Chapter 1

Ava Miller stared at her phone, her finger hovering over Liam Walker's name.

This was insane.

But Ethan's betrayal burned fresh, a raw wound.

She pressed call.

It rang twice.

"Ava?" Liam's voice, warm, a little surprised.

He was in Austin, miles away from her Manhattan nightmare.

"Liam," she said, her voice flat, devoid of the panic churning inside.

"I need to ask you something. Something big."

Silence, then, "Okay. Shoot."

"Marry me, Liam."

A longer silence. She could almost hear him processing.

"Ava... marry you?" He sounded stunned.

"Wow. Uh, yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

Then, a hesitant note.

"But... what about Ethan? The engagement, it's everywhere."

"Ethan is over," Ava stated, each word a tiny, sharp piece of ice.

"I'm done with him. Completely."

Liam's exhale was audible.

"Then, Ava, a thousand times yes. I'm on the next flight. Or, tell me where to be. I've waited... God, Ava, I'm so happy."

His voice cracked with emotion, a stark contrast to the coldness gripping her.

He'd loved her since Charleston, since college, before Ethan.

After the call, Ava's gaze drifted to the tablet on her coffee table.

The screen saver was a candid shot from the Met Gala proposal.

Ethan, devastatingly handsome, on one knee.

Her, Ava Miller, successful lifestyle blogger, author of "Sparks & Ashes," looking ecstatic.

"NYC's Golden Couple!" one headline screamed.

"A Fairytale Engagement!"

She felt sick.

It was all a lie. A beautiful, glittering Manhattan mirage.

Her fairytale had shattered three days ago.

She'd been nestled beside Ethan on their plush sofa, idly scrolling through wedding venues on her laptop.

He was supposedly reviewing a Hayes Corp report on his phone.

Then his phone screen lit up, face-up on the ottoman.

That's when her world ended.

A notification banner: "C.V. Darling."

Then another, a quick succession of texts.

"Miss you, E. Last night was..." followed by an eggplant emoji.

"Can't wait until she's out of the picture for good. You promised."

"My sweet E, you know I'm the one who truly understands your fire."

Intimate photos flashed too quickly for her to fully register, but the implication was seared into her brain.

A woman's hand, delicate, with a familiar vintage Cartier tennis bracelet, resting on what was unmistakably Ethan's thigh.

Ethan's pet name for this C.V. Darling.

It was a punch to the gut.

C.V. Darling.

Chloe Vance.

Ava remembered her from college in Charleston.

Unremarkable Chloe, always lingering on the edges of their group, her eyes fixed on Ethan with a disturbing intensity.

Chloe, who now worked in PR in New York, moving in their circles.

Ava, numb, had waited until Ethan was in the shower.

Her hands shook as she picked up his unlocked phone.

The chat log with "C.V. Darling" went back months. Years, maybe.

Passionate declarations. Secret meetings. Chloe's insecurity, Ethan's reassurances.

"Ava's the perfect match for my image, my family," one of Ethan's texts read.

"But you, Chloe, you're my escape. My excitement."

He'd told Chloe he loved her.

He'd told Chloe he'd handle Ava.

The depth of his duplicity was a crushing weight.

Eight years together, a carefully constructed life, all built on his lies.

Ava had closed the app, placed the phone back exactly where it was.

Her heart had fractured, but a cold resolve settled in.

She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't scream.

She would step aside. Let Ethan have his "excitement."

And she would make him pay.

Her call to Liam was the first step.