“Cheers,” Oliver repeated, clinking his glass against hers. The sound was crisp and clear, yet to him, it felt slightly dissonant, as though each chime was a reminder of the unfinished business that lay between them.
With the formalities over, people began to disperse, laughter and chatter filling the air. Anna took a sip of her champagne and glanced at Oliver, her eyes meeting his for just a moment before shifting away. Oliver sensed it—the unspoken questions, the uncertainty, and the quiet anticipation of what would come next.
His laptop sat on the table in the other room, still holding the secret that had brought them to this precarious moment. As they stood amidst the joyous celebration, each was acutely aware that their next encounter would be a tipping point, for better or worse. And so, with champagne glasses in hand, they mingled with their guests, all while the weight of the unspoken words loomed large, waiting for the right moment to be revealed.
As the crowd continued to revel in the festivities, Oliver knew he couldn’t let this go on any longer. He took a deep breath and gently touched Anna’s arm, pulling her away from the celebrations to a quiet corner. “Anna, we really need to talk,” he said, his voice carrying an urgency that was impossible to ignore.
Anna looked at him, her eyes wide and attentive, her laughter from moments ago now replaced with a serious expression. “What’s going on, Oliver?”, she asked.
Taking another deep breath, Oliver dived right in. “Look, Anna, I’m going to be blunt because there’s no other way to say this. I have reason to believe that Michael is leading a double life—that he’s cheating on you”.
The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over the gleeful atmosphere that surrounded them. Anna stared at Oliver, her eyes searching his face as if looking for some sign that this was all a joke, a bad dream she would soon wake up from. But the earnestness in Oliver’s eyes told her that this was anything but.
“I need to show you something,” Oliver added, thinking of the evidence stored on his laptop. “It’s not something I wanted to find, but now that I have, I can’t ignore it. You deserve to know.”
Just as Oliver was about to guide Anna to the other room, a voice boomed through the air, breaking the intense moment. “There you are! Trying to steal my bride, are you?” Michael’s voice rang out, filled with laughter but edged with a subtle undertone that Oliver couldn’t quite place.