Chapter 2

Chloe POV:

A hollow ache settled in my chest as I hung up with Eliot. The decision was made. The first step taken. And now, the terrifying emptiness stretched before me. For so long, my life had been defined by Augustus Clark. Not just my personal life, but my professional one too. The public image of "Chloe O'Connor-Clark," the power couple, the brilliant analyst married to the billionaire titan. Everyone thought I'd chosen this life, traded a promising legal career for the glitz and glamour of television, supported by my powerful husband.

Augustus's family, old money and even older prejudices, had always looked down on my legal aspirations. "A lawyer? How... pedestrian," his mother once drawled, sipping champagne. "Surely, darling, your talents are better suited to something more... visible. Something that complements Augustus's standing." And Augustus himself, in those early, intoxicating days, had played the supportive husband. He'd championed my move into broadcasting, pulling strings, making introductions, seemingly proud of my rising star. He' d reveled in my success, as long as it was his success by proxy.

I had soared. I dedicated myself to my new career, channeling all my ambition into becoming the best. For years, I was. Top ratings, respected analysis, a household name. I reached the pinnacle, a financial news anchor whose word could move markets. I thought I was invincible, that my talent, combined with Augustus's influence, created an unshakeable empire of two.

Then, slowly, subtly, the ground began to shift. He started these "little games," as he called them. Minor market manipulations, just enough to make my on-air predictions seem a little off. Then they escalated. Today's debacle was no accident; it was a deliberate, brutal assassination of my professional credibility. All for Baylee. He'd started flaunting her openly, the young, ambitious intern he'd plucked from obscurity, now a rising star at the network, thanks to his patronage.

"She' s so... fresh," Augustus had once remarked, a lazy smile on his lips as Baylee hung on his arm at a corporate gala. "Not jaded by years of... practicalities." He'd seen my look, the flicker of hurt in my eyes. "What? You think I'm cheating on you?" he'd scoffed, pulling Baylee closer. "Darling, I don't cheat. I simply expand my portfolio. And you, Chloe, are becoming a rather stagnant asset." The words had twisted inside me, but I'd swallowed them, as I always did. I'd learned to tolerate his affairs with a veneer of cold indifference, telling myself it was just part of the power game.

But it wasn't indifference. It was a slow, agonizing realization. I wasn't his partner; I was a possession. A trophy. And now, a stagnant asset to be replaced. I had been so blind, so desperate for his approval, for the illusion of our perfect life. My love, my sacrifices, my very identity, had been slowly eroded, gaslit into submission. I had allowed him to diminish me, to make me doubt everything I knew to be true. The thought sent a chill down my spine, but also a spark of defiant fire.

My phone buzzed again, jarring me from my thoughts. It was the network. "Chloe, urgent. They need you back for the evening broadcast. Baylee Villarreal's segment. She needs a senior analyst to prep her. Boss's orders." The universe, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor. They wanted me to polish the weapon that was being used to destroy me.

I pulled myself together, a cold mask settling over my features. My professional training kicked in. Muscle memory guided me through the preparation. I reviewed Baylee's notes, her scripts, her market projections. They were remarkably similar to mine, the ones I had prepared just hours ago. No, not similar. Identical. My stomach churned. He was giving her my work.

I walked into the studio, the fluorescent lights harsh against my bruised jaw. Baylee was already there, perched on the edge of the anchor desk, laughing a little too loudly with Augustus, who was casually leaning against the monitor, an arm draped around her shoulders. She looked up, her smile faltering for a split second when she saw me, then widening into a saccharine grin.

"Chloe! So glad you're back," she chirped, standing up, but not moving away from Augustus. "Mr. Clark said you'd be helping me with my segment. I'm so excited! It's such an honor to learn from the best." Her eyes flickered towards Augustus, a silent invitation for his approval.

Augustus simply nodded, his gaze lingering on Baylee. "Chloe has a wealth of experience, Baylee. Listen to her. Absorb everything." He didn't look at me.

My throat tightened. "Your projections are... solid," I said, my voice carefully neutral, holding up her script. "But I think we can refine the delivery. Make it more impactful."

Baylee snatched the papers from my hand. "Oh, no, I think I've got it covered. Mr. Clark and I went over everything. He says my natural charm is far more important than any dry analysis." She winked at Augustus, who chuckled.

My hands clenched. The air around me crackled with unspoken tension. I was being sidelined, publicly emasculated in my own domain, by the very man who championed my position. A few of the junior producers exchanged uneasy glances. The camera crew avoided eye contact.

"Alright, Baylee. Focus on the teleprompter," I said, my voice a strained whisper. It was the only thing I could control.

Baylee, emboldened by Augustus's presence, waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I'll be fine. Mr. Clark has everything under control." She leaned into him, a possessive gesture.

Augustus just grinned, his gaze fixed on Baylee, then, almost imperceptibly, he glanced at me, a flicker of triumph in his icy eyes. It was a clear message: she's mine. And you are nothing.

The broadcast was a blur of polite smiles and thinly veiled contempt. Baylee stumbled over complex economic terms, but Augustus, from the control room, kept interjecting with encouraging words, praises for her "fresh perspective." The crew, once deferential to me, now seemed to gravitate towards Baylee, drawn by the gravitational pull of Augustus's favor. I was invisible. A ghost in my own studio.

When the segment finally wrapped, Baylee flung her arms around Augustus. "I did it! Thanks to you, darling!" she gushed, kissing his cheek.

He returned her embrace, his eyes full of a warmth he hadn't shown me in years. "You were brilliant, Baylee. Absolutely brilliant. Let's celebrate. Just us." They walked past me, Augustus not even acknowledging my presence. I felt a stinging in my eyes, but I refused to let the tears fall. Not here. Not in front of them.

I retreated to the quiet anonymity of my office, a space I once considered my sanctuary. The silence was deafening. I sank into my chair, the exhaustion a heavy cloak. My jaw ached. My pride was in tatters. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the images of their nauseating intimacy.

Then, my personal cell phone, usually reserved for my mother's caregivers or Eliot, buzzed on my desk. It was an anonymous number. A text message. "Listen to this. Baylee Villarreal. And your mother." Attached was an audio file. My heart hammered. This couldn't be good. I hesitated for a moment, then clicked play, my ear pressed close to the speaker.

A young, panicked voice, unmistakably Baylee's, filled the room. "I swear, Augustus, it was an accident! I didn't see her! She just... came out of nowhere! The old woman, she was so slow. Oh God, what do I do? What do I do?" The voice was trembling, on the verge of hysterics.

Then, Augustus's calm, reassuring tone. "Baylee, calm down. Take a deep breath. No one saw you. No witnesses. We can fix this. Where are you? I'll be there in ten minutes. We'll get rid of the car. And you? You're going on a little vacation. A long one. To Europe. Consider it an internship abroad. No one ever needs to know."

"But... the old woman?" Baylee whimpered.

"She'll be taken care of," Augustus said, his voice chillingly detached. "Just focus on yourself. Your future. Our future. This never happened. Understand?"

A choked sob from Baylee. "Yes. Yes, Augustus. Thank you. Thank you!"

My blood ran cold. The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering onto the desk. The audio file kept playing, the horrifying truth echoing in the silent room. My mother. The hit-and-run. Years ago. The accident that had stolen her ability to walk, her ability to speak clearly, that had condemned her to a life of quiet suffering. It wasn't an accident. It was Baylee. And Augustus. They knew. They covered it up. All these years, he let me believe it was a tragic, random event. He let me carry the weight of her medical bills, the endless physical therapy, the crushing guilt that I hadn't been there. He had orchestrated the entire cover-up, then played the hero.

My vision blurred. A guttural scream tore from my throat, raw and anguished, echoing off the silent walls of my office. The world tilted on its axis, not with the crash of markets, but with the shattering of my entire reality.