Introduction

For eighteen years, the Sterling mansion was my world, given to me by Mr. Sterling, who treated me like his own. Olivia, his daughter, was the secret burning at its core-my childhood sweetheart, my hidden passion. On my 21st birthday, she made me believe she felt the same, pulling me into a clandestine affair that consumed me.

I craved a real future with her, so I knelt, ring in hand, asking her to be my wife. Her warmth vanished instantly, replaced by a cutting dismissal that shattered my heart and my hopes. "Liam, don't be ridiculous," she sneered, leaving me on the floor.

Days later, a horrifying discovery confirmed my worst fears: Olivia wasn't my lover, but a calculated betrayer. She' d been feeding my architectural designs and analyses to Ethan Cole, my rival, to guarantee his win in the Sterling Architectural Grant competition. Her message echoed in my mind, "Liam is talented, but he's naive. This will guarantee your win. He'll never suspect a thing."

How could the woman I loved betray me so completely, using my deepest vulnerability against me? Was our intimacy just a performance, every touch a lie designed to exploit my talent? The thought was a poisoned blade twisting in my gut.

Consumed by a pain that transcended heartbreak, I made a choice: I would vanish, severing every tie to my past and the Sterling family. But before I could truly escape, Olivia delivered one final, devastating blow, publicly branding me an obsessive stalker. In that moment of utter destruction, a cold resolve settled in: I wouldn't just leave; I would erase myself from their lives and rebuild in a place where I was truly free.