Chapter 1

For three years, my marriage to Liam Hayes felt like a perfect, polished lie that I desperately wanted to believe was true.

Our story began with a business contract, not a love letter. His family' s company needed a merger to stay afloat, and my family had the capital. The only condition was a marriage between us. It was a simple, cold transaction.

Liam agreed because his childhood sweetheart, Chloe Davis, had just thrown a fit and fled the country, leaving him behind. Everyone, including me, assumed our marriage was temporary. A placeholder. They all whispered that the moment Chloe came back, Liam would drop me without a second thought.

But he didn' t.

For three years, Liam played the part of the perfect husband so well that I started to forget it was an act. He was the man who would leave a board meeting to answer my call. He learned to cook my favorite dishes, even though he hated being in the kitchen. He filled our sterile mansion with things I loved, from fresh flowers delivered daily to a small library of my favorite books.

He would hold me at night and whisper, "You' re my wife, Sarah. The only one that matters."

I believed him. I let myself fall completely in love with the illusion he created. The contract that bound us felt more real than any vow.

Tonight was our third anniversary. Liam had booked the entire top floor of the city's most exclusive restaurant. The table was covered in rose petals, and a bottle of champagne I knew cost a fortune was chilling in a silver bucket.

He handed me a small, velvet box. Inside was a diamond necklace. It was stunning, heavy, and cold against my skin.

"Happy anniversary, Sarah," he said, his voice smooth and warm. He leaned in to kiss me, and for a moment, the world felt perfect.

Then his phone buzzed on the table. It was a text. He glanced at it, and his smile tightened just a fraction. It was so small, I might have missed it if I hadn't spent three years studying his every expression.

"Everything okay?" I asked, my own smile starting to feel fragile.

"Just work," he said, putting the phone face down. "Don't worry about it."

But the spell was broken. A familiar anxiety began to creep in.

Later that evening, as we were leaving, I saw the name on his phone screen when another text came through.

Chloe Davis.

My breath caught in my chest. So, she was back. The ghost from the past was finally here.

I said nothing. I climbed into the car and stared out at the city lights, the diamond necklace suddenly feeling like a collar.

The next day, the news was all over the society pages. Chloe Davis, the beautiful and vivacious daughter of a now-bankrupt businessman, had returned to the city. She was broke, alone, and apparently looking to reconnect with old friends.

A reporter cornered Liam outside his office building.

"Mr. Hayes, what are your thoughts on Chloe Davis's return? There are rumors you two might rekindle your romance."

Liam' s face was a mask of cold indifference. I watched the clip on my tablet, my heart pounding.

"Miss Davis and I are part of the past," he said, his voice clipped and final. "My only concern is my wife, Sarah. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to."

He walked away, leaving the reporters scrambling. A part of me felt a wave of relief. He had disavowed her, publicly. He had chosen me.

But another, more cynical part of me knew Liam too well. He was a master of public relations. He knew exactly what to say to protect his image and his company.

That night, we were at a charity gala. It was one of those events I hated-full of fake smiles and whispered gossip. I stood by his side, the perfect corporate wife, smiling until my cheeks ached. I kept telling myself that his public statement meant something. That he really was done with Chloe.

I was holding a glass of champagne, trying to look engaged in a conversation about stock prices, when I felt Liam stiffen beside me.

I followed his gaze across the crowded ballroom.

And there she was.

Chloe Davis. She looked thin and a little worn, but she still had that spark that drew all eyes to her. She was talking to an older man, laughing at something he said, but her eyes kept darting towards Liam.

Liam didn't move. He just stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"Liam?" I whispered, touching his arm.

He flinched, as if my touch had startled him. He looked down at me, but his eyes were distant.

"I need some air," he said abruptly.

He turned and walked away, not towards the balcony, but in the direction of the exit, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the room. The whispers started almost immediately. I could feel their eyes on me, a mix of pity and morbid curiosity.

I stood there, holding my champagne glass, my smile frozen on my face, while my carefully constructed world began to shatter around me. He hadn't just left me; he had run towards her. And in that moment, I knew the last three years had been nothing but a beautiful, heartbreaking lie.