Chapter 2

The drive home was a blur. My mind was numb, but one thought was crystal clear.

I called my lawyer.

"I want a divorce," I said, my voice flat.

"Mrs. Stark? Does Eli know about this?" the lawyer asked, surprised.

"He will," I said, and hung up before he could ask more questions.

I walked into the house we shared. The grand foyer was dominated by a massive wedding portrait of me and Eli. His arm was around me, his smile so full of love. My own smile was radiant, blissfully unaware.

It was a monument to his lies.

"Take down every picture of me and Mr. Stark," I told the housekeeper, my voice devoid of emotion. "And bring them to the garden."

She looked at me, confused, but did as she was told.

Soon, a pile of our life together lay on the stone patio. Ten years of memories, captured in silver frames. I poured lighter fluid over the smiling faces and dropped a match.

Flames erupted, consuming the lies. I watched, feeling nothing.

I picked up the last photo before tossing it in. A picture of me, Eli, and baby Leo. We were a perfect family. When had the rot set in? Or was it always there, under the surface?

Just last night, he had held me and whispered, "We'll get through this, Harper. It will always be you and me. Forever."

My phone buzzed. A text from Casey.

"The timetable can be moved up if you're sure. Come to the lab tomorrow."

I deleted the message. My heart was as cold and dead as the ashes of the photos.

I would forget him. I would erase every memory of Eli Stark.

He arrived home late, his headlights cutting through the darkness. He saw the fire in the garden and ran, his face etched with panic.

"Harper!" He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me away from the flames. "Are you hurt? What happened?" He turned and yelled at the housekeeper, "Why didn't you stop her?"

I took a step back, out of his embrace. "I did this."

His eyes softened with a pained, understanding look. The look of a master manipulator. "My love, I know you're hurting, but this..."

"I don't want to see his face anymore," I said, my voice hollow. "I don't want to remember Leo."

It was a lie he would believe. A pain he could understand and use.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping in feigned empathy. He scooped me into his arms and carried me into the bedroom as if I were a fragile doll.

He laid me on the bed and pulled a document from his briefcase.

"Harper," he said softly. "I was going to wait, but I think you need this now."

It was a stock transfer agreement. He was giving me fifty-one percent of Stark Industries.

"You are the lady of this house, Harper. The only one," he said, his voice earnest. "I'm announcing this at the gala tomorrow night. Everyone will know."

He leaned in, his breath warm on my skin. "And I have another surprise for you. Something to make you happy again."

His lies were a suffocating blanket. I looked at the papers, and a single tear dripped onto the signature line. He saw it and his face crumpled with performative pain.

"Don't cry, my love," he whispered, wiping the tear away with his thumb. He kissed me, but his lips felt like ice. "Just promise me you'll never leave me. I can't live without you."

He pulled out a small box. Inside were two watches, sleek and silver.

"They're linked," he said, fastening one to my wrist. "They monitor our heartbeats. So you'll always know my heart beats only for you."

His heart. The one that was beating for another woman, in another home.

"Leo is gone, Harper," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "But we still have each other. We have to stay together. Forever."

The nausea was overwhelming. I turned my head, dodging his next kiss.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to claw his face and demand to know how he could stand there and lie to me.

But I swallowed the words. I had a plan.

The next night, the gala was a sea of champagne and flashing cameras. Eli was in his element, the charismatic CEO. He made the announcement about the stock transfer, and the room erupted in applause.

The media went wild. "Tech Mogul Eli Stark Gifts Billions to Grieving Wife."

Women looked at me with envy. They saw a tragic fairytale. I saw a gilded cage.

Then, Eli took the microphone again. "And now, for my other surprise."

A small boy, the one from the yard, ran onto the stage and leaped into Eli's arms. "Daddy!"

The room went silent.

Eli beamed, holding the boy up for everyone to see. "Harper, my love, I know how much you've missed having a child in the house. I found him for you. For us."

He looked at me, his eyes shining. "He's from an orphanage. I thought... he could be a replacement."

My fingers dug into my palms.

"He even looks a bit like Leo, don't you think?" Eli continued, oblivious to the storm raging inside me. "I've named him Cody. Cody Stark. To bring joy back to our family."

He was bringing his bastard son into our home. Parading him in front of the world as a gift to me. The cruelty of it was breathtaking.

There was no smile on my face. My heart was bleeding.

Cody wriggled in Eli's arms, reaching for me. "Mommy."

I was forced to take him. He felt heavy, a foreign weight in my arms. The crowd awww'd, their faces full of admiration for my perfect husband.

Then, the boy sneezed.

Suddenly, a figure rushed through the crowd. It was Kasey. She tore a flower from my hair, her face a mask of panic.

"Oh my god, Cody is allergic to pollen!" she cried, dropping to her knees. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Stark! I'm his caseworker from the orphanage. I should have told you!"

The room was dead silent. Everyone stared.

I stared at her, at the lie she was performing so perfectly. I bit my tongue, tasting blood.

"I am so, so sorry," she sobbed, clutching Cody's hand. "Please don't be mad at him."

Eli's face turned to thunder. He grabbed Kasey's arm, his grip like steel.

"You dare show your face here?" he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "You dare upset my wife?"

He was playing his part. The protective husband.

"I'll have you destroyed," he hissed, loud enough for those nearby to hear. He started dragging her away, a collective gasp rippling through the crowd.

People whispered, remembering the stories of Eli Stark's ruthlessness.

I watched them go, and then, on autopilot, I followed.

I left the noisy ballroom and found them in a quiet corridor. Her back was against the wall, but she wasn't scared. She was laughing, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"You were so convincing, my love," she purred. "My hero."

"You shouldn't have come," he said, but there was no anger in his voice. He leaned in and kissed her, hard.

The sound of their passion was a death knell to my heart. He lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist, and carried her into a dark room, kicking the door shut behind them.

I wanted to follow, to scream, but a small hand tugged at my dress.

It was Cody. He looked up at me, his face contorted in a sneer.

"You're not my mommy," he said, and then he stomped on my foot, hard. His little fingernails dug into my arm, breaking the skin.

I stood there, frozen, taking the pain. The image of Eli and Kasey was burned into my mind. My heart bled drop by drop.

The party ended. Eli emerged from the room, looking satisfied. Kasey followed, her lipstick smeared, her knees red and raw under a torn stocking.

Cody saw them and ran to me, biting my shoulder with all his might. The sudden pain made me flinch, and he tumbled to the floor.

He started screaming.

Eli rushed over. Kasey pushed me aside, scooping the crying boy into her arms.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay," she cooed, glaring at me. "Mrs. Stark, I know you're upset, but he's just a child!"

She turned to Eli, her eyes wet with fake tears. "Maybe... maybe I should just take him and go. We won't be an eyesore for her anymore."

"Stop it," Eli said, but his eyes were on me, cold and disappointed. "Harper, you need to get a hold of yourself. You can't keep living in the past."

His words were a slap in the face.

"This is for the good of our family," he said, his voice firm. "We need to be happy again."

He arranged for me to go home with Cody, while he and Kasey went to "finalize the adoption paperwork."

He left me there, alone with his bastard son.