightly in high society's favorite gossip mills.
Next to me, Jackson stood tall, his infuriating smirk firmly in place. To the casual observer, he looked like he was enjoying the attention, but I wasn't buying it. There was something behind that smirk—something I hadn't noticed before.
And then there was Ethan. Of course he was here, stationed at the edge of the crowd like a king surveying his crumbling kingdom, his glare sharp enough to cut glass. He looked like he wanted to personally escort me to the nearest divorce lawyer.
This is fine, I thought. Everything is fine. Except nothing was fine, and I wanted to scream.
---
What's Jackson Hiding?
The source of the chaos was standing directly in front of me: Vanessa Grant, society journalist and professional snake. Her grin was sharp enough to slice through my composure as she leaned in, clearly savoring the moment.
"Oh, Lila," she purred, loud enough for everyone within earshot to hear. "You didn't know?"
"Didn't know what?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.
Vanessa's eyes gleamed like a cat playing with its food. "Jackson Carter," she said, dragging out his name for dramatic effect. "Practically infamous. His family disowned him years ago after he lost half their fortune in a failed business venture. A real shame, isn't it? But I suppose you've always been one for bold choices."
I blinked, my face heating as the whispers around us grew louder.
"Half their fortune?" someone muttered.
"Disowned?"
"Poor Lila. Always a Harper scandal."
Jackson, to his credit, didn't flinch. Instead, he smiled coolly and leaned closer to Vanessa, his voice low and teasing. "You've done your homework, Vanessa. But you forgot to include the part where I'm devilishly handsome. Don't leave that out of the story."
The crowd chuckled nervously, but I wasn't laughing. My ears were ringing as I processed the words "disowned" and "half their fortune." I barely noticed Ethan stepping closer until his voice cut through the noise.
---
Ethan's hand rested lightly on my arm as he spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "I warned you about him, Lila. Do you see it now? He's reckless. He's dangerous. Let me help you fix this."
I stiffened, shaking his hand off. "I don't need your help, Ethan."
"You don't need my help?" he repeated, his voice dropping. "Lila, you're married to a walking scandal. Do you have any idea what this will do to your family's reputation? To your father's business?"
My jaw tightened. "It's funny how my personal life is suddenly your biggest concern. You didn't seem to care much about it when you skipped our wedding."
His mouth opened, then closed again, and for once, Ethan Grey didn't have a ready comeback.
---
Before I could even turn to Jackson, he had already taken a step back.
"I think this party's officially dead," he said, his tone light but his eyes giving away nothing. "I'll leave you to enjoy the buzz, Mrs. Carter."
And just like that, he was gone, disappearing through the side doors without so much as a second glance.
---
I barely had time to process Jackson's exit before I was cornered by a small group of guests—two socialites and a hedge fund manager—who clearly thought this was their moment to strike.
"Oh, Lila," one of them cooed, tilting her head in mock concern. "You poor thing. You must be mortified."
Another chimed in, her smile so fake I could feel my teeth rotting just looking at it. "Marrying someone so… unconventional. How brave of you."
My fists clenched at my sides, but I forced a tight smile. "If you spent half as much time running your businesses as you do gossiping about mine, maybe your net worth wouldn't need padding."
The hedge fund manager choked on his champagne, and the two women gasped, their carefully curated facades cracking.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan smirk faintly before quickly composing himself.
---
Moments later, Ethan caught up with me, his face hardening as he leaned in close. "Lila, I'm serious. This has to end. Leave Jackson, and I'll make sure this mess goes away. I'll talk to the board, the press, your parents—everyone."
I stared at him, my anger bubbling to the surface. "You really think you can just wave a checkbook at my problems and make them disappear, don't you?"
He frowned. "Lila—"
"My mistake wasn't marrying Jackson," I cut him off. "It was trusting you."
I didn't wait for his response.
---
I finally found Jackson outside the venue, sitting on the steps with his tie undone and his hair ruffled by the cool night breeze. His shoulders were tense, and he was staring at the skyline like it held the answers to every question he'd been avoiding.
I hesitated, unsure whether to approach him, but eventually, I sat down beside him.
"You left," I said quietly.
He glanced at me, his smirk faint but not entirely gone. "Thought I'd give you some space to let Ethan pitch his sales pitch."
"Jackson…"
He held up a hand. "Don't worry. I've heard it all before. I'm reckless, irresponsible, a bad influence—the usual."
---
I folded my arms, leaning back slightly. "So is Vanessa right? About your family?"
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he wasn't going to answer.
"They didn't cut me off because of a failed venture," he said finally. "I walked away because I refused to play their game. They wanted a perfect son, and I wasn't interested in pretending to be one. So, yeah, I made some mistakes. Big ones. But at least they were mine."
I blinked, caught off guard by the raw honesty in his voice.
"So why do you act like nothing bothers you?" I asked softly.
He chuckled dryly. "Because people like Vanessa eat weakness for breakfast. You think I'm going to hand her that on a silver platter?"
---
"You're an idiot, Jackson," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "But you're my idiot. And I'm not letting Ethan or anyone else use your past against us."
He turned to me, his eyes searching mine, and for once, his smirk softened into something almost… genuine.
"Careful, Mrs. Carter," he said with a faint grin. "You're starting to sound like a real wife."
---
A New Problem Arises
Just as we stood to leave, my phone buzzed. It was a message from my mother.
Margaret Harper: "We need to talk. Immediately. Call me when you're done embarrassing the family."
My stomach dropped. Of course she'd heard about the scandal. And now I had to face her and the rest of my family—again.
"One disaster down, a hundred more to go. And Jackson Carter was right at the center of all of them."