g beside her. Across the room, Liam, the man the world saw as her partner, stood with his back to her. He was a titan of the tech world, his presence commanding t

eautiful, careful

ere not on them. They kept flicking toward the corner of the room, to a small, frail-looking woman surrounded by a circle of

lways did. He would bring Chloe to these events, a beautiful acce

ghts. He sat down beside her, his smile not reaching his eye

am," Chloe sai

ng with his chin toward Liam. "The merger with Nathan' s company is at a critical stage. We

, the cold shocking her fingers.

e standing next to him. That' s what counts." He leaned closer, his voice a harsh whisper. "Nathan' s family has made an offer. A marriage contract.

g man. It was a desperate, ugly thought, but it planted a seed. A way o

, his face a mask of concern. He reached Olivia just as she stumbled, catching her easily in his arms. He murmured something to her, his voice too low for Chloe to hear, but the tend

m saw it. The preference. The deep, unshakable bond he had with another woman. Sh

ied to aggressively acquire her fledgling fashion brand. She fought him at every turn, in boardrooms and through press releases. She was fierce, a

her work. He brought her coffee. He started showing up more often, not as a predator, but as a silent observer. The tension between them shifted from adversarial to electric. Pass

t obsession was just a ma

t away earlier. In the back of his desk drawer, beneath a stack of boring corporate documents, was a small, worn leather box. Her

Liam. On the other, a smiling girl with braids. Olivia. Beneath it,

ed this with him for years, through all their fights, all their passionate nights, all hi

he didn't care. She sank to the floor, the locket clutched in her hand, the sharp edges digging into her palm. The whole relationship,

he open drawer, the locket in her hand. His face, usually so con

et. His first words were, "Olivia

ion. Chloe started to laugh, a broken, hyste

, her body shaking.

tried so hard to escape. Her father and stepmother were waiting in t

began, "have you c

er voice flat and devoid of em

er hands together softly. "Oh, darling, that' s wonderful news! It' s for

and hollow, a figure appear

side her father. She was dressed in a soft, white dress, looking every bit the in

, her voice dripping with fake sympat

ip with Liam wasn' t just a ghost from his past. She was a viper living in her own home, a part of the family that was now