Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 269

Clairessa’s POV

And then I saw Adrian. Standing near the stage, surrounded by a few people I didn’t recognize. The moment his eyes found me, his face lit up.

“Claire!” he exclaimed warmly, excusing himself from the group. In two strides, he was in front of me, his hand resting lightly on my arm.

“I’m glad you finally came. You look…” his gaze swept slowly over me, lingering before returning to my face, “…beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I replied softly, though the way he said it made me all too aware of the people watching.

Then Adrian spread his arms wide and before I could react, he pulled me in, wrapping me tightly against his chest as if we were lovers reunited. My breath hitched, not from the embrace itself, but from the sudden awareness that half the room was watching.

Behind me, Angelique’s voice echoed, “I’ll leave you two. Seems like the moment has arrived…”

Moment? What moment? My body went rigid as I broke free from Adrian’s hold.

What the hell is she talking about? I turned around, meaning to stop her, but she was already drifting away, and then I realized, too late, that eyes were already on us.

Adrian’s hand caught mine, firm, possessive, refusing to let go. I tried to pull back, but then a waiter slid past with a tray.

He let go for a moment, and reached for two glasses of champagne, pressing one into my hand. I tried to refuse, but he urged it closer until I reluctantly accepted.

“Everyone,” his voice carried with practiced ease, “firstly, I want to thank you for being here tonight. You are all amazing, celebrating my big twenty-fifth with me.” Cheers erupted, but he only smiled wider. “But before we go any further… I have something important to say.”

And then his eyes met mine.

“Everyone… meet Claire,” he continued, the words rolling out like a declaration. “The love of my life.”

Gasps. A chorus of awws rippled through the room, women pressing their hands to their chests, men exchanging knowing grins. The kind of reaction people gave when love stories were played out in front of them.

A chill ran down my spine. No. No, no, no. Don’t you dare…

“We met back in college,” he went on, smiling like he was flipping through a treasured scrapbook. “She believed in me before I even believed in myself. She helped me open my first restaurant. And when I lost her…”

His smile shifted just a second, the vulnerability plain in his eyes. “…I lost more than a relationship. I lost the best part of my life.”

My mind went into a full spin. Has he lost his mind? I wanted to scream. I wanted to speak, to stop him. To say, No… this isn’t right, this isn’t real. Stop this madness. But Adrian just kept going, smiling like this was the happiest day of his life.

“She’s the strongest, most amazing woman I’ve ever known. The best gift life has ever given me. I made the mistake of letting her go once, but I’m not going to make that mistake again.

Please stop. Please don’t do this here.

I leaned closer, whispering urgently, “Adrian…” My voice was low, strained. “Stop. You don’t have to—”

He cut me off with a wave and a charming grin aimed at the crowd. “She’s shy,” he announced, earning chuckles and murmurs.

My mind flipped, panic crashing through me like a storm.

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