My Ex, My Ruin.

Elena's POV:

I stood in front of the gleaming glass building, rain soaking through my jacket, staring up at the penthouse where warm golden light spilled from every window. The sound of laughter and music drifted down from twenty floors. My hands shook as I clutched Miguel's graduation photo, wrinkled and damp from my grip.

Miguel had been missing for days, and I was standing there like a fool, about to humiliate myself in front of the one person who had every right to slam the door in my face.

But he was also the only person with the connections I needed.

The elevator ride to the top felt endless. My reflection in the polished steel doors showed exactly what I had expected: a woman hanging by a thread. Dark circles under my eyes, hair escaping from its messy bun, clothes that hadn't been changed in two days because I had been too busy calling hospitals and police stations and anyone who might have seen my little brother.

The elevator dinged, and suddenly I was standing in front of Adrien's door. I could hear the party in full swing, champagne glasses clinking, sophisticated laughter, the kind of elegant gathering I used to attend at his side. Back when I belonged in his world.

My finger hovered over the doorbell. Three years... Three years since our divorce had been finalized, since I had walked away from his life, with nothing but my pride and a suitcase full of regrets.

But Miguel was missing, and pride was a luxury I couldn't afford.

I pressed the button.

Footsteps approached, and the heavy oak door swung open. A man I didn't recognize, probably Adrien's new assistant, greeted me.

"I need to see Adrien," I said, my voice steadier than I had expected. "Please. It's an emergency."

He hesitated, clearly unsure whether to let this rain-soaked stranger into his boss's engagement party. Engagement party. The thought hit me hard, even though I already knew. I had seen the announcement in the society pages, had stared at the photo of Adrien and his beautiful fiancée until my eyes burned.

"Elena?"

That voice. Deep, familiar, tinged with an accent that still made my stomach flutter despite everything. I looked past the assistant and there he was Adrien, looking impossibly handsome in his perfectly tailored black suit, his dark hair styled just the way I used to run my fingers through it.

For a moment, we just stared at each other.

"Hello, Adrien," I managed, my voice barely carrying over the party noise. But I could see it hit him anyway, this voice that used to laugh at his terrible jokes, that had screamed at him during our final fight.

A woman appeared at his elbow, and my heart stopped. She was beautiful, the kind of effortless elegance I could never quite master, with perfect blonde hair and a dress that fit like it had been made just for her alone. Her fingers touched Adrien's arm with casual