Chapter 1

The scent of lilies was overwhelming, thick in the air of the grand hall. Sarah Miller stood numbly, watching people offer condolences. Her father, Arthur Miller, was gone. The New York real estate world had lost a giant, but Sarah had lost her dad.

Mr. Henderson, her father's lawyer and oldest friend, touched her elbow gently.

"Sarah, a word in private, if you please."

His face was grim, more so than just grief.

He led her to a small, quiet study off the main hall.

"I'm so sorry to do this now, Sarah, but it cannot wait."

He handed her a thin file.

"Arthur asked me to look into some things... regarding Ethan Vance."

Sarah frowned, her heart already a lead weight in her chest. Ethan, her fiancé.

"What things?"

Mr. Henderson sighed.

"Ethan has been... unfaithful. Extensively. With his executive assistant, Tiffany Hayes."

Sarah felt the blood drain from her face.

"No."

"I'm afraid so. There's more."

He paused, his gaze full of pity.

"Tiffany Hayes gave birth to Ethan's child three days ago. She's currently at a luxury postpartum wellness retreat in California. All expenses paid by Ethan."

While Sarah was planning a funeral, Ethan was starting a new family.

The words hit her, each one a physical blow.

Her phone buzzed in her purse. Ethan.

She fumbled for it, her hands shaking.

"Hello?"

"Sarah, thank God. Listen, things are a bit... complicated."

Ethan's voice was rushed, not comforting.

"I know this is bad timing, with your father and all, but we need to manage this Tiffany situation."

Manage?

"What are you talking about, Ethan?"

"Look, she had the baby. It's a boy. My son."

He said it so casually.

"I'm thinking a modern arrangement. After we're married, of course. Weekdays in D.C. with you, long weekends in California with Tiffany and the baby. It's practical. Our families' interests, Sarah, think of the merger."

Sarah couldn't breathe. Her grief for her father mixed with a fresh, searing wave of betrayal.

"Practical? My father just died, Ethan. And you're talking about your... your other family?"

"Don't be dramatic, Sarah. Be practical. This is business too. Your father would have understood the need for discretion and a strong front."

He dismissed her pain as if it were an inconvenience.

The line between grief and fury blurred.