Chapter 4

The security guards seized my arms.

Panic surged through me, hot and sharp. I struggled, but their grip was like iron.

"Liam, no!" I screamed, my eyes locked on his. "Don' t do this!"

He didn' t even look at me. He just gave a slight nod to the guards.

They dragged me toward the stage, my heels scraping against the polished marble floor. The crowd parted, their curious and shocked faces a blur. They ripped the thin fabric of my dress, tearing it from my body until I was left in nothing but my underwear, exposed under the bright lights of the gala.

Shame and terror washed over me. They threw me onto the stage like a piece of trash. I landed hard, the impact jarring my bones.

From the stage, I had a perfect view of the room. I saw Marcus Thorne leaning back in his chair, a leering, triumphant smile on his face. His henchmen started to move toward the stage, their intentions clear.

My eyes desperately searched for Liam. I found him standing with Chloe, not far from the stage. He wasn' t watching my humiliation. He was oblivious.

He was holding the diamond necklace. He was down on one knee.

In front of Chloe.

As Thorne' s men climbed onto the stage, as the crowd watched in a mixture of horror and morbid fascination, Liam Vance was proposing to another woman. The sound of his voice, though I couldn't make out the words, was drowned out by the pounding in my ears.

A wave of pure, primal despair hit me. He wasn't just letting this happen; he was celebrating his new life while mine was being destroyed.

One of Thorne' s men grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. The pain was sharp, but it was the humiliation that truly cut deep.

Something inside me broke. Not my spirit, but the last chain of submission. A wild, desperate survival instinct took over.

I twisted in his grasp, my hand fumbling for anything, and my fingers closed around the neck of a champagne bottle left on the stage. With a guttural scream, I swung it with all my might, smashing it over the man' s head.

He crumpled to the ground. The other men hesitated, shocked by my sudden violence. It was all the time I needed.

I scrambled off the stage and ran. I didn't care that I was half-naked. I didn't care about the gasps and stares. I just ran, pushing through the crowd, out the grand doors, and into the cold night air.

I ran all the way back to my apartment, the city lights a painful smear against my tear-filled eyes.

Once inside, I went straight to my studio. I grabbed the ninety-eighth model, a beautiful, sprawling vineyard estate we had planned for our retirement. I didn' t even look at it. I went to the window, opened it, and let the model fall twenty stories to the street below. I heard it shatter on the pavement.

The last of my strength left me, and I collapsed onto the floor, a broken, sobbing mess.

I don' t know how long I lay there before the door opened. It was Liam.

He saw me on the floor, my torn clothes, my bruised body. He rushed to my side, his face a perfect picture of concern and shock.

"Ava! My God, what happened? I was so worried. I turned around and you were gone."

The lie was so blatant, so audacious, it left me breathless.

He wrapped a blanket around my shaking shoulders. "I' m so sorry," he whispered, stroking my hair. "I shouldn' t have left you alone. I got distracted." He paused. "Chloe accepted."

He tried to pull me into his arms, but I flinched away.

"It' s okay," he said, his voice soothing. "You' ll learn your lesson, and then we can be married. I promise. You just need to learn."

The next day, he acted as if nothing had happened. He insisted I join him and Chloe for a major software deal. It was with a rival company, and the negotiations were tense.

"I need you there, Ava," he said, his hand resting on my shoulder in a way that was meant to be reassuring but felt like a brand. "Your presence will show a united front." When I refused, he just smiled that cold smile. "Don' t forget about Ethan."

The meeting was held in a sterile, glass-walled conference room. I sat silently beside Liam, a doll on display, while he and Chloe played the happy couple.

My brother Ethan, who had a part-time internship with the rival company, was there to assist with the technical presentation. When he walked in, his eyes found mine, and I saw the worry on his face. He gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Chloe, noticing his glance, leaned into Liam. "Liam, that boy is staring at me," she whispered, feigning discomfort.

Liam' s head snapped toward Ethan. I saw his jaw clench, his knuckles turn white as he gripped the table. His possessiveness was a sickness, and he saw a threat in a simple, concerned glance from my brother.

Ethan, oblivious to the storm brewing, continued his presentation.

Liam' s rage was a palpable thing in the room. When the presentation was over, Liam stood up.

"Ethan," he said, his voice calm. Too calm. "Come here."

Ethan walked over, a confused but respectful look on his face. "Yes, Mr. Vance?"

Liam looked at me, then at Ethan. "You need to learn to keep your eyes to yourself."

Before anyone could react, he pulled a small, sleek pistol from his jacket pocket.

I shot to my feet. "Liam, no!"

He ignored me. He aimed the gun not at Ethan' s head or heart, but lower, at his chest, to the left. A non-fatal, punishing shot, most would assume.

But Liam knew Ethan' s secret. I had told him in confidence, years ago, during a time of love and trust. Ethan had a rare condition: situs inversus. All his major organs were mirrored from their normal positions.

His heart was on the right side. The fatal spot was on the left.

The gunshot was deafening in the enclosed space.

Ethan looked down at his chest, a bloom of red spreading across his white shirt. He looked at me, his eyes wide with shock and confusion.

Then he collapsed. He died instantly.

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