Chapter 1

We had been together for six years. Six years of late nights at the office, of takeout dinners eaten over architectural blueprints, of building a firm from the ground up. I poured everything I had into it, into us.

So, when we landed the biggest contract of our careers, the one that would finally make us, I thought it was the perfect moment. We were celebrating at our favorite restaurant, the one where he first told me he loved me.

"Ethan," I said, my glass of champagne halfway to my lips. "Let's get married."

He laughed. It wasn't a happy, joyful laugh. It was a dismissive chuckle, as if I' d told a silly joke.

"Right," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "We land the Sterling Tower project and you want to lock me down. Good timing, Miller."

A cold feeling washed over me. He thought I was being opportunistic. After six years of sacrificing my health and my personal life for our shared dream, he thought I was making a power play.

The irony was a bitter taste in my mouth, worse than the cheapest wine.

I remembered when we first met. He was the one who pursued me relentlessly. He' d wait outside my classes with coffee, he' d fill my tiny apartment with flowers, he' d tell me my vision was unlike anything he' d ever seen. He promised we' d build an empire together, side by side. I believed him. I fell for the charm, the ambition, the man I thought he was.

That man was a ghost now, replaced by this stranger sitting across from me.

The next Monday, the real problem walked into our office.

"Everyone, this is Chloe Davis," Ethan announced to the team. "She's an old friend from back home, and she'll be my new personal assistant."

Chloe was pretty in a delicate, fragile way. She looked at Ethan with an adoration that made my stomach turn. He introduced me last. "And this is Ava, my girlfriend and our best architect."

Chloe' s smile didn' t quite reach her eyes. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Ethan talks about you all the time."

From that day on, she was a permanent fixture at his side. She brought him coffee, organized his schedule, and sat in on meetings she had no business being in. He called it "learning the ropes." I called it an invasion.

It started with small things. Late nights that were just "catching up on paperwork." Lunches that stretched into the afternoon. Then I saw the expense reports Brenda, our HR manager and my friend, discreetly left on my desk. Business trips for two. Dinners at romantic restaurants. Hotel rooms with a single king-sized bed.

My suspicions solidified into a hard, painful knot in my chest.

I decided to confront her, not about the affair, but about her work. She' d made a significant error on the Sterling Tower project plans, a mistake that could have cost us millions. I called her into my office.

"Chloe, this is unacceptable," I said, keeping my voice level. "This detail was clearly marked. Did you not review the final draft?"

Her eyes instantly filled with tears. Her lower lip trembled. "I'm so sorry, Ava. I've been so overwhelmed. Ethan has me working on so many things, I must have missed it."

She started to sob, a quiet, pitiful sound.

"This isn't about being overwhelmed," I said, my patience gone. "This is about competence."

Just then, Ethan burst in. "Ava, what's going on? I could hear you from my office."

He saw Chloe crying and immediately rushed to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Chloe, what's wrong? What did she do?"

He looked at me, his eyes cold with accusation. "Why are you yelling at her? She's trying her best."

The world tilted on its axis. He didn't even ask for my side. He didn't care about the multi-million dollar mistake. He only saw his precious Chloe in tears.

A sharp, unbearable pain shot through me. It was the pain of finality.

"Ethan," I said, my voice empty. "You need to make a choice. It's her, or it's me."

He scoffed, a look of annoyance on his face. "Ava, don't be so dramatic. She' s my assistant. You' re my partner."

That was his answer. He didn't see a choice to be made because, in his mind, he could have us both.

"I see," I said softly. I stood up, grabbing my purse and my phone.

I walked out of the office, out of the building we had built together, and didn't look back. The moment I was in my car, I called my mother.

My voice broke on the first word. "Mom."

"Ava, honey, what is it?" Her voice was filled with immediate concern.

"It's over," I whispered. "Ethan and I... we're over."

There was a pause on the other end, then my mother, Sarah, spoke, her voice firm. "Good. It's about time. Now, listen to me. I know this is bad timing, but you remember the Hayes family?"

I vaguely remembered the name. A powerful family, old money mixed with new tech.

"Your father and I had dinner with them last week," she continued. "Their son, Liam, he's a good man. They're looking for a partnership. And Ava... the family business is in trouble. Real trouble."

The pieces clicked into place. My heartbreak, my family's financial ruin. It was all happening at once.

For six years, I had put Ethan first. I had drawn blueprints until my fingers ached, managed projects until my eyes burned, and neglected my own health for his dream, for our dream. I gave him my youth, my talent, my unwavering loyalty.

And in the end, I was just a placeholder. An inconvenient partner to be managed while he entertained his "soulmate."

"Okay, Mom," I said, a strange sense of calm settling over me. "Tell them I'll do it. I'll marry him."

The line went silent for a second. "Ava, are you sure?"

"I'm sure," I replied, my voice hard as steel. "It's time I started thinking about my family and myself."

I hung up the phone. I looked at my reflection in the dark screen. The woman staring back at me was tired and pale, but her eyes held a new, unyielding resolve.

Goodbye, Ethan. A new chapter was beginning.