Chapter 4

The mask shattered. Panic flashed in his eyes, raw and real for the first time since I' d known him.

"Gabi, wait. I can explain."

He stumbled over his words, a torrent of pathetic excuses pouring out. He said he hid his identity to "test" if I loved him for him, not his money. He claimed he didn' t want to spoil the "authentic" connection we had. The model, he insisted, was just a business acquaintance, a favor for his father.

It was all garbage. A desperate attempt to rewrite the narrative.

I walked into our bedroom and pulled my suitcase from the top of the closet. I started throwing my clothes in, not bothering to fold them.

"What are you doing?" he yelled, following me. He grabbed my arm, his grip surprisingly strong. "You can' t leave! I love you!"

"You love the game," I shot back, yanking my arm free. "You love having a pet project. Someone to take care of you and make you feel like a real person while you held all the power. My career has stalled for two years, I' ve been passed over for promotions I deserved, all while I was busy mentoring you, propping you up!"

Just then, as if on cue, my phone rang. The caller ID was my boss, Mr. Harrison. I put it on speaker, a bitter sense of irony washing over me.

"Gabrielle! Great news!" he boomed, his voice obnoxiously cheerful. "We' re officially promoting you to Senior Architect. Effective immediately!"

Ethan' s face flooded with relief. He thought this would fix everything. He reached for me again.

"See, Gabi? It' s all working out!"

But Mr. Harrison wasn' t finished.

"Glad to see Ethan finally came around," he continued, chuckling. "He kept vetoing your promotion. Said he didn' t want his 'work buddy' to move to a different team and leave him all alone. Young love, huh? Anyway, congrats!"

The line went dead.

The room was silent. The final, most devastating betrayal settled over me. It wasn' t just that he lied about his wealth. It wasn' t just that he made a fool of me. He had actively, deliberately held my career hostage. My ambition, the one thing that was truly mine, he had used it as a toy for his own amusement.

I looked at Ethan. His face was ashen. He knew he was caught.

I picked up my phone and calmly dialed Mr. Harrison back.

"Mr. Harrison," I said, my voice clear and steady. "Thank you for the offer, but I quit. Effective immediately. I will not work for a company where my professional advancement depends on the whims of a trust-fund baby who is playing intern. My resignation letter will be on your desk in the morning."

I hung up before he could respond.

I zipped my suitcase, grabbed my purse, and walked to the door, leaving a stunned, speechless Ethan Lester standing in the middle of the life he had so carefully constructed, now crumbling around him.