Chapter 2

The tension followed us into the townhouse. The air was still crackling from our silent argument in the car. I dropped my purse on the entryway table, feeling a deep weariness settle into my bones. This was supposed to be our home, the place we would build our future. Now, it felt like a stage for a play I no longer wanted to be in.

Ryan followed me in, still radiating frustration. "Look, I don't want to fight. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a happy time."

"Then you shouldn't have made a decision about our future without me," I said, turning to face him.

He looked genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"At dinner," I prompted, my voice low. "You were talking to your dad. I overheard you. You told him you were planning to sign the deed of this house over to Nicole."

The color drained from his face. He had the decency to look caught, but not remorseful.

"It wasn't a final decision," he stammered. "We were just talking."

"Just talking? Ryan, you said you'd have the papers drawn up next week. You were going to give our house, the one I put the down payment on, to your sister."

The down payment. It was the entire inheritance from my adoptive parents, the sale of the only home I had ever known. I had poured all of it into this property, believing it was an investment in our future.

"Nicole needs a stable home for Jayden!" he argued, his voice rising. "She's struggling. It's the right thing to do! I was going to talk to you about it."

"When? After you'd already signed the papers?" I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. "Nicole knew, didn't she? The way she was looking at me all night. She knew."

He didn't deny it. He just stood there, his jaw tight. Nicole, the grieving widow, acting so grateful but with an undercurrent of entitlement that now made perfect sense. She wasn't just accepting his help; she was expecting it.

I felt a profound sense of betrayal, so sharp and cold it took my breath away. It wasn't just the house. It was the complete disregard for me, for our partnership, for the life we were supposed to be building together.

I turned my back on him, walked into the living room, and picked up my phone. I needed to get away from him, to breathe air that wasn't filled with his excuses.

I scrolled through my contacts and pressed the call button for 'Nathaniel.'

My cousin answered on the second ring. "Stella? Is everything alright? It's late."

His calm, steady voice was an anchor. "I'm fine, Nate. But I've made a decision."

I took a deep breath. "It's over with Ryan. I'm breaking the engagement."

There was a pause on the other end, then, "Good. I never liked him. What do you need?"

"The contracts," I said, my voice hard as steel. "Chadwick Energies has a few projects with his construction firm. I want them terminated. All of them. Effective immediately."

"Consider it done," Nathaniel said without hesitation. "I'll have legal draft the notices first thing in the morning. Are you safe?"

"I will be," I promised, feeling a sliver of control return to me. "I'll call you tomorrow."

I hung up, my resolve hardening into something unbreakable. The nine-year relationship was a sunk cost. It was time to cut my losses.