Chapter 3

The auction began. Gavin and Heidi sat in the front row, his arm draped possessively around her chair. I watched from the shadows at the back of the room, my heart a cold, heavy stone in my chest.

When the auctioneer announced the final item, a hush fell over the crowd.

"And now, for our grand finale, the 'Star of the Ocean'!"

A magnificent blue diamond necklace was brought out on a velvet cushion. It glittered under the spotlights, a perfect, flawless gem.

Heidi gasped, her hand flying to her chest. "Oh, Gavin, it's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he murmured, kissing her temple.

The bidding started. It was fierce, climbing into the millions within seconds. But Gavin simply sat there, a calm smile on his face. When the price hit ten million dollars, he finally raised his paddle.

"Twenty million," he said, his voice casual, as if he were ordering a coffee.

The room fell silent. No one else dared to bid.

"Sold!" the auctioneer cried. "To Mr. Gavin Hawkins!"

The room erupted in applause. Heidi threw her arms around Gavin's neck, kissing him deeply. "Thank you, thank you! I love it!"

"Anything for you, my love," he said, his voice a low promise. "The wedding is next month. This is just a small pre-wedding gift."

He took the necklace and fastened it around her neck. She preened, turning her head from side to side to admire it.

I couldn't breathe.

That necklace. I recognized it. Not the diamond, but the unique, handcrafted silver chain it was on.

My father had designed it. It was a one-of-a-kind piece he had made for my mother. After she died, he gave it to me, telling me to give it to the woman I felt was my family. It was the only thing I had left of them.

When Gavin proposed to me-the real proposal, in our mansion, before the crash-I had given the chain to him. I told him he was my family now. He had tears in his eyes. He promised he would cherish it forever, that it was more precious to him than all the money in the world.

And now, he had put a twenty-million-dollar diamond on it and given it to the woman who tried to kill me. He had taken my most precious memory, my symbol of family and love, and given it to her as a trinket.

The pain in my chest was so intense, I thought I was dying. I gripped the wall for support, my knuckles white.

All the love I had for him, all the sacrifices, all the years of devotion-he had taken it all and thrown it away like trash.

The auction ended. My shift was over. I collected my pay and walked out into the night. It had started to rain, a cold, miserable downpour that matched the storm inside me.

I didn't take a cab. I just walked, letting the rain soak me to the bone. I didn't know where I was going. I just needed to move, to put distance between myself and that glittering, false world.

A sleek black car sped past, splashing a wave of muddy water all over my cheap coat.

I looked up, furious.

Through the rain-streaked window, I saw Gavin at the wheel. Heidi was in the passenger seat, her head on his shoulder. He was laughing, his hand stroking her hair.

The car disappeared around the corner.

I collapsed onto the wet pavement, the last of my strength gone. Sobs wracked my body, raw and ugly. I cried for the life I'd lost, for the love that was a lie, for the baby I didn't yet know was growing inside me.

"Dad," I whispered to the stormy sky. "Why? Why did this happen to me?"

I was so alone.

Somehow, I managed to pull myself up. I walked for hours, my feet numb, my mind a blank slate of pain. I found myself at the cemetery, standing in front of my father's grave.

I sank to the ground, my tears mixing with the rain on the cold marble. I told him everything. About Gavin's betrayal, about the lies, about the necklace. I talked until my voice was a raw, hoarse whisper.

I must have fallen asleep there, curled up against the headstone. When I woke, the sun was rising, and the rain had stopped. My phone was buzzing incessantly. Dozens of missed calls and texts from Gavin.

"Ainsley, where are you? I'm worried."

"Baby, please call me. I'm sorry I had to work late."

Lies. All of it.

I slowly walked back to the apartment. He was waiting outside, pacing back and forth, his face a mask of frantic worry.

"Ainsley! My God, where have you been? I was out of my mind!" he cried, rushing forward to grab me.

I flinched away from his touch.

I looked at him, really looked at him. Not as my loving, struggling husband, but as the manipulative billionaire who had played me for a fool. He was a stranger.

I remembered another time I had run to my father's grave after a fight with him. He had found me there, too. He'd held me, his voice soft with concern, telling me he was sorry, that he was scared of losing me.

Now, his concern felt like a performance. His worry was a lie.

The man I loved was gone. Maybe he had never existed at all.