Chapter 2

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Liam's mouth. "I knew it."

He thought I was playing tricks on him again.

"No," Grandma shook her head, her red eyes welling with tears as she desperately tried to explain. "Chloe... she's already..."

Watching her choke on her words, unable to speak, I knew she had briefly regained her lucidity. The agonizing truth had resurfaced: her beloved granddaughter was dead.

"Whatever manipulative tricks Chloe picked up from Sebastian, they won't work on me," Liam interrupted, his tone dripping with malice.

Liam had always believed I abandoned him out of greed, chasing after a life of luxury.

Because three years ago, I married Sebastian Cole, the sole heir to the wealthiest family in San Francisco.

Liam and I had met entirely by chance.

Our story began in college, when things were simple. Liam came from a humble background and attended on a scholarship. He was incredibly brilliant, yet socially awkward. He poured all his energy into coding, his mind overflowing with innovative ideas.

He was shy and often stumbled over his words, especially when presenting his projects. Even back then, Sebastian Cole looked at him with a hint of mockery. In Sebastian's eyes, Liam was nothing but a comical, inferior outcast.

During a college pitch competition, Sebastian publicly ridiculed Liam's stutter and unpolished presentation. He intentionally made things difficult for Liam, trying to break him.

I stepped in to help. I didn't know Liam well at the time, but I saw his raw talent and the pure heart hidden beneath his timid exterior.

I helped him refine his pitch, and he won.

That was the beginning of our story. I became his sounding board, his confidante, the only person he truly trusted.

At the same time, Sebastian developed a simmering resentment toward Liam-and a strange, highly possessive interest in me.

We spent countless nights in tiny dorm rooms, mapping out our future. In our world, our ideas, my designs, and his code were going to change everything. He would talk for hours, his eyes practically glowing with passion. I would listen, sketching out user interfaces and branding logos.

Sometimes, he'd get so absorbed in his work that he'd forget about me, forget about the world. Then, suddenly realizing it, he would look up, and his expression would soften. "Sorry, Chloe," he'd say, wearing a rare smile. "I got carried away. But it's all because of you. You make our future look so clear to me."

He remembered everything. My favorite coffee-extra sugar, no milk. The way I hummed when I was deep in thought. He would bring me that coffee and quietly set it on my desk.

We built our startup from scratch, fueled by nothing but passion and an unwavering belief in each other. "We're going to be billionaires, Chloe," he whispered, tracing patterns into the palm of my hand. "I'm going to buy you the world. You'll never have to worry about a thing ever again."

I remember my birthday during the early days of the company, when we were practically penniless. He bought me a delicate little silver necklace. He had saved up for months.

"Chloe, you deserve the best," he said, his eyes utterly sincere. "One day, I'll give it to you."

He protected me like a fiercely loyal lion. He would never let anyone hurt or insult me. His love for me was steadfast, seemingly boundless. It was a love that defied logic, and I had thought it would last forever.

The memories flooded in, sharp yet hazy. My numb mind desperately tried to cling to them, trying to reconcile them with the man standing before me.

But my heart grew colder and colder. Now, all I could feel was his hatred.

Grandma struggled to stand up. She was completely exhausted, her frail frame a heartbreaking sight. She stared at Liam, but ultimately swallowed her words.

Some truths just lodge themselves deep in the throat, too difficult to speak. Like the fact that I had been dead for two years.

It was a memory Nana's mind fiercely suppressed, a coping mechanism to survive the grief.

She would often sit at my old desk at home, staring at my laptop, whispering, "My sweet Chloe, why won't you come home to see Grandma?"

If I could, I would rather she live in a fantasy forever than have to face this kind of pain.

"That's enough, Nana," I practically begged. "Stop remembering the pain. Just remember the good times."

Losing patience with her silence, Liam turned and walked toward a car parked by the curb.

Nana gave his retreating back a sorrowful look. Limping forward, she muttered to herself, "I'm sorry, Chloe. I shouldn't have come. You'd be so heartbroken if you heard what Liam just said."

My phantom tears poured down like rain.

Just as Liam reached to open the car door, Nana suddenly swayed and collapsed onto the sidewalk.

I screamed in terror. "Please! Someone help her! Save my grandma!"

But my cries dissolved into the wind. No one moved.

Then, Liam turned and started walking back.

In that split second, I thought the remnants of his humanity had returned. I thought he was going to help her.

For the first time, a flicker of emotion other than contempt crossed his eyes. But then he took a step back, maintaining a studied, deliberate apathy on his face.

He'll come back to save her, the foolish part of me hoped. He couldn't be that cruel. He knew her. He knew Grandma.

I even pictured him kneeling beside her, checking her pulse, calling for help.

"Is this another one of Chloe's tricks?" he said, his tone flat and rigid. "She's using you to get to me, to win my sympathy? Could she be any more despicable?"

"You only blocked my path because you want money, right?" Liam took a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills from his assistant and threw them over Nana's body.

The bills fluttered down like a rain of green insults, landing on her chest and face.

"Liam!" Rage flared up inside me like a blazing inferno.

I lunged at him, wanting to tear him to shreds, but I only phased right through his tailored suit.

Tears of sheer fury blurred my vision.

Liam, she's as pale as a ghost! Can't you see she's passed out?!

Seeing that Nana didn't react, Liam frowned, his face twisting with disgust.

"Drop the act. Tell Chloe that if she wants to see me, if she wants my money, she can crawl here herself."