Chapter 1

The final email from the investors confirmed it: NovaSpark was dead.

Ava stared at the screen, the words blurring. Five years of her life, her vision, gone.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Ethan.

"Heard about NovaSpark. Tough break. Listen, Ava, this isn't easy, but things have changed for me. My music, the Hamilton thing... it's a different world now. We're done."

Done. Just like that.

After five years of her supporting him, funding his dreams, believing in his music when no one else did.

Another buzz. A link to a gossip site. Ethan, arm in arm with a blonde influencer, Chloe, stepping out of a new sports car. The headline screamed about his sudden viral hit and a "surprise Hamilton inheritance."

The article mentioned he was already a "Hamilton," a long-lost relative, now embraced by the wealthy clan.

Ava felt a cold hollowness spread through her chest. Her startup, her relationship, all gone in one brutal afternoon.

She' d been about to propose to him tonight. The custom Cartier ring felt heavy in her purse.

She found herself in a dimly lit, high-end lounge in Los Angeles, a place she'd never usually go. She needed to be somewhere anonymous, somewhere the silence wouldn't be so loud.

A glass of whiskey sat untouched in front of her.

"Ava?"

She looked up. Liam, one of NovaSpark's early investors, stood there. He always had a kind smile, a genuine belief in her, even when others wavered.

"Liam," she managed, her voice hoarse. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard about NovaSpark," he said, his expression gentle. "Came to see if you were okay."

He sat down, his presence unexpectedly comforting.

He didn't pry, just sat with her. The silence with him wasn't empty, it was understanding.

Ava finally picked up her glass. "It's all gone, Liam. Everything."

"NovaSpark was a great idea, Ava. Sometimes even great ideas don't make it."

His calm voice was a balm.

She almost told him about Ethan, about the text, the betrayal. But the shame was too fresh.