Chapter 2

A strange sense of calm settled over Olivia as she left Mr. Henderson' s house. The decision was made. The weight of the Thompson family and their web of lies lifted from her shoulders.

When she returned to the Thompson home to gather her few belongings, she found Ethan in the living room. He wasn' t alone. Sophia Miller was sitting on the sofa, her foot propped up on a pillow.

"Oh, Olivia, you' re back," Ethan said, jumping up. He looked flustered. "Sophia sprained her ankle. I was just helping her."

Sophia gave Olivia a small, sickly sweet smile. "Ethan is so kind. He dropped everything to come take care of me." She subtly shifted, making it clear how devoted he was.

Then, Sophia' s eyes landed on a designer dress hanging on the back of a chair. It was the dress Ethan had bought for Olivia for their honeymoon.

"What a beautiful dress," Sophia sighed dramatically. "I wish I had something so lovely to wear to my engagement party with Mark."

Before Olivia could say a word, Ethan took the dress off the chair. "Here, you take it," he said to Sophia. "I' m sure Olivia wouldn' t mind."

He didn' t even look at Olivia.

He justified his actions with a practiced excuse. "Mark is away on business, and you' re his fiancée. It' s my duty to look out for you."

Olivia saw right through it. This wasn't obligation. It was a deep, unwavering affection that he had never shown her.

Sophia' s gaze then moved to a set of new, modern furniture that had just been delivered for Olivia and Ethan' s new home. "And that furniture is gorgeous! It would look perfect in my new house."

Ethan, taking Olivia' s silence as consent, beamed. "Of course! I' ll help you move it over right now."

The sight of him cheerfully carrying away the furniture that was meant for their life together was a final, bitter confirmation.

In the days that followed, Ethan was constantly at Sophia' s house, supposedly helping her arrange the new furniture. He seemed to feel a pang of guilt, or perhaps just the need to keep up appearances before the wedding that he still thought was happening. He made a point to take Olivia out for a "date night."

At the restaurant, he was the perfect fiancé. He ordered all of Olivia' s favorite dishes, making meticulous requests to the waiter.

"Your husband is so thoughtful," the waiter commented with a smile.

Olivia looked straight at the waiter, her voice flat. "No, he' s not my husband."

Ethan, oblivious to the coldness in her tone, just laughed. "Not officially, yet! Give us a few more days."

She just stared back at him, her expression unreadable.