Chapter 2

A tinny voice, Chloe's, crackled from the helicopter's speaker.

"Oh, listen to her. Still acting like the high and mighty Mrs. Stone."

Then Liam's voice followed, dripping with contempt. "The live chat is going crazy, Ava. They're all talking about how the great Lewis family went bankrupt. Looks like no one is coming to save you now."

I glanced at the phone in Chloe's hand. I couldn't read the comments, but I could imagine them. Liam had spent years building a narrative of me as a spoiled heiress who looked down on his humble beginnings. He had isolated me from my family, convincing me they were disappointed in my choice to marry him.

The sun was relentless. Sweat poured down my face, and my throat felt like sandpaper. Each step was an effort. My head started to feel light.

"Just apologize, Ava," Liam's voice boomed again. "Get on your knees and apologize to Chloe for what you did to her. Tell everyone how cruel you were. Do that, and I'll let you come up."

Chloe leaned into the microphone, her voice sickeningly sweet. "It's okay, Liam. I'm used to it. She's always looked down on me. Do you remember that time she said my shoes were from last season? I walked home that day, my feet hurt so much."

I vaguely remembered the incident. I had complimented her shoes, and she had taken it as an insult. She had a talent for twisting everything.

"I remember," Liam growled. His anger was a performance, fueled by Chloe's words. "She thinks she's better than us."

I had never thought that. I had loved Liam. I had given up a future my family wanted for me to be with him. I had supported his business with my own funds, funds he now controlled. All because I believed in him. The realization of his deep-seated resentment hit me with the force of a physical blow.

He wasn't just insecure; he was cruel. He had planned this.

"She made your feet hurt, Chloe?" Liam asked, his voice dangerously soft.

"Yes," Chloe whimpered. "They were bleeding by the time I got home."

Another lie. But Liam bought every word.

He barked an order I couldn't hear. The helicopter descended slightly, and two of Liam's bodyguards jumped out, landing heavily on the sand. They started walking towards me.

I stood my ground, my heart pounding. What now?

"Chloe says you hurt her feet," Liam's voice announced from above. "She thinks you have no idea what it's like to suffer. So, we're going to teach you a little lesson in empathy."

The bodyguards reached me. One grabbed my arm while the other knelt down.

"The boss's orders," one of them muttered, not meeting my eyes.

He untied my sneakers, pulled them off my feet, and tossed them aside. They landed with a soft thud on the sand.

Then they retreated, jogging back to the rope ladder dangling from the helicopter and climbing up.

The chopper rose higher, a malevolent insect in the vast, empty sky.

I was alone again, barefoot. The sand wasn't soft. It was scorching hot, covered in tiny, sharp rocks that felt like glass under my soles. I took one step and cried out in pain.