Chapter 2

Five years passed.

New York' s memory was long, but I had built a new life, a quiet one.

I was married again. Secretly.

To Alexander Sterling.

The Alexander Sterling.

The reclusive tech billionaire everyone wanted a piece of, but few ever saw.

He was kind, fiercely protective, and loved me for who I was, not who my family was or what connections I could offer.

Today, I was shopping for his birthday.

Something unique, something personal. Not another expensive trinket he didn't need.

I wore simple jeans and a faded t-shirt, my hair pulled back in a messy bun. No makeup.

I preferred it this way, anonymous.

The sun warmed the outdoor cafe, a rare moment of peace.

Then I saw them.

Ethan Hayes and Brittany Vance.

Ethan, more successful than ever, his suit sharp, his smile predatory.

Brittany, dripping in diamonds, clung to his arm, her laughter shrill.

They were holding court at a nearby table, flaunting his latest courtroom victory.

My stomach twisted.

I tried to turn away, to disappear into the lunchtime crowd.

Too late.

Brittany' s sharp eyes, always searching for an audience or a victim, landed on me.

Her perfectly painted lips curled into a sneer.

"Well, well, well," she drawled, loud enough for several tables to hear. "If it isn't Sarah Miller. Still haunting the same city?"

Ethan turned. His eyes, once full of what I thought was love, now held only disdain.

He looked me up and down, his gaze lingering on my simple clothes.

"Sarah," he said, a condescending pity in his tone. "Rough times, huh?"

A woman at a nearby table whispered, "Isn't that the one Ethan Hayes dumped at the altar? Or was it the wedding night?"

"Looks like she never recovered," another chimed in.

The familiar heat of shame crept up my neck.

Brittany laughed, a cruel, sharp sound. "Still pining for Ethan, are we, darling? It's been five years. You should really try to move on."

"I have moved on," I said, my voice quiet but firm.

"Oh, really?" Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Doing what? Last I heard, you' d crawled away somewhere."

"I' m fine," I said, wanting only to escape.

"You don't look fine," Brittany said, her eyes glinting. "You look... desperate."

Ethan gestured vaguely. "Look, Sarah, I feel a bit sorry for you. Tell you what, I need someone to clean my offices. Low-level, of course, but it' s a start for someone like you. Get you back on your feet."

The offer was a deliberate insult, designed to humiliate.

My hands clenched.

"No, thank you, Ethan," I said, trying to keep my composure. "I' m actually... I' m married."

The words hung in the air.