Chapter 2

Cassie POV:

The transfer confirmation wasn't just a betrayal of our savings; it was a cold, hard slap of premeditation. The date on the document stared back at me, mocking my weeks of agonizing arguments. Two months. Two months ago, he had already pulled the trigger, already emptied our shared future for Kiera.

He hadn't needed my agreement. He hadn't sought my approval. He had simply acted, then subjected me to an elaborate charade of discussion, making me believe I still had a say. It wasn't a "sacred promise" he was fulfilling; it was a secret he was hiding.

My breath hitched. A wave of nausea washed over me, hot and bitter. My vision blurred, the pristine kitchen tiles tilting precariously beneath my feet. He hadn't just taken our money. He had stolen my voice. He had stolen my agency.

My phone buzzed again, a new message from Brenna. It was a screenshot of a social media post: Kiera, holding a glass of champagne, clinking it with Ethan, a wide, triumphant smile on her face. The caption read, "To new beginnings! Thank you, Ethan, for making this dream come true. You're my rock." The photo was dated two months ago. The same day as the bank transfer.

They had celebrated. They had celebrated my loss, our loss, with champagne and smiles. While I was still sketching designs for our firm, dreaming of a future he had already sold off.

A guttural sob tore through me, raw and animalistic. It wasn't just the money. It was the calculated deception, the utter disregard for my feelings, my intelligence, my very existence in his life. Had I been nothing more than a convenient accessory? A placeholder until Kiera entered the scene?

My hand flew to my mouth, trying to stifle the cries that threatened to erupt. My stomach violently rebelled, and I barely made it to the sink before I dry-heaved, the emptiness in my gut mirroring the hollowness in my chest.

I slid to the floor, my back pressed against the cold cabinets, the phone clutched in my trembling hand. Memories, once precious, now twisted into instruments of torture. Ethan proposing, his eyes filled with a promise that felt so real. Us, sitting on the floor of this very apartment, sketching out our firm's logo, our names intertwined, our dreams a vibrant tapestry. We had talked about every detail, from the minimalist aesthetic of our office space to the types of projects we would pursue. He had promised me a light-filled studio, expansive and inspiring, a place where our creativity could truly soar.

It was all a lie. Every shared laugh, every late-night planning session, every whispered vow. He had played me for a fool, a supporting character in his warped narrative of misguided heroism.

My engagement ring felt heavy, a cold band of hypocrisy on my finger. It wasn't a symbol of love; it was a shackles. A binding contract to a man who saw me as expendable, a conveniently pliable presence in his life.

The Cassie who loved Ethan, who believed in him, who sacrificed for him... she was gone. She had died in this kitchen, crushed under the weight of a two-month-old bank transfer and a champagne toast.

I pushed myself up, my legs wobbly but resolute. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't breathe the same air as his deception. I needed to escape, to disappear, to find a place where his lies couldn't reach me. A fellowship. The architectural fellowship I had been offered, the one I had almost turned down for our firm, for him. It was my only way out.

I stumbled toward the bedroom, my mind racing through logistics. Bank accounts. Assets. I wouldn't take anything he could claim. I would strip myself bare, leave everything behind, just to be free of him and his tainted generosity. This apartment, our shared belongings, my car-they were all tied to him, to this broken dream. I would sell it all, liquidate everything, and leave with only what I could carry. I needed to sever every tie, every thread that connected me to this agonizing reality.

The thought of vanishing, of becoming utterly untraceable, was intensely appealing. I wanted to erase myself from his narrative, to become a ghost he would never find. I wanted him to wake up one day and realize the extent of what he had truly lost, not just the money, but the woman who had loved him unconditionally.

I pulled out my largest suitcase, its empty interior a stark canvas for a new life. This wasn' t an act of desperation; it was an act of survival. I was ready to face whatever came next, as long as it didn' t involve his lies, his manipulation, or his pathetic excuses.

A hollow ache settled in my chest, a physical manifestation of the emptiness he had carved out of my heart. But beneath the ache, a flicker of defiance ignited. I wouldn't be a victim. I wouldn't be defined by his betrayal. I would rise from the ashes of this demolished dream, stronger and fiercely independent.

I would not be an architect of someone else' s convenience any longer. The next structure I built would be my own. My phone buzzed again, Brenna' s name a beacon in the darkness. I had to call her. She needed to know. The game was over. And his sacred promise had just cost him everything.