Chapter 1

Sarah Miller adjusted the strap of her messenger bag. The Boston design conference hummed with a low buzz of conversations. She was here, back in Boston, for the first time in five years. Not for pleasure, strictly business. Her freelance design business in Portland was doing well enough to justify the trip.

She navigated through the crowded lobby of the convention center, heading for a small café tucked in the corner. A familiar laugh cut through the noise. Sarah froze. She knew that laugh.

Jessica Bellwether stood near the pastry display, her blonde hair perfectly styled, her designer handbag prominent. A former sorority sister, someone Sarah hadn't seen since... since everything fell apart.

Jessica turned, her eyes scanning the room, and then landed on Sarah. Recognition flickered, followed by a wide, surprised smile.

"Sarah? Sarah Miller, is that really you?"

Jessica rushed over, her voice a little too loud.

"My god, I haven't seen you in ages! What are you doing here?"

Sarah managed a small smile.

"Hi, Jessica. I'm here for the design conference."

"Of course, you were always so talented," Jessica said, then her voice dropped, conspiratorial. "Listen, I saw Ethan a few weeks ago. He still talks about you, you know."

Sarah felt a familiar coldness creep up her spine.

"Does he?"

"Oh, completely," Jessica leaned in. "He's never really gotten over you. I told him, and I'll tell you, if you just admitted your mistake, he' d take you back in a heartbeat. He' s a partner at Hayes Ventures now, incredibly successful."

Mistake. The word hung in the air. Sarah looked at Jessica, at the unchanged certainty in her eyes. The same certainty that had filled the grand ballroom five years ago.

"My mistake?" Sarah asked, her voice quiet.

"Well, you know," Jessica waved a dismissive hand. "Leaving him like that. For that other guy. It was all so dramatic."

Sarah took a slow breath. The café suddenly felt too warm, the smell of coffee too strong.

"There was no other guy, Jessica."

Jessica blinked, a frown creasing her forehead.

"But... the messages? Everyone saw them. Ethan was heartbroken."

The carefully constructed peace Sarah had built around herself felt a tremor. She had hoped Boston was just a city, a place on a map. But it was more. It was a graveyard of a former life.