Chapter 2

The memories flooded in, unbidden, cruel.

Ten years with Ethan.

High school sweethearts, the golden couple.

His grand gestures, the surprise trips, the expensive gifts.

I saw them now through a new, sickening lens.

Were they ever truly for me?

A specific memory burned bright: our engagement party last spring.

Chloe had arrived late, dressed in something tight and revealing, her eyes fixed on Ethan.

She' d been overly familiar, touching his arm, laughing too loudly at his jokes.

I felt a prickle of unease, a familiar discomfort Chloe always managed to evoke.

I' d quietly asked her to tone it down.

Chloe' s face crumpled. "Ava, you're always so sensitive. I'm just being friendly."

Ethan overheard.

His face, usually so kind towards me, turned cold.

"Ava, what the hell is wrong with you? Chloe is your sister. Apologize to her."

In front of everyone. Our families, our friends.

My father, David, stood nearby, his expression disapproving – aimed at me.

He' d murmured something about me "making a scene," about "being more gracious."

Chloe, of course, looked tragically misunderstood.

I had fled to the gardens, humiliated, tears stinging my eyes.

Now, the pieces clicked into place.

I started digging.

Old emails, social media archives, anything I could find.

His family' s real estate empire had faced near-collapse years ago.

Ethan had been a wreck, stressed, vulnerable.

And Chloe had been there.

A business trip, a shared crisis, a whirlwind romance.

I found a deleted photo album on an old cloud drive of his, pictures of him and Chloe, young, carefree, unmistakably in love.

The dates aligned with his "worst year."

The Hayes family, with their "old money" Charleston pride, would never have approved of Chloe, with her drama-seeking mother and their scandalous past.

So he chose me.

Ava Chen, the sweet Southern belle, daughter of a respectable lawyer, even if her mother was a "new money" Texan.

I was the appropriate choice, the safe bet.

A placeholder.

The realization hit me like a physical blow, winding me.

He never truly chose me. I was just convenient.