Introduction

My little brother, Leo, was dying, dependent on a miracle surgery our family couldn't afford.

My only hope was my five-year relationship with Ethan Vanderbilt, the wealthy heir - a relationship I' d clung to despite his growing cruelty.

Then, he called me to his penthouse, not for reconciliation, but to introduce Isabella Romano, his new, stunning fiancée.

"You were always a bit... much, Mia," he sneered, discarding me for an "upgrade."

Public humiliation followed, as society pages lauded their perfect match, branding me the desperate ex.

My own father, desperate for Leo' s life, told me I should have "tried harder."

Our last hope seemed to vanish.

Just when I thought I was at rock bottom, Ethan' s ruthless uncle, Charles Vanderbilt, offered a bizarre lifeline: full funding for Leo' s surgery.

The catch? I had to go to a remote Vermont clinic and act as a discreet observer for his "comatose" brother-in-law, Marcus Thorne.

Spy on a dying man for the family who' d just ruined me? Why me? What dark secrets was I being forced into?

It felt like a devil' s bargain, a humiliation worse than anything Ethan could inflict, and I couldn't ignore the chilling sense of injustice.

But for Leo, I' d do anything.

So I packed my bags, leaving everything behind for that bleak, uncertain future in Vermont.

I expected silent days watching a still form, but the "comatose" Marcus Thorne wasn't so comatose after all.

And the very first thing he said to me wasn't 'hello,' but, "As I recall, Mia Hayes, you were my first kiss."