The Ex Files

Prologue - Ally

Tonight was the night; I knew it...

I checked my outfit in the mirror, turning left and right. I'd made the deep purple cocktail dress myself, a project that had remained half-finished until I accidentally saw my boyfriend's credit card statement at the end of last week. The line halfway down... Thierry Tamaki Fine Jewellery, $7,000. Ever since Seb had made junior partner at Kerchner, Howard and Ward two months ago, he'd been a little uptight, but maybe the thought of commitment had added to his anxiety?

When I'd told Paisley, who I'd known forever—well, since our first day of high school, but it felt like forever—she'd shrieked like a mortally wounded puppy. Which had been awkward, seeing as we were drinking coffee in Café au LA at the time. I'd choked on my blueberry muffin, and a passing server thumped me on the back until crumbs flew everywhere. Every single person turned to stare. At which point, Paisley made things worse.

"My bestie's getting married!"

"Well, I'm not sure..."

"Oh, c'mon. You're gonna say no?"

Of course I wasn't. Nothing would make me happier than becoming Mrs. Sebastian Milner. Sure, I was young, only twenty-one, and people had warned me about older men, but we'd been dating for two years. And my sister, my perfect sister, had given birth at my age before finishing law school and embarking on a successful career. Everyone was allowed to make a mistake in life, she said. It was how you dealt with the knocks that mattered. Personally, I wouldn't have called my own flesh and blood a mistake, but Virginia always had been blunt to the point of insensitivity. Anyhow, she'd married Maggie's father and lived happily ever after. Why couldn't I?

"Seb hasn't asked yet," I hissed at Paisley. And I hadn't meant to snoop through his finances, I swear, but he'd asked me to pick up his dry-cleaning and grab a tub of low-fat yogurt from Whole Foods, and the credit card statement was right there on the counter next to the refrigerator. "We're going out for dinner tonight."

"There's only one reason a man spends seven thousand bucks in a jewellery store, babe. Hey, can we get a couple of those champagne cupcakes?"

The cupcakes had been on the house, and my cheeks burned as all the staff congratulated me on my upcoming engagement. But inside, I was buzzing. For two years after I graduated high school, I'd been lost, working in a clothing boutique with no real clue what I wanted to do with my life. It was Seb who'd told me I needed a goal, who'd encouraged me to go to college and follow my dreams. He was the reason I was a quarter of the way to becoming a fashion designer. Sure, he could be distant at times, but he worked hard, and maybe now that he'd been promoted, he'd begin to relax? Last week, he'd been talking about taking up golf.

Anyhow, I loved him, and by the time I'd finished my cupcake, I was as excited as Paisley. I just had to wait for him to pop the question.

As I walked into The Oyster Club that evening, the butterflies began fluttering. Would he ask before the entrée or wait until dessert? I'd googled proposal etiquette, and it seemed that either was acceptable. I'd also begun designing my wedding dress (a princess gown with a sweetheart neckline), planning which flowers I wanted (ranunculus, sweet peas, and eucalyptus), and wondering where we'd choose to live. Would I move into Seb's apartment? Or would we buy a new place together?

Seb rose to greet me with a kiss on the cheek, a little stiffly it seemed, but I put it down to nerves. What man wouldn't be apprehensive before making the biggest romantic gesture of his life?

"How was work?" I asked. "Is that a new tie?"

"I landed a big account today. Outside general counsel for Nutrozoom."