Chapter 2

The days blurred into a haze of pain and planning.

I was growing weaker.

I contacted an appraiser.

Designer clothes, handbags, jewelry.

Gifts from Marcus, from a time when "love" was a word he still used with me.

They were just things now, symbols of a life that was no longer mine.

The appraiser, a polite woman named Ms. Albright, handled each item with care.

"Mr. Thorne has excellent taste," she commented, examining a diamond necklace.

"He was just in my showroom last week, actually. Picked up the entire new collection for his new associate."

Her words were casual, innocent.

They landed like stones in my stomach.

Later that day, I scrolled through Instagram, a masochistic urge.

Chloe Sanders' story.

A new Hermès Kelly bag, perched on a restaurant table.

Caption: "Feeling appreciated #BossPerks."

I closed my eyes, a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Liv, I need you to come with me," I said over the phone.

Olivia Chen, my best friend since our days at the University ofOregon.

Fiercely loyal, brutally honest. She despised Marcus.

"Where are we going, El?" she asked, her voice warm.

"Just a drive. A place I need to see."

We drove east, towards the Columbia River Gorge.

The scenery was breathtaking, wild and majestic.

We arrived at a serene memorial park, overlooking the river, Mount Hood a distant, snow-capped sentinel.

I'd found it online. Quiet, peaceful.

I pointed to a small plot, under a sprawling oak tree, with an uninterrupted view.

"That one, Liv."

She looked at me, confused. "Ellie, what is this?"

We sat in her car, the silence heavy.

I took a deep breath and told her.

The diagnosis. The prognosis. Everything.

Her face crumpled. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"No, Ellie. No. There has to be a mistake."

The shock, the grief, it was too much.

A searing pain shot through me, more intense than before.

I gasped, clutching my side, and collapsed against the car door.

"Ellie! Oh my god! I'm taking you to the ER!" Liv cried, her voice frantic.

"No," I managed, through gritted teeth. "Home. Please. My own bed."

She argued, pleaded, but I was adamant.

She helped me into the car, her movements jerky with panic and anger.

As she drove, she pulled out her phone, her knuckles white.

She called Marcus.

"You worthless piece of trash!" she screamed into the voicemail. "Ellie is sick! Really sick! And it's your damn fault! Get your selfish ass over to your house now!"

I was lying on the sofa in the West Hills house, wrapped in a blanket, when Marcus finally arrived.

He looked annoyed, impatient.

"Liv called. Said you were being dramatic again. What is it this time?"

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang.

Marcus opened it.

Chloe Sanders stood on the doorstep, a vision in a designer dress.

She carried a basket overflowing with expensive organic fruit from Whole Foods.

"Marcus was just telling me at our strategy brunch that you weren't feeling well, Ellie," Chloe said, her voice dripping with false concern. "I hope this helps."

She swept into the room, her eyes taking in my frail form on the sofa.

I managed a weak, sarcastic laugh. "Strategy brunch? Is that what you call it now?"

Marcus snapped, "Ellie, where are your manners?"

"Are your manners sleeping with your employees, Marcus?" I shot back, my voice surprisingly strong.

Chloe's eyes welled up. She played the victim perfectly.

"Marcus, I... I just wanted to help."

He put an arm around her. "I'm leaving with Chloe! This house is unbearable with your constant negativity!"

He stepped onto the patio, his phone already to his ear, taking a business call.

Chloe leaned in close to me, her smile gone, her voice a venomous whisper.

"You know, that hideous beige sofa you love? I told Marcus it had to go. It's so dated."

Her eyes gleamed with malice.

"And the guest room? Please. I've spent more nights in your marital bed than you have in the last year, darling."

She paused, letting her words sink in.

"He says my taste is far more refined. He's redecorating, you know. For me."

Something inside me snapped.

Summoning every last ounce of strength, I reached out and slapped her. Hard.

The sound echoed in the silent room.

Chloe shrieked, clutching her cheek.

Marcus rushed back in, his face thunderous.

"Ellie, have you lost your mind?!"