Chapter 3

The next day, the day of the official announcement, I decided to escape the tense atmosphere of the mansion. I told my father I needed to clear my head and went to the city's most exclusive shopping district. I just wanted a few hours of peace before my life changed forever.

Of course, peace was the one thing I wasn't allowed to have.

I was browsing in a high-end boutique when I heard his voice, dripping with condescending charm.

"See anything you like, darling? Pick whatever you want."

I froze. I turned around and saw Ethan and Ava standing by the main display. He had his arm slung casually around her shoulders, and she was preening under his attention, pointing at a handbag that cost more than a car.

I tried to turn away, to leave the store before they saw me, but it was too late. Ava's eyes met mine in a large mirror. A triumphant, catty smile spread across her face.

"Oh, look, Ethan. It's Chloe," she said loudly. "What a coincidence."

Ethan turned, and the charming expression on his face vanished when he saw me. It was replaced by a dark, possessive glower. He clearly hadn't recovered from my defiance last night.

"Chloe," he said, his voice tight. "Fancy meeting you here."

I just nodded, intending to leave. But then I saw it. The dress Ava was trying on. It was a custom-made piece, a beautiful gown of pale blue silk.

And it was mine.

My blood turned to ice in my veins. That dress wasn't just a dress. It was the last birthday gift my mother gave me before she passed away two years ago. It was priceless to me, stored safely in the Reed family's private vault at the boutique, waiting for a special occasion. There was only one way Ava could be wearing it.

Ethan must have arranged it. He must have used his influence, called in a favor, to get them to take it out of my private collection for his new plaything. It was a violation. A calculated, cruel move designed to hit me where I was most vulnerable.

"That dress," I said, my voice shaking with a rage I couldn't contain. "Take it off."

Ava looked down at herself, then back at me with fake innocence. "What's wrong, Chloe? Does it bother you that it looks better on me?"

"I said, take it off," I repeated, stepping toward her. My vision was starting to tunnel. All the calm detachment I had built up over the past six months was cracking. This was not about him anymore. This was about my mother.

"Chloe, don't make a scene," Ethan warned, stepping in front of Ava. "It's just a piece of fabric. I can buy you a hundred more."

"You don't get it," I whispered, my voice raw. "You will never get it."

The memory of my mother's smiling face as she gave me the dress flashed in my mind. Her hands, smoothing the silk. 'For my beautiful girl, for a day when you feel truly happy.'

And he had given it to her. To this cheap imitation.

"She likes it," Ethan said with a dismissive shrug. "So she can have it. Everything you have is because I allow it. Don't you forget that."

That was it. The dam broke.

I lunged forward, pushing past Ethan. I grabbed the silk of the dress at Ava' s shoulder. "You will not wear my mother's dress!"

Ava shrieked, stumbling backward. "Get away from me, you psycho!"

There was a horrifying tearing sound. The delicate silk ripped at the seam. The dress, my mother's last gift, was ruined.

For a moment, everyone froze. The boutique was silent. Ava stared down at the torn fabric, her eyes wide with shock. Then, she looked at me, and her face twisted in rage.

"You ruined it! You crazy bitch!" she screamed, and her hand flew up to slap me.

I braced for the impact, but it never came.

Instead, a strong hand shot out and grabbed Ava's wrist, stopping her arm mid-air.

I looked up in surprise.

A man was standing between us. He was tall, with a quiet strength about him. I recognized him instantly.

Liam Thorne.

He held Ava's wrist in a firm grip, his expression calm but unyielding. He looked at the torn dress, then at my face, and a flicker of understanding crossed his features.

"That's enough," he said, his voice low and steady. He wasn't shouting, but he commanded the attention of the entire room. He released Ava's wrist with a slight push, forcing her to take a step back.

Ethan stepped forward, his face a mask of thunder. "Thorne. What do you think you're doing? This has nothing to do with you."

Liam didn't even look at him. His eyes were on me, and they were filled with a concern that was so genuine it startled me. "Are you okay, Chloe?" he asked softly.

I couldn't speak. I just stared at him, my heart pounding. In all the years I'd spent chasing Ethan, in all the pain of my past life, no one had ever stood up for me like this. No one had ever asked me if I was okay.

Liam took off his own suit jacket and gently draped it over my shoulders, shielding the ruined dress and my grief from the prying eyes of the other shoppers.

He then turned to face Ethan, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to Ethan's barely controlled rage.

"She asked you to stop," Liam said simply. "You should have listened."

He took my arm gently. "Let's get you out of here."

And for the first time in two lifetimes, I let someone else lead me away from a mess Ethan Miller had created.