Chapter 2 Chapter

Fae Ware POV:

"Run from the wedding now, I'll wait for you in the lounge. Otherwise, I'll release the recording of you calling me 'husband' last night." That text, a ghost from an alternate reality, flashed through my mind. But my text wouldn't be a plea. It would be a declaration. It wouldn't be to a lover. It would be to a family I never knew.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out a message to the only person who offered a lifeline: my Juilliard professor, Dr. Elena Petrova. Dr. Petrova, I'm ready. The scholarship to the European conservatory. I'm accepting it. Today.

Her reply was immediate: Excellent, Fae! I knew you would. I' ve already secured your flight for this evening. You just need to pack.

Pack. A laugh, bitter and hollow, escaped my lips. What was there to pack? A lifetime of stolen moments, of dreams hidden under a blanket of Glenn' s possessiveness. I stuffed a small duffel bag with essentials, leaving behind the designer clothes, the glittering jewelry, the gilded cage. They were his to keep. They were never truly mine.

Before I left, I did one last thing. I pulled out the silver locket Glenn had given me. The "symbol of his eternal loyalty." I stared at the engraved initials, F.W. and G.C. A cruel joke. With a flick of my wrist, I unclasped it and tossed it into the ornate fountain in the mansion's courtyard. It sank without a ripple, just like his promises.

My next stop was an internet café. I needed to find them. The family Justice Parker had mentioned years ago, when I was still a naive teenager in the foster system. The tech mogul family he vaguely said was looking for me. It was a long shot, a desperate gamble, but what did I have to lose now? I typed furiously, searching for any trace, any connection.

Later that day, as I waited for my flight, I saw Glenn' s car pull up to a lavish downtown restaurant. He emerged, impeccable as always, and then Karis appeared, clinging to his arm, her laughter tinkling in the afternoon sun. He stroked her hair, his eyes filled with an affection that had once been reserved for me.

My stomach churned. He looked so happy. So oblivious. He thought he was so clever. But his happiness was built on my heartbreak. And he still had no idea what was coming. He thought he had me tied down, a pet he could call on at will. He thought I was waiting. He thought I would always be there. He was wrong.

I finally returned to the empty mansion. The silence was deafening, a stark contrast to the chaotic symphony of my racing thoughts. Glenn wasn't home. Of course not. He was with Karis, celebrating their fake engagement.

My phone chimed. A text from Glenn: Just landed, love. Miss you already. Can't wait to tell you about the deals I closed.

Lies. All of it.

I scrolled through my social media. Karis couldn't resist. She' d posted a video of Glenn proposing, a close-up of the diamond on her finger. Engaged to the most wonderful man in the world! So excited for our future! My future. My shattered future.

A few days later, I saw them again. A newspaper headline, a glossy photo. Glenn and Karis, arm in arm, at a charity gala. She wore a dress he' d bought me last year, a shimmering emerald green. He looked at her with that intense, possessive gaze he used to reserve for me. The world saw a loving couple, a perfect match. I saw a betrayal so deep it carved a hole in my soul.

My blood ran cold. The image of Glenn, his arm around Karis, his eyes adoring her, burned into my retina. It was a replica of a memory, a cruel distortion of a past that had once been mine. He was mimicking the gestures, the looks, the promises he had made to me. It wasn' t just that he had moved on; he was replacing me entirely.

I remembered the early days. He forbade me from going to Juilliard, claiming it would take too much time, too much energy from us. "Your music is beautiful, Fae," he'd said, his voice soft, almost convincing. "But my love is a full-time commitment. I need you here, by my side." He'd called it love. I called it control. He' d painted me a picture of domestic bliss, where my passion for piano was a charming hobby, not a burning ambition.

He'd used my past against me, my vulnerability from the foster system. "No one will love you like I do, Fae," he'd whispered, his words a silken chain. "No one will understand you." I had believed him. I had let him dismantle my dreams, piece by piece, until only his remained.

Now, watching him with Karis, it all clicked into place. She was his chosen puppet, willing to play the role I had refused. She craved his status, his wealth, his powerful family. She was everything he wanted: compliant, ambitious in ways that served him. And she had skillfully exploited his weaknesses, his need for control, his fear of losing face with his grandfather.

Karis. My supposed best friend. I remembered her "advice" when I was struggling with Glenn's possessiveness. "He just loves you so much, Fae," she'd cooed, her eyes wide and innocent. "He's just worried about you. You should listen to him." She had been a co-conspirator, a snake in the grass, whispering poison in my ear while sharpening her own knives behind my back. She' d been the one to plant seeds of doubt about my music, suggesting it was "too demanding" for a woman in Glenn's world.

A wave of nausea swept over me, thick and cloying. It wasn't just heartbreak; it was a profound, soul-deep revulsion. My body trembled, cold sweat prickling my skin. Every fiber of my being screamed in protest.

My phone buzzed again, a text from Karis: Just left the fitting for my wedding dress! It's divine! Wish you were here, bestie!

The audacity. The sheer, unadulterated cruelty. She was rubbing it in, twisting the knife. She knew. She had always known. And she reveled in my pain.

My world shattered again, but this time, there was no surprise, only a cold, hard clarity. Glenn' s lies, Karis' s manipulations, his grandfather' s pressure-it was all a meticulously crafted trap. And I had walked right into it, blind with a love that was never reciprocated.

He arrived home late that night, humming a cheerful tune. He looked rumpled, tired, but satisfied. He walked into the living room where I sat, motionless, staring at nothing.

"Fae? You're still awake?" he asked, feigning surprise. His voice was too bright, too casual. "I thought you'd be asleep."

He strode over, pulling me into a hug. His arms felt alien, his touch hollow. I didn't respond, didn't move. He paused, then pulled back slightly, his brow furrowing. "Everything okay, love?"

His eyes, once filled with a warmth I craved, now held a glint of calculation. He was analyzing, assessing, looking for cracks in my facade. He had no idea.

I didn't answer. I just looked at him, truly looked at him, for the first time in a long time. The man who had promised me the world, the man who had built me a golden cage, the man who had betrayed me in the most heinous way possible. He was a stranger. A monster.

And I was done.