Chapter 2

The charity gala was a sea of glittering jewels and fake smiles. It was exactly the kind of event Ava had spent her life infiltrating, not attending. But it was the final night of the Chloe Davis protection detail. One more night, and she was free.

She stood in a corner, a glass of untouched champagne in her hand, watching Ethan work the room with Chloe on his arm. They looked like the perfect couple. The ambitious security expert and the beautiful heiress. A storybook romance.

A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips. What a joke. The whole thing was a lie. Her entire life with him had been a lie.

She had spent years believing their bond was unique, something unbreakable. She' d mistaken professional codependence for love, shared trauma for a soulmate connection. She was a fool. A highly trained, deadly fool who could dismantle a weapon in thirty seconds but couldn' t see the betrayal right in front of her face.

Ethan hadn' t spoken to her since her announcement, other than clipped, professional orders. He was punishing her with silence, assuming, as always, that she would break first and come crawling back. He couldn' t fathom a world where she didn' t need him. The irony was suffocating.

"You look a little lonely over here."

Chloe' s voice was like sugar-coated poison. She had detached herself from Ethan and floated over to Ava, her diamond earrings catching the light.

"Just observing," Ava said, her tone flat.

"Mmm," Chloe hummed, taking a delicate sip of her own champagne. "You and Ethan have been partners for a long time, haven't you? He told me you two grew up together."

"Something like that," Ava replied, refusing to give her anything.

"It must be so hard for you, seeing him move on," Chloe said, her voice filled with mock sympathy. "But you have to understand, a man like Ethan needs a certain kind of woman by his side. Someone who can help his career, not just... follow him around."

The insult was clear. Ava' s grip on her glass tightened.

"Don' t worry about me," Ava said, a sudden, reckless idea sparking in her mind. She needed to build a wall so high Ethan could never even try to climb it again. She needed to make the break final, undeniable.

She forced a small, cool smile. "Actually, I' m not just leaving the business. I' m getting married."

The words hung in the air between them. Chloe' s perfectly sculpted eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Married?" she repeated, her voice sharp. "To whom?"

Before Ava could invent a name, a shadow fell over them. It was Ethan. He had a proprietary scowl on his face, his eyes fixed on Ava.

"What' s this about getting married?" he demanded, his voice low and tight with an emotion she couldn' t quite place. It sounded like... anger. Like jealousy.

The hypocrisy was breathtaking.

Chloe recovered quickly, her expression shifting to one of amusement. "Isn' t it wonderful, darling? Ava has a secret fiancé! She was just telling me."

Ethan' s eyes narrowed, searching Ava' s face for a lie. "Is that true?"

"It is," Ava said, looking him straight in the eye, channeling every ounce of her training to keep her expression placid. "My fiancé is a very private person. We' re having a small ceremony soon."

Ethan looked stunned, as if she' d physically struck him. For a moment, she saw a flash of genuine hurt in his eyes, a flicker of the boy she used to know. Then it was gone, replaced by his new, arrogant mask.

"Right," he scoffed. "A 'secret fiancé.' How convenient."

He clearly didn' t believe her, but the seed of doubt was planted. That was enough.

Chloe, however, saw an opportunity. She looped her arm through Ethan' s, pressing herself against his side. "Well, we should go congratulate them! Ethan, you simply must tell me more about your life before me. It all sounds so... quaint."

She pulled him away, back into the glittering crowd. Ethan went with her, but he glanced back over his shoulder at Ava, his expression a complex mix of anger, confusion, and something else. Something that looked suspiciously like regret.

Ava watched them go, her fake smile dissolving. The lie felt heavy in her gut, but it was a necessary poison.

Later that evening, she was doing a final sweep of the gardens when she heard their voices drift from a secluded alcove. She froze behind a large, manicured hedge, her training taking over.

"I just don' t understand why she' d lie about something like that," Ethan was saying, his voice frustrated.

"Maybe she' s not lying, darling," Chloe' s voice was smooth as silk. "Maybe she' s just trying to make you jealous. It' s a little pathetic, isn' t it?"

There was a pause. Ava held her breath.

"I don' t know," Ethan said, and his voice was softer now. "Maybe."

"Forget about her," Chloe cooed. "She' s your past. I' m your future. You know I' m falling for you, Ethan Miller. Hard."

Ava' s heart stopped. She peeked through a gap in the leaves. She saw Chloe stand on her toes and press her lips to Ethan' s.

And Ethan... he didn't pull away. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back, a deep, passionate kiss that left no room for doubt.

Ava felt the air leave her lungs. Seeing it was a different kind of pain. It was a physical, visceral confirmation of every fear she' d had. The world tilted on its axis, the manicured gardens blurring into a green-and-black smear.

She must have made a sound, a choked gasp, because they broke apart. Ethan looked over and saw her.

His eyes widened in shock, but there was no shame. No remorse. Only annoyance.

Chloe smiled, a slow, predatory smile of pure victory. She saw the devastation on Ava' s face and she savored it.

"Oh, look," Chloe said, her voice loud enough to carry. "It' s your little shadow."

Ethan' s face hardened. He looked from Chloe' s triumphant expression to Ava' s shattered one. He made his choice.

He stepped in front of Chloe, shielding her as if Ava were the threat.

"What are you doing, Ava?" he said, his voice cold and dismissive. "Skulking in the bushes? You' re acting like a crazy ex-girlfriend."

The words hit her like a physical blow.

"We were never even together, Ethan," she whispered, the words barely audible.

"Exactly," he shot back, his voice laced with contempt. "So stop. It' s embarrassing. For both of us. You' re my partner, nothing more. And soon, you won' t even be that. Now get back to your post and do your job."

He turned his back on her, pulling a stunned but pleased Chloe closer to him, and led her away, leaving Ava standing alone in the dark. The laughter and music from the party seemed a world away. There was only the ringing in her ears and the profound, empty coldness where her heart used to be.