Chapter 2

The next morning, the world was on fire.

The livestream from that notorious gossip site had gone viral. My face, my terror, my torn clothes-it was everywhere.

But the narrative was twisted. A massive smear campaign painted me as a "disgrace," a "party girl" whose wild lifestyle brought shame and death to her family. They said I brought those men to the hospital, that my recklessness caused my father' s fatal heart attack.

Ethan called me. His voice was cold, distant.

"Ava, I can' t do this. My family... we can' t be associated with this scandal."

"Ethan, please," I begged, my voice cracking. "You know it' s not true."

"It doesn' t matter what' s true. It' s what people believe."

He hung up. A week later, he was photographed with Chloe, my old high school rival, looking happy and untroubled.

Then the hospital sued me for "indecent exposure and causing a public disturbance." My extended family, the same people who praised my father' s generosity, now refused my calls. They called me a stain on the family name.

My mother, a fragile woman who lived for high-society approval, couldn' t handle the fall. She found me in the library of our empty mansion, a bottle of pills in her hand.

"This is your fault," she slurred, her eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and despair. "You killed him. You ruined us."

That night, she took her own life.

I was completely alone, an outcast in the city that was once my home. I had lost everything.

At my parents' funeral, a man I vaguely recognized approached me. He was tall, handsome, with a look of sincere concern.

"Ava," he said, his voice gentle. "I' m Liam. Your father' s scholarship put me through college. He changed my life. I' m so sorry for what' s happening to you."

He was a self-made venture capitalist, a success story my father had been proud of. In the following weeks, he became my shadow, my protector. He publicly defended me, using his own reputation to shield me from the storm.

He proposed a month later, on the steps of the courthouse where I was being sued.

"Let me protect you," he vowed, on one knee. "Let me honor your father' s memory by taking care of his greatest treasure."

I was broken, desperate for a lifeline. I said yes.

We married, and for five years, he was the perfect husband. He was doting, supportive, and kind. He helped me feel safe again. He made me believe in hope. I thought I was finally healing.

I was a fool.