Chapter 1

My husband, a rising political star, begged me to reconcile. I thought our love story was real. It was a lie, a public spectacle designed for his political gain and my systematic destruction.

On our anniversary, I found a group chat on his tablet. He and his mistress were laughing about how predictable I was, calling me a "naive fool" for believing his promises.

The cruelty escalated from there. He poisoned my food, publicly humiliated me at a charity auction that left me bankrupt, and even had me whipped in his family's basement as a twisted form of punishment.

The final blow came when I overheard him plotting my murder. He planned a "tragic hiking accident" at a remote cliff during a storm, a perfect crime to make me disappear forever.

But I turned his murder plot into my own escape. I faked my death and started over as a baker in a quiet town. A year later, he found me, haunted by regret, but his final act of redemption-and the true cost of my freedom-was something I never saw coming.

Chapter 1

Grace POV:

Today marks our first anniversary since our reconciliation, and I know exactly what it is: a lie. My love story with Cole was a beautifully crafted lie, a public spectacle designed for his political gain and my systematic destruction.

I spent hours preparing.

The kitchen was a whirlwind of flour and determination. I was attempting his favorite osso buco, a dish so intricate it usually required a culinary degree, or at least a deep, abiding love. I had both, or so I thought.

Our penthouse apartment, all glass and steel, felt vast and empty tonight. The city lights glittered outside, reflecting my lonely vigil back at me. It was a golden cage.

I checked my reflection in the polished steel of the oven door. My hair was styled, my dress carefully chosen. I looked the part of the devoted wife, waiting for her celebrated husband. Inside, I was a hollow shell, clinging to the fragile hope that this time, he meant it.

He had promised. He had begged.

"Grace, please," he'd said a year ago, his eyes brimming with what I now knew were crocodile tears. "I' ve changed. I need you. Our marriage, our future... it' s real this time."

I believed him. Foolishly.

The scent of simmering saffron and wine filled the air, a cruel parody of domestic bliss. The clock ticked past nine. He was late. Again.

I told myself he was a busy man. A rising political star. Meetings ran long. Campaigns were demanding. Any wife should understand. I tried to swallow the familiar knot of dread that had become a permanent resident in my stomach.

Then, a soft ping.

It came from the tablet Cole had left on the kitchen island. A notification. He was usually meticulous about privacy, but tonight, perhaps in his rush to leave for whatever "urgent meeting" he claimed, he' d forgotten.

The screen lit up with a green bubble, a group chat icon. "Comedy Hour."

My blood ran cold.

My hand trembled as I reached for it, my fingers brushing the cool glass. No password. Of course not. He didn't think I would look. He didn't think I was capable of looking.

The messages scrolled down, a nightmare in digital text.

Kiara: Did she really fall for it again? The osso buco? You' re a genius, Cole.

Cole: She' s so predictable. The perfect little homemaker. Says she wants to make up for lost time. Little does she know, we' re making up for my lost time.

Arlan: Good. Keep her compliant. The public loves a reunited power couple. Just remember the endgame, son.

My breath hitched. It was all there. Every cruel detail. The carefully constructed reconciliation, the tender whispers, the promises of forever. All a performance. A year-long stage play, and I was the unwitting star, the clown in his twisted circus.

I saw a photo of a delicate diamond pendant, nestled in a velvet box.

Cole: This is for Kiara. Our little secret. The Miller family heirloom. Grace thinks I'm wearing it to our 'anniversary dinner'. She' s such a naive fool.

The Miller family heirloom. My grandmother' s pendant. The one Cole had "found" in his safe, claiming it had been "misplaced" for years, and now he wanted me to wear it again. He had it all along. He was going to give it to Kiara. Tonight.

My anniversary wasn't a celebration. It was a prelude. A dark overture to a symphony of humiliation. I was a pawn, a prop, a pathetic creature to be paraded and then discarded.

My heart didn't break. It solidified. An icy, unyielding block of rage formed inside me, calcifying over the gaping wound of betrayal. They wanted a show? I would give them a grand finale.

My fingers, no longer trembling, moved with chilling precision. I knew who to call. A name I' d kept in the back of my mind, a ghost from my investigative journalism days. The Aegis Group.

A single, encrypted message left on a burner phone: "I need to disappear. Permanently. Make it look like an accident. My husband's accident."

I circled a date on my calendar, two weeks from tonight. A small, innocent red circle. It would be my escape route.

The front door clicked open. Cole's familiar baritone echoed through the silent apartment. "Grace? Honey, I'm so sorry I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare."

I shoved the tablet under a stack of magazines just as he walked in, his smile dazzling, perfectly rehearsed. He held a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, their petals still dewy. He leaned in, his lips brushing my temple. The scent of his expensive cologne, mingled with something else-Kiara's perfume-made my stomach turn.

"Happy anniversary, my love," he murmured, pulling me into a suffocating embrace. His arms felt like steel bands, trapping me. He was a master of performance. He always had been.

I remembered the early days, when his pursuit felt like a whirlwind romance, irresistible and exhilarating. He' d swept me off my feet, a powerful man captivated by a journalist who dared to speak truth. I' d mistaken his charm for genuine affection, his intensity for passion. I was just the opening act.

"Happy anniversary, Cole," I said, forcing a smile that felt brittle as glass. My voice was steady. It surprised even me. "I have a surprise for you."

His eyes sparkled with feigned curiosity. "Oh? What kind of surprise?"

"A sweet poison," I whispered, so low he almost missed it. "One you'll never forget."

He chuckled, pulling me closer. His kiss tasted like victory and deceit. A single tear escaped my eye, tracing a path down my cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb.

"Just happy tears, darling?" he asked, his voice dripping with mock concern.

"The happiest," I replied, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth.

He popped the cork on a bottle of champagne, the fizz echoing in the quiet room. The sound was deafening to my ears, but inside, I was eerily calm. Cole was already a ghost, haunting the ruins of our life together. Soon, I would be one too.