Chapter 1

Ava stared at the screen.

Her own game, "Ephemeral Echoes," was days from launch.

But it wasn't game code she saw.

It was a chat log.

Ethan's.

With Chloe Davis.

An intern.

Her mind went cold, then sharp.

Escape.

She had to escape.

This life, this engagement, it was all a lie.

She would not be his fool, not anymore.

The plan began to form, a desperate, wild idea.

"Ava, darling, you in there?" Ethan's voice, smooth and deep, called from the hallway.

The world saw Ethan Hayes, CEO of NexusCorp, as devoted.

His social media was a shrine to her, their perfect life.

He knew all her passwords, a gesture he'd framed as ultimate trust.

She now saw it as control.

The private reality was this screen, burning into her eyes.

Explicit DMs. Photos.

Chloe, laughing, in Ethan's penthouse.

Worse, a shared cloud folder.

Chloe had access.

A folder with Ava's early game concepts for "Ephemeral Echoes."

Ideas she'd only shared with Ethan, her confidant, her rock.

He hadn't just betrayed her heart; he'd given away pieces of her soul.

And then, the perfume.

A distinct, expensive scent.

Chloe wore it in one photo.

Last night, Ava had smelled it on Ethan's collar.

He'd laughed it off, said it must be from a client meeting.

Her parents. The accident. Ten years ago.

Ethan had been there, a sudden pillar of strength.

He'd held her, promised to always protect her.

That memory, once a comfort, now twisted like a knife.

His recent forgetfulness clicked into place.

Missing her mention of severe period cramps.

Forgetting their anniversary dinner plans.

It wasn't stress. It was Chloe.

She closed the laptop.

Her breath was shallow, but her hands were steady.

The game launch. It was global, live-streamed.

A spectacle.

It would be her stage, not for triumph, but for disappearance.

She had to protect her work, her sanity.

Ethan walked in, a charming smile on his face.

"Big day tomorrow, final pre-launch checks. You okay? You look pale."

He leaned in to kiss her, and she caught that scent again.

Chloe's perfume. Lingering on him.

She didn't flinch.

"Just pre-launch jitters, Ethan," Ava said, her voice surprisingly even.

"You know how it is."

Inside, she was already miles away, plotting every step.

He wouldn't see it coming.

No one would.