Chapter 2

The memory of their laughter and Chloe' s triumphant smile burned in my mind. The pain was sharp, but beneath it, something new was taking root: cold, hard anger. They thought I was a fool, a pawn in their game. They were about to find out how wrong they were.

The next morning, I walked into the dining room where my father was reading the news on his tablet. The seven of them, including Liam and Chloe, were already at the table, a picture of domestic bliss that now made my stomach turn.

"Dad," I said, my voice clear and firm. "I'm moving out today. I' ll be staying with Ethan until the wedding."

My father looked up, his eyebrows raised. "So soon?"

"There's no reason to wait," I said, my eyes sweeping over the silent, shocked faces of the men who had pretended to love me.

"And one more thing," I continued, my gaze locking with Liam' s. "I want their allowances cut off. All of them. Effective immediately. They are no longer welcome to live off the Green family's money."

A fork clattered onto a plate. "Ava, what are you talking about?" Jake asked, his friendly mask slipping.

"You heard me," I said coldly. "The free ride is over."

My father watched me for a long moment, a slow smile spreading across his face. He put down his tablet. "Whatever my daughter wants, she gets. Alfred," he called to the butler. "Please see to it that their accounts are frozen and their access to the cars is revoked."

"Yes, Mr. Green," the butler said with a crisp nod.

Chaos erupted.

Chloe was the first to react. Her eyes filled with tears, her lower lip trembling. "Ava, why are you doing this? What did we do?"

She stumbled towards me, reaching for my arm, but I stepped back as if her touch was poison.

"Don't touch me," I snapped.

Her hand froze in mid-air. Her face crumpled, and she let out a heartbreaking sob, collapsing into Liam' s arms as he rushed to her side.

"Ava, you're upsetting her!" Mark yelled, jumping to his feet.

"She's always been fragile, you know that!" another one chimed in.

They all started talking at once, a chorus of accusations. I was cruel. I was heartless. How could I do this to Chloe, to them, after everything we' d been through?

Liam said nothing. He just held Chloe, stroking her hair, his eyes fixed on me. They were glacial, filled with a silent, chilling disappointment that once would have shattered me. Now, it only fueled my resolve. He looked at me as if I were a monster for hurting the girl he was using me to protect.

I wanted to scream the truth. I wanted to tell them I knew everything. I knew about their disgusting plot, about the fake love and the years of deception. But I held my tongue. An audience of just them wasn't enough. When I exposed them, I wanted the whole world to be watching.

So I just shrugged. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

With that, I turned and walked out of the room, leaving their shouts and Chloe's theatrical sobs behind me.

My new challenge was waiting. Ethan Miller. Our marriage was a business arrangement, a tool for my revenge. But as I got into the car that would take me to his penthouse, a sliver of uncertainty pierced my anger. What kind of man had I just agreed to marry?

As my car pulled away from the mansion, I saw them through the rearview mirror, standing on the grand staircase. Liam was still cradling Chloe, whispering in her ear. She looked up at him, her tear-streaked face a perfect portrait of wronged innocence. He then looked up, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror for a fraction of a second before I looked away.

The sight of his tender care for her was a fresh wound. I remembered all the times I had been sick or upset. He would never offer a word of comfort. He would just stand there, silent and unmoving. If I was lucky, he would tell me to stop crying because it was annoying.

Now I knew why. His heart, his warmth, his entire being was reserved for her. I was just an obstacle. A piggy bank. A fool.

Well, the fool had wised up. And the game was about to change.