Chapter 1

On New Year's Eve, I was ready to go public with my secret boyfriend of a year, Alberto.

Instead, I watched him kiss another woman and announce their engagement in front of my own parents.

He didn't just break my heart; he publicly humiliated me.

"And this is Charlotte," he said with a cold smile. "She's like a little sister to me."

He had systematically erased every trace of our year together, even packing my things from his apartment-our home-into a storage unit to make room for his new fiancée.

A year of stolen kisses and whispered promises, all a lie. He had used me, then tried to erase me, expecting me to quietly disappear.

But when I quit my job, he tracked me down at the airport, thinking he could threaten me back into line. Instead, I gave him an ultimatum: transfer $100,000 to my account, or his new fiancée would get a full, detailed history of our 'secret affair,' complete with screenshots.

Chapter 1

Charlotte POV:

My heart shattered the moment I saw him, my secret boyfriend of an entire year, Alberto Morgan, kissing someone else.

It was New Year's Eve.

I' d just sent him a text, a picture of the sparkling Times Square ball drop on my TV screen, a silly little message asking if he was watching too.

"Happy New Year, my love," I'd typed, my thumb hovering over the send button. "Can't wait to finally tell everyone about us this year."

My parents were with me, their faces glowing from the festive lights of their annual holiday party.

"Oh, Charlotte, you look so radiant tonight!" my mom exclaimed, her eyes twinkling.

"Is there someone special you're hoping to share this new year with? Someone we don't know about?" my dad teased, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

A sudden chill, colder than the winter air outside, crept up my spine.

It was a premonition, a cold, sharp blade of dread.

"No, Dad, just... hopeful," I' d replied, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling.

Then my mom pointed, her voice a little too excited.

"Howard, look! Isn't that Alberto? And he's with someone!"

I followed her gaze, my breath catching in my throat.

The world tilted.

It wasn't a slow-motion reveal, it was a punch to the gut, swift and brutal.

There he was, Alberto, under the soft glow of the firm's rooftop party lights.

His arms were wrapped around a woman I didn't recognize.

Her head was thrown back, a laugh escaping her lips, and then his mouth was on hers.

A deep, lingering kiss that stole the air from my lungs.

My body went numb first, then a searing pain bloomed in my chest.

It spread like wildfire, burning away every ounce of hope I' d just harbored.

That woman, the new intern, Daniella.

My eyes met Alberto's across the crowded room.

His eyes widened for a split second, then narrowed.

A flicker of panic, of something dark, crossed his face.

He pulled away from her, a little too quickly.

He started walking towards me, a forced smile pasted on his handsome face.

Daniella, still oblivious, tugged at his arm, giggling.

He brushed her off gently, his eyes still fixed on mine, a silent warning.

He reached us, a practiced ease in his steps.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bright! Happy New Year!" he said, his voice smooth, too smooth.

He turned to Daniella, pulling her closer.

"And this is Daniella, my fiancée," he announced, his voice booming over the festive music. "We're celebrating our engagement tonight!"

My parents gasped, genuinely surprised and delighted.

My mother clasped her hands together.

"Oh, Alberto, darling, what wonderful news! Congratulations!"

Then he gestured vaguely towards me.

"And this is Charlotte," he said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "She's like a little sister to me, you know, my protégé at the firm."

A little sister.

The words hit me like a physical blow.

My mind reeled, trying to process the casual cruelty, the public dismissal.

A little sister.

I looked at him, truly looked at him, and saw a stranger.

The man I' d loved, the man I' d shared a secret year with, was a ghost.

Our year together, the stolen kisses, the whispered promises, the late nights working side-by-side that always ended in his bed-it was all a lie.

It was nothing.

He had erased me, systematically, completely, to make room for her.

The intern, his fiancée, the 'strategic partner.'

My parents were still gushing, oblivious to the earthquake shaking my world.

"Charlotte, isn't that just wonderful?" my mom beamed, turning to me.

I could feel Alberto watching me, a challenge in his eyes, daring me to react, to shatter his perfectly constructed facade.

You want me to be a little sister, Alberto? Fine.

My throat was tight, but I forced a smile, a brittle, fragile thing.

"Wonderful, Alberto," I managed to choke out.

My voice sounded alien, thin and reedy, even to my own ears.

"Absolutely wonderful."