Chapter 2

Liam' s face turned dark.

"That's enough, Chloe."

He shielded Sarah more, as if my words were actual weapons. He looked at me with deep disappointment, a look designed to make me feel small and petty.

"I know you're hurt," he said, his voice taking on a tone of patronizing concern. "But Sarah is sick. She's fragile. You can't talk to her like that. What has gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me?" I repeated, the question hanging in the air. "Reality, Liam. That's what's gotten into me."

I pulled my phone from my purse. I didn't need to scroll. The evidence was right there on the screen.

"This is Sarah' s 'doctor'," I said, holding up the phone. It showed a picture of a man in a lab coat. "His name is Dr. Alistair Finch. He's a respected oncologist at Mount Sinai, right?"

Sarah' s eyes widened slightly. Liam just stared, confused.

"I had my assistant look into him," I continued, my voice steady and clear. "And I also had my assistant pull Sarah's medical records. It was surprisingly easy."

I swiped the screen. A new document appeared.

"This is a lab report from three days ago. Sarah had a full physical for a new life insurance policy. It seems her family is in some financial trouble again."

I looked directly at her.

"According to this, you are in perfect health. Not a single marker for any terminal illness. In fact, your cholesterol is a little high, but I'm sure all that rich food on your trip contributed to that."

The color drained from Sarah's face. She started to tremble, and this time, it looked real.

"Liam..." she whimpered, turning her face into his chest. "I don't know what she's talking about. She's making it up. She's trying to hurt me."

Liam didn't even look at the phone. He pushed it away.

"Chloe, stop it!" he roared, his voice echoing in the quiet terminal. "You had her medical records illegally pulled? You're harassing her doctor? You've lost your mind! You're being cruel and manipulative just to get back at me!"

His accusation hit me, but not in the way he expected. It wasn't a shock. It was a confirmation. He would never believe me. He didn't want to believe me.

For a decade, I was the one he trusted. I managed his schedules, his investments, his family obligations. I was the one who knew every secret of the Sterling empire. He used to say my mind was sharper than anyone he knew.

Now, he looked at me like I was a stranger, a monster.

A memory flashed in my mind. Us, five years ago, sitting in this very airport lounge. He was holding my hand, tracing circles on my palm. "You're my rock, Chloe," he had said. "You see everything so clearly. I'd be lost without you."

Now he was lost with someone else.

I lowered my phone, the screen going dark. The fight drained out of me, replaced by a deep, chilling clarity.

"So this is your choice?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He was still holding Sarah, stroking her hair, murmuring comforting words to her. He spared me a glance, his eyes cold.

"There is no choice," he said. "There's a sick woman who needs me, and then there's you, acting like a psycho."

I almost laughed. It was so simple for him. So easy to paint me as the villain.

"Fine," I said.

Liam seemed to think this was his victory. He thought I was giving in. His posture relaxed slightly.

"Chloe, go home," he said, his voice softening just a fraction, the way you speak to a child throwing a tantrum. "Cool off. We'll get married as planned. Just... give me some time to handle this."

He was offering me a crumb. He was offering to still marry me, after all this. As if that was a prize I should still want.

He thought he could have us both. The devoted fiancée at home, and the fragile "white moonlight" on his arm.

I looked at the man I had loved for ten years. The man I thought I would spend my life with.

And I felt nothing.

Just a vast, empty space where my love used to be.

No, I thought to myself. We will not be getting married. Not now. Not ever.