Chapter 2

Alex didn' t tell her parents the full extent of Ethan' s betrayal on the phone that night.

She couldn' t. The shame was too raw, the pain too deep.

She just said things were bad, that she needed to leave.

Her mother, Katherine, didn' t press. "Whenever you' re ready to talk, darling. Just come home. We' ll take care of everything."

Her father, Robert, was quieter, but Alex could hear the steel in his voice when he said, "You' ll be safe here, Alex. No one will bother you."

She knew they suspected Ethan was the cause. They' d always been wary of his impulsive nature, his family' s sometimes ruthless business dealings.

The Paris Clause. It had been their idea, a way to protect her, to give her an escape route if Ethan ever truly broke her heart.

She felt a grim satisfaction knowing it existed. It was a shield, and now, a sword.

She booked a one-way ticket to Paris for the day after next.

She spent the next day in a daze, moving like an automaton.

She packed her essential belongings, leaving behind everything that reminded her of Ethan, of their shared life.

The apartment felt alien, stripped of her presence.

Ethan came home late the next evening.

He looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot. He' d clearly been drinking.

He saw her suitcases by the door.

"Alex? What' s this?" he asked, his voice rough.

She looked at him, her expression carefully neutral. "I' m going to visit Mom and Dad for a while."

He seemed relieved. "Oh. Okay. Good idea. We... we need some space. To think."

He still believed he could smooth this over. That she would eventually forgive him, like she always had before.

He didn' t understand. This time was different. This betrayal had cut too deep.

He came closer, tried to touch her arm.

She flinched, stepping back.

He frowned. "Alex..."

"I' m tired, Ethan," she said, her voice flat. "I' m going to bed."

She walked past him, her heart a cold stone in her chest.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to him move around the apartment.

He showered. She could hear the water running.

When he came into the bedroom, she pretended to be asleep.

He hesitated, then got into bed, leaving a wide space between them.

She smelled it then. Faint, but unmistakable.

Cassandra' s perfume. Sweet, cloying. On his skin. On his clothes.

He' d been with her. Today. After destroying Alex' s world, he' d gone to Cassandra.

The realization was like a fresh slap in the face.

He probably thought she wouldn' t notice. Or wouldn' t care.

He mumbled something in his sleep, a name. Not hers.

"Cassie..."

Alex closed her eyes, a single tear escaping and tracing a cold path down her temple.

The man beside her was a stranger. A monster.

The next morning, Ethan was already up and dressed when Alex came out of the bedroom.

He was on the phone, his voice low and urgent.

"Yeah, I know... I' ll handle it... Just keep her calm..."

He hung up when he saw Alex.

"Morning," he said, trying for a casual tone. He ran a hand through his hair. "Big day at the office."

Alex just nodded, pouring herself a coffee. Her hands were steady.

His phone buzzed on the counter. He glanced at it. A message from "C."

Alex saw it too.

Ethan quickly picked up the phone, his expression tight.

"I, uh, I need to go," he said. "Early meeting."

He grabbed his briefcase, hesitated at the door.

"Alex, about us... we' ll talk when you get back from Paris, okay? We' ll fix this. I promise."

He still didn' t get it. He thought this was a temporary separation.

She looked at him, her eyes empty. "Goodbye, Ethan."

He frowned at her tone, but then his phone buzzed again.

He glanced at it, then rushed out the door.

She knew where he was going. To Cassandra.

The woman he' d spent the previous night with, the woman whose scent still clung to him.

The woman he clearly intended to keep in his life, alongside Alex, if she' d let him.

But she wouldn' t.

Alex knew, with chilling certainty, that Ethan wanted both of them. He wanted the stability and respectability Alex provided, and the thrill and escape Cassandra offered.

He wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

She would not be a part of his sordid game.

Her flight was that evening.

She watched the hours tick by on the clock.

Each tick was a step closer to freedom. A step further away from the man who had shattered her heart.

She thought about their nine years together. The good times, the bad times.

It all felt like a dream now, a distant memory from another life.

The love she had felt for him had curdled into a bitter mixture of pain and disgust.

There would be no fixing this. No reconciliation.

She was done.

At 6 PM, she picked up her suitcases. She took one last look around the apartment that had been her home.

It felt cold, impersonal. Just a collection of expensive furniture and empty spaces.

She walked out, closing the door behind her without a backward glance.

The sound of the lock clicking into place was the sound of finality.

She had already sent the package to the Prescott family lawyers and the trustees.

A formal, notarized declaration.

Her statement, detailing Ethan' s sustained betrayal, the emotional distress it had caused.

Copies of the faked texts Cassandra had shown Ethan.

A transcript of Cassandra' s taunting message.

And the video. The irrefutable proof of his affair.

The Paris Clause. Invoked.

She had also couriered a copy to her parents in Paris. They would know what to do.

Her father had connections. Legal and business footholds. He would ensure the terms were enforced.

Ethan would soon find out the true price of his deceit.

75% of his voting shares in Prescott Corporation, gone.

His trust fund, frozen for a decade.

And Paris, her sanctuary, would be off-limits to him. Forever.

It was a drastic step, but he had left her no choice.

He had destroyed their love, their trust, their future.

Now, he would face the consequences.

As the taxi sped towards JFK, Alex felt a strange sense of calm.

It was the calm of a decision made. A painful chapter closed.

A new, uncertain future awaited her in Paris.

But it would be her future. On her terms.

Free from Ethan Prescott and his lies.