Chapter 2

Chris returned exactly three years later, a little leaner, a few more lines around his eyes, but otherwise the same devastatingly handsome man I'd fallen for.

The moment he stepped off the private jet at Teterboro, my world clicked back into place.

"I told you I'd be back," he said, crushing me in a hug.

The relief was so immense, I just sobbed into his shoulder.

We fell back into our old rhythm, or a new, even more exciting one. Wedding plans began immediately. The Wyoming ranch was booked. Vera Wang was designing my dress.

Everything was perfect. Too perfect.

A month into his return, Chris was in the shower. His old satellite phone, the one he'd used on his "mission," lay on the nightstand. He'd said he was getting a new one, that this one was obsolete.

Something idly made me pick it up. I'd never snooped before. Never felt the need.

He'd told me he'd wiped it clean for security reasons.

I pressed the power button. It flickered to life.

Most of the data was gone, but under a mislabeled folder, I found a small, undeleted audio file. A voice memo, it looked like.

My finger hovered over it. A cold dread started to unspool in my stomach.

I pressed play.

A woman's voice, accented, Spanish. "Chris, mi amor, Leo misses his papa. He asks for you every night."

My breath hitched.

Then Chris's voice, unmistakably his, but softer, more intimate than I'd heard it in a long time. "I know, Maria, I know. It's complicated. Just a little longer. Once I handle things with the New York heiress, we can be together properly. She can't find out. Not yet."

*New York heiress?* That was me. He sometimes called me that teasingly because of my mother's side of the family, though I was pure Texan at heart.

The recording continued. Maria was talking about their son's second birthday party. How Chris had been there.

Two years old.

Their son.

The satellite phone slipped from my numb fingers and clattered onto the hardwood floor.

The sound of the shower stopped.

Chris. My Chris. Had a child. With another woman.

The three-year "mission" wasn't a mission. It was a lie. A meticulously crafted, three-year-long lie to be with her. And their son.

My entire world, the one built on his promises, shattered.

I stumbled back, my legs weak.

He had a son. Two years old.

He'd been with her, playing happy families, while I was counting the days, my heart aching with worry and longing.

The bathroom door opened. Chris emerged, a towel around his waist, hair damp.

"Everything okay, Ava? You look pale."

I stared at him. The man I loved. The man who was a complete stranger.

My voice was a choked whisper. "Who is Maria?"

His smile faltered. Just for a second. Then it was back, easy and reassuring.

"Maria? Oh, she's... she was a local contact. Helped with logistics on a few things. Why?"

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak.

I just shook my head, backing away.

I needed to get out. I needed air.

I fumbled for my purse, my keys.

"Ava? What's wrong? Talk to me." He started towards me, concern etched on his handsome, lying face.

I flinched. "Don't touch me."

I turned and fled the apartment, his confused calls echoing behind me.

Down in the bustling New York street, I leaned against a cold brick wall, gasping for air.

My hands were shaking so hard I could barely dial.

Senator Harrison picked up on the first ring.

"Ava? What's happened? You sound terrible."

Tears streamed down my face. "Senator... Chris... he..."

I couldn't form the words. The betrayal was a physical weight, crushing my chest.

"He has a child, Senator. A son. With someone else. The whole three years... it was all a lie."

Silence on the other end. Then, his voice, grim and steady. "Where are you, Ava?"

"I... I don't know. On the street."

"Stay put. I'm sending a car. We'll figure this out."

He paused. "Ava, listen to me. There's the Chen family. In San Francisco. Old friends. Their youngest son, Noah... they've been looking for a suitable match. He's... quiet. Different. But a good man, from a good family."

A marriage alliance. My mind reeled.

"Senator, I..."

"Just think about it, Ava. A way out. A fresh start. Far away from this... mess."

The thought of facing Chris, of the scandal, of the pitying looks... it was unbearable.

San Francisco. A new life. With a stranger.

A quiet, different stranger.

It sounded like a lifeline.

"Okay," I whispered, the fight draining out of me. "Okay, Senator. Tell me about this Noah Chen."