Chapter 1

My fiancée, Chloe Miller, replaced my face with someone else' s on our engagement photos.

She posted them online for everyone to see.

The man' s name was Liam Stone, her self-proclaimed "soulmate." The caption read, "Ten years of waiting, my love. It' s finally our time."

I stared at my phone, my blood running cold. In the picture, Chloe was radiant in the white dress I' d bought her. She was holding hands with a man who wasn' t me, his face digitally, but seamlessly, pasted over mine. The background was the scenic viewpoint where I had proposed just last week.

My thumb trembled as I scrolled through the comments. Hundreds of them.

"OMG, Chloe, you two are perfect!"

"Finally! I knew you and Liam were meant to be."

"What about Ethan?" someone asked.

Chloe herself had replied to that one. "Ethan is a dear friend who understands. True love waits for no one."

A buzzing started in my ears. I dialed her number. She picked up on the third ring, her voice breezy and cheerful.

"Hey, babe! Did you see the pics? Aren' t they gorgeous?"

"Chloe, what the hell is this?" I asked, my voice tight. "Why is Liam' s face on our engagement photos?"

She laughed, a light, tinkling sound that usually made me smile. Now it made my stomach churn.

"Oh, that? Don' t be so serious, Ethan. It was just a joke."

"A joke?" I repeated, disbelief choking me. "You announced to the world that you' ve been waiting ten years for another man. You called him your love. How is that a joke?"

"Liam and I have a deep connection, you know that. It' s spiritual. It doesn' t mean anything. God, you' re being so dramatic. It' s just for my followers, it creates buzz."

I couldn' t form a response. The line was filled with her impatient sigh.

"Look, I have to go. Getting my nails done for the party tonight. Don' t be late."

She hung up.

I stood there, phone in my hand, feeling like a fool. For five years, I had cut ties with my wealthy, traditional family because they disapproved of Chloe. They called her manipulative and self-absorbed. I had defended her, chosen her over them, believing our love was real. Now, that love felt like a phantom.

The engagement party was at a lavish hotel I had paid for. When I arrived, the atmosphere was already buzzing. I saw Chloe' s friends and family, but they walked past me with polite, distant smiles. They all flocked to one person.

Liam.

He was standing next to Chloe, his arm draped possessively around her waist. He was wearing a tailored suit, looking every bit the part of the happy fiancé. People were shaking his hand, patting him on the back.

"Congratulations, Liam! She' s a lucky woman."

"About time you two made it official!"

I felt a surge of nausea. I pushed my way through the crowd. Mark, my best friend and Chloe' s cousin, saw me and his face went pale. He started to walk toward me, but Chloe intercepted him, whispering something in his ear. Mark froze, looking at me with a pained expression before turning away.

I finally reached her. "Chloe, we need to talk."

She turned to me, her smile faltering for a fraction of a second. Then it was back, brighter and more brittle than before.

"I' m sorry," she said, her voice loud enough for everyone around us to hear. "Do I know you?"

The chatter around us died down. All eyes were on me.

I stared at her, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What are you talking about? It' s me, Ethan."

She gave a small, theatrical gasp and took a step back, pressing herself against Liam. "Liam, darling, this man is scaring me. He keeps saying he knows me."

Liam stepped forward, puffing out his chest. "Hey, man, you heard the lady. You should leave."

"Leave?" I laughed, a raw, humorless sound. "This is my engagement party. I paid for all of this."

"Your engagement party?" Chloe let out a cruel laugh. "You must be mistaken. I' m engaged to Liam. My soulmate."

She leaned in and kissed Liam deeply, a passionate, showy kiss that was meant to break me.

It did.

Something inside me snapped. "After everything I' ve done for you," I said, my voice shaking with a fury I didn' t know I possessed. "After I gave up my family for you..."

"Security!" Chloe shrieked, pointing a finger at me. "Get this crazy person out of here! He' s harassing me and my fiancé!"

Two large men in black suits grabbed my arms. I didn' t resist. I just kept my eyes locked on Chloe, on the woman I thought I was going to spend my life with. I saw no remorse in her eyes, only a cold, triumphant glint.

They dragged me outside and threw me onto the pavement. My head hit the concrete with a sickening thud. One of them kicked me hard in the ribs.

"Stay away from her, you psycho," one of them grunted before they went back inside.

I lay there, the city lights blurring above me. Pain radiated from my head and my side, but it was nothing compared to the agony in my chest. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a notification. Chloe had posted a new photo on Instagram. It was a picture of her and Liam at the party, their champagne glasses raised in a toast. The caption was simple: "To our future."

I was taken to the hospital by a concerned passerby. I had a mild concussion and two broken ribs. For the next few days, I lay in the sterile white room, drifting in and out of a painful haze. I' d mindlessly scroll through my phone, watching Chloe and Liam flaunt their new life. They went on dates to all our old spots. They posted pictures of themselves cooking in the kitchen of the apartment we shared. Each post was a fresh stab of betrayal, but strangely, the sharp pain was beginning to dull into a cold, heavy numbness. I was just an observer now, watching a movie of a life that was supposed to be mine.

On the third day, my phone rang. It was Chloe.

"Ethan? Oh, thank God. I was so worried about you." Her voice was thick with fake concern.

I said nothing.

"I heard what happened," she continued, her tone soft and placating. "I' m so, so sorry. My friends... they were just being protective. They went too far."

Silence.

"Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Hospital," I managed, my voice raspy.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she cooed. "I feel terrible. I' ll come visit you right now."

"Don' t," I said flatly.

A pause. Then her tone shifted, a flicker of the impatience I knew so well. "What do you mean, 'don' t' ? I want to see you."

"I don' t want to see you, Chloe."

The line went quiet for a long moment. When she spoke again, the fake sympathy was gone, replaced by a sharp, commanding edge.

"Fine. Be that way. But I need you to do something for me."

I almost laughed. Even now, after everything, she needed something.

"Listen, Liam' s car is in the shop, and my convertible is still parked at your old office building. The battery is dead. I need you to go down there and give it a jump. Liam needs it to get to his gig tonight."

I stared at the white ceiling tiles. My ribs ached with every breath. My head was pounding. And she wanted me to go jump-start her car for her new man.

The absurdity of it was so profound, so complete, that it cleared my mind. The fog of heartbreak and confusion lifted, and for the first time, I saw Chloe for exactly who she was. A user. A parasite.

"No," I said.

"What do you mean, no?" she snapped, her voice rising. "Ethan, don' t be a child. It' s the least you can do after you ruined our engagement party."

"Your party," I corrected her, my voice eerily calm. "It was your party."

I felt a strange sense of peace settle over me. The pain was still there, a deep, heavy stone in my gut, but the frantic need for her, the love I thought was my lifeblood, was gone. It had been bled out of me on the pavement outside that hotel.

I hung up on her.

My hand moved on its own, scrolling through my contacts until I found a name I hadn' t called in five years.

Mom.

My finger hovered over the call button. Taking a deep, painful breath, I pressed it. She answered immediately, as if she' d been waiting.

"Ethan?" Her voice was hesitant, filled with a mix of shock and hope.

Tears pricked my eyes. "Mom," I choked out. "I was wrong. You were right about everything."

I heard her sharp intake of breath. "Oh, my boy. What happened? Are you alright?"

"I' m... I' m in the hospital. But I' ll be okay." I took another breath, the words tasting like ash and freedom on my tongue. "Mom... that offer you made. The arranged marriage. Is it still on the table?"

Silence. Then, a soft, steady voice, full of a love I had foolishly cast aside.

"Yes, Ethan. Of course. We' re here. Come home."