Auden was a ball of nerves as she arrived to Patrick's exhibit opening with him on her arm. It was the same anxious feeling she had for her banquet earlier that year. She was anxious to see her hard work in action and to see how the public responded to Patrick's work. Even more nerve wracking was the fact that Auden would have to face Cillian with Patrick as her date.

Her heart had leapt from her chest when he texted her earlier that weekend to wish her luck on the opening. She knew he wasn't much of a texter, so it meant a lot more to her than it probably should have.

Outside, the twilight sky was being overtaken by large dark clouds. It looked like it was going to rain. Bummer, she thought to herself. She didn't want the weather to put a damper on things. She wasn't much for mystic signs, but for some reason the thought of rain made her uneasy.

Auden took a shaky breath as she stepped inside the front door, hiking up the long ruby red dress she was wearing. The crowd was full of people dressed to impress - Patrick had specifically asked for it to be a black tie event. It was already packed but she could hear her boss's deep voice boom over the chatter. Charles was laughing - that was a good sign. Patrick's work was displayed alongside the usual rotating art pieces within Charles's collection. An image of Charlie sleeping in the middle of the now crowded gallery space flashed before her, causing her to smile.

Her eyes scanned the crowd for Cillian, but she didn't spot him. Maybe he is running late.

"This looks amazing," Patrick murmured in her ear, placing his hand on her lower back. She smiled proudly at him. The gallery did look amazing, she had to admit. Auden loved the feeling of success, especially in her career.

She made eye contact with Brigid who nudged her over. Auden turned to Patrick, "Go mingle. I'm going to go check in with Brigid." Patrick nodded once, placing a kiss on her temple before moving into the crowd. Guilt gnawed at the bottom of her chest at his simple kiss. She knew at some point tonight that Cillian would see them together, but she wished Patrick would stop making moves like that.

Auden maneuvered her way through the crowd, giving pleasantries to familiar faces until she reached Brigid. She had two glasses of bubbly champagne in her hand. Auden took one, taking a small sip. The cold, sweet taste made her face feel warm.

"I'm so glad this is finally over with," Brigid mumbled into her glass. Her friend looked beautiful in her cream colored gown and silver hoop earrings. Her fiery red hair was pulled back in a complicated updo and looked as bright as ever against her pale skin. "I can't believe you had the balls to come with Patrick." She added.

Auden narrowed her eyes at her, "What are you implying?"

Brigid raised a perfectly red eyebrow, "You know exactly what I mean."

The thought of Cillian made Auden turn towards the crowd again. Her eyes wandered to every corner, but Cillian was no where to be found. She spotted Patrick in a corner, talking to a tall, gorgeous woman with long black hair. She'd never seen her before at any of these events. Perhaps she was one of Patrick's friends? The woman seemed slightly older compared to Patrick's other friends, but there was something in the way they interacted and their closeness to each other that set off alarm bells in her head. Auden made a mental note to keep an eye on the woman.

Auden turned back to her friend, and gestured towards the area where Patrick was standing. "Do you know that woman?"

Brigid squinted to get a better look, a frown forming on her face, "She seems familiar, but I can't really place where I've seen her. They're standing awfully close to each other though."

Auden frowned. Something didn't seem right, but she was about to go find out.

Just as Auden began to walk towards Patrick, Charles appeared right in front of her. He grabbed her shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. "Wonderful job Auden. I knew I didn't make a mistake in hiring you," The portly man beamed down at her. Pride swelled in her chest - this is what she had been waiting for.

"Thank you sir," She smiled back.

"You're a bright girl," He continued, letting go of her arms. "You really do have wonderful future ahead of you here. If you stick with me, you could be owning this place soon enough," Charles put his fat hands on his hips, as he turned to admire his gallery. A somber look passed before his eyes as they traveled around the party. "Anyway," He sighed, "I must continue to mingle. I just wanted to congratulate you." With a pat on Auden's shoulder, Charles left the pair alone once again.

Auden turned to Brigid, who's face was full of shock, "Did you hear that?" She squealed. "I could own this place?"

Brigid embraced Auden tightly, "I'm so happy for you." When she pulled away, a look of confusion passed over her face.

"What's wrong?" Auden asked, her excitement fading.

She shifted awkwardly, and Auden followed her gaze back to the corner of the gallery where Patrick was conversing with the older woman. She had touched his shoulder lightly, laughing at something he had said. They were standing awfully close to one another.

"You might want to take care of that," Brigid nudged Auden.

She handed Brigid her now empty champagne flute. Auden was more confused than upset or jealous. Granted, she didn't necessarily have feelings for Patrick so him flirting with another woman had no effect on her. The woman, on the other hand, was giving Auden a bad feeling. She worked her way through the crowd once again, crossing the gallery floor.

Patrick did a double take as he saw her approach, frowning instantly. The mystery woman gave her a curious look and Auden plastered a fake, welcoming smile on her face. She ran her hand up Patrick's arm, "Hi."

Auden was slightly taken aback at how beautiful the unknown woman was up close. Her dark glossy hair hung halfway down her back. She was tall and slim, reminding Auden of a runway model. Her round face complimented her high cheek bones. She raised a thin eyebrow at Auden, giving her a half smile as she looked her up and down.

"Who's this Patrick?" She asked, ignoring Auden for a moment.

Patrick took a slight step away, causing her hand to fall away from his arm. His cheeks grew red, glancing between Auden and the woman. He cleared is throat, "This is Auden. Auden O'Donovan."

A look of realization passed across her face, "Ah. So you're the woman who's been hanging out with my son?"

Relief washed over Auden. This must be his mother, she thought to herself, however she looked too young to have older children.

"You didn't tell me your mom was coming," Auden shot a glance Patrick.

The woman burst out laughing, tilting her head back as she did so. "Oh honey, I'm not talking about Patrick. I'm talking about my son Charlie."

Auden froze, her stomach dropping to the floor as she her blood ran cold. "Excuse me?"

The woman gave Auden a wicked smile as stuck a slim hand out to her, "I'm Jenni. Jenni Murphy."

Auden stared at her. She was staring at the woman who broke Cillian's heart. Shattered his life, and left him to pick up the pieces. She swallowed, taking the woman's hand and shaking it slightly. "Where's Cillian?" Her voice came out flat, emotionless.

Annoyance flashed behind her stare, but a smile remained plastered on her face. "He's at home with Charlie. I'm sorry he couldn't come, but Patrick's helped me so much the past year it was only fair for me to take his place." Jenni placed a hand on Patrick's shoulder, shooting him a seductive smile.

Slowly, Auden began piecing the puzzle together. Jenni's hand trailed down his arm. Patrick stood frozen in his spot, unable to make eye contact with her. Her eyes remained on him, pleading silently that he would look at her. When he finally glanced at Auden, his eyes confirmed what she already knew: he was guilty. Did you know his wife had an affair? Patrick's voice rang in her head. That date felt like a lifetime ago, yet here she was confronted with the reality that Patrick was in fact the other man.

And she was was here with him,  and not with Cillian.

"Excuse me," Auden whispered. As she turned around to leave, Patrick gripped her wrist.

"Wait," He begged, "Auden let me explain."

She jerked her wrist back, "Let go of me," She hissed, before pushing her way through the crowd. Brigid called out to her, but everything was muddled. Rage built up inside of her as her vision fixated on the door. Auden couldn't believe that Cillian would let her be with a man that had broken him, had destroyed his family, his life, everything. She wasn't mad at the fact that Patrick was sleeping with his wife. No, she was mad that she wasted so much time and energy on a relationship she didn't even want in the first place. Auden thought she was doing the right thing - making the moves that made sense. Now, it didn't even matter. None of it did.

She burst through the front door. Rain was pouring down from the sky but she didn't care. The cool rain felt amazing against her hot skin as it poured over down her face, her arms, and the front of her dress. Auden slipped off her heels and began rushing down the street towards Cillian to settle this once and for all.

AN: I choose not to use Cillian's actual wife / children in this story. I don't feel comfortable writing about them, since it's a more private part of anyone's real life. Like I have put in the beginning, I am using Cillian as character for this book - nothing more.