Our Secret, His Scandal

The high school reunion was held at a hot spring hotel on the outskirts of town. I had just settled in a corner seat, picked up the lemonade in front of me, and drank half a glass to steady my nerves. A familiar figure stopped right beside the table. It was Justin Lory—the guy I'd chased for seven years since high school, and then secretly married for three years. He held a glass of red wine, the liquid swirling gently inside. He wore a sharp dark gray suit tailored to fit, and the watch peeking from his cuff was the very style I once wanted to give him but never did. He looked more composed than he did five years ago, but there was a faint, almost imperceptible curiosity in his eyes that kept landing on me. A classmate nearby recognized him first, smiling as he greeted, "Justin? Long time no see. Where are you working now?" Justin exchanged a few words with that person, then turned to me, his voice deliberately soft: "Holly, long time no see." I glanced at him without any intention to chat, picked up my glass, and took another sip: "Better off without you." The moment those words left my mouth, the calmness on Justin's face shattered instantly, the smile frozen at the corner of his lips, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the glass tighter. The noisy chatter around quieted down, and everyone's eyes turned toward us, whispers ebbing and flowing. "Did they have something going on before?" "I remember in high school, Holly always stuck close to Justin. Didn't expect them to be so distant now." At that moment, a girl in a white dress hurried over. She stood next to Justin, casually adjusted his tie, then linked her arm with his in a familiar way. Her eyes curved into a smile, and when she looked at me, there was a deliberately flirtatious edge in it. Then she turned to Justin and asked, "Justin, who's this?" Justin took a deep breath, steadying his expression. He tried to sound natural as he introduced, even lightly patting the girl's hand: "Let me introduce—this is my fiance, Joanna Gilman. And this is my high school classmate, Holly Ellis." The word "fiance" landed heavily, like he was deliberately making a point. Inside, I felt nothing but bitter irony. Back then, we were secretly married for three years. He publicly insisted he was single; not even our closest friends knew we had a marriage certificate. Every time at reunions, he made me sit in the corner, pretending we didn't even know each other. Nowadays, when it comes to Joanna, he's unusually open and straightforward, almost as if afraid no one knows about their relationship. Joanna's eyes lit up, like she suddenly remembered something. When she looked at me, her gaze carried a trace of scrutiny: "Holly? Aren't you the one who chased Justin for seven years back in school? I've often heard Justin talk about you, saying how much he owed you for looking after him." The question was blunt and provocative—on the surface a compliment, but underneath a pointed reminder of my "chasing after" back then. The atmosphere at the table froze instantly, even the sound of breathing felt notably louder. The class monitor quickly raised his glass to break the tension, casting a glance at the classmates beside him: "It's all old news now, Miss Gilman doesn't need to ask more. Come on, let's drink — it's rare we're all here together." The classmates nearby echoed him, raising their glasses one after another, trying to drown out the awkward silence. "There's nothing that can't be said." I put down my glass, leaned forward slightly, and locked eyes with Joanna. "I was the one who chased him for seven years, and later we had a secret marriage for three years—though hardly anyone knew." The entire room burst into whispers instantly, the quiet murmurs turning into audible gasps. All eyes locked on Justin, waiting for his reaction. Justin froze for a moment, clearly not expecting me to be so blunt. He opened his mouth, then slowly nodded, admitting it with a slightly hoarse voice: "It's true." Joanna's smile stiffened completely. She hadn't expected her provocation to make Justin admit our past. Her fingers clenched tightly on his arm. I lifted the glass of water in front of me, lightly tapped the table, glanced at both of them, and said calmly, "The past is nothing worth mentioning. Congratulations on your wedding — I hope you have a happy life together."