Chapter 2

The next day, I made the public apology. The words felt like poison on my tongue, each syllable a surrender.

I stood before a wall of cameras and reporters, my face a mask of practiced remorse, and publicly shamed myself for saving a dying child.

Ariana sat in the front row, dabbing at her dry eyes, the picture of wronged innocence. Jaydan stood beside me, his hand on my back in a show of support that felt like a cage.

The moment it was over, I felt a strange calm. The worst had happened. The illusion was shattered. There was nothing left to lose.

That afternoon, while Jaydan was in meetings, I slipped out of the penthouse and went to see a divorce attorney, a man named Marcus Thorne, known for his discretion and his tenacity.

I sat in his quiet, book-lined office and told him everything, my voice low and steady. I wanted a divorce. I wanted to be free.

Marcus listened patiently, his steepled fingers hiding his expression. When I finished, he was silent for a long moment.

"Mrs. Anderson," he finally said, his voice gentle. "There's a complication."

He swiveled his monitor toward me. It showed a legal document. "This is a copy of your... marital agreement."

"Our pre-nup," I corrected.

"Not exactly," he said. He pointed to a clause buried deep in the fine print. I squinted to read the technical jargon.

"What does it mean?" I asked, a knot of dread tightening in my stomach.

"It means you were never legally married to Jaydan Anderson," Marcus said, his voice flat. "This document, which you signed ten years ago, established not a marriage, but a ten-year partnership agreement. It expired last week, on your 'anniversary'."

The room tilted. The books on the shelves seemed to swim before my eyes. "No. That's impossible. We had a wedding. A ceremony. Hundreds of guests."

"A beautiful, very public ceremony," Marcus agreed. "But you never filed a marriage license with the state. What you signed was this. A contract. One that gave Jaydan control over certain shared assets and outlined the terms of your separation. It also contains a formidable non-disclosure agreement."

My mind flashed back. Ten years ago, a week before the wedding. Jaydan had come to me with a thick stack of papers. "Just some financial stuff, darling," he'd said, kissing my forehead. "For our future. So we can build our empire together." I was a paramedic; I knew medicine, not corporate law. I trusted him. I loved him. I signed where he told me to sign without a second thought.

"Ten years," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. My entire adult life. My love, my devotion, my sacrifices... all for a business contract.

"I'm sorry, Ainsley," Marcus said softly.

I stumbled out of his office in a daze, the city streets a blur of noise and color. I walked for hours, aimless, my mind a hollow shell. I ended up back at the penthouse, the key feeling alien in my hand.

The apartment was dark. I moved through it like a ghost, my feet silent on the marble floors. I was heading for my room when I heard voices coming from Jaydan's study. His and his father's.

I froze, pressing myself into the shadows of the hallway.

"The contract with Ainsley has expired," his father, a man I'd always found cold and calculating, was saying. "The Shepherd merger can proceed. You and Ariana need to set a date."

"I know," Jaydan's voice was weary. "Ariana is already planning it."

"This was always the deal, Jaydan. You get your decade of fun with the paramedic, and then you fulfill your duty to this family and to the Shepherds. The merger of Anderson Tech and Shepherd Industries depends on this union. It has been the plan since you and Ariana were in high school."

"I know the plan," Jaydan snapped, a rare show of frustration.

"Then what's the problem?" his father pressed. "Ariana is getting impatient. Her little... episode at the hospital last week was a message. She slit her wrist, for God's sake. Just a scratch, but a clear signal. She won't be put off any longer."

"It was just a stunt to get Ainsley to give blood," Jaydan said dismissively. "She knew it would force my hand."

"A clever stunt," his father conceded. "She plays the game well. You've kept your promise to her. You gave her the marriage. Now it's time to make it public and finalize the deal."

A wave of nausea so profound it almost buckled my knees washed over me. Ariana's suicide attempt... a scam. A cruel, manipulative play to hurt me. And Jaydan knew. He knew all along.

The pieces slammed together in my mind, a mosaic of horror. My ten-year love story was a placeholder. A "decade of fun" before the real marriage, the real deal. I was a temporary amusement, a pawn in a corporate game so vast I couldn't even comprehend it.

My heart, which I thought had already been broken, felt like it was turning to ice. The love I felt for him died in that moment, replaced by a cold, silent clarity.

A small sound, a gasp, escaped my lips.

The voices in the study stopped.

"Who's there?" Jaydan called out.

Footsteps approached the door. I had nowhere to run. The door swung open, and Jaydan stood there, his face clouded with annoyance, which quickly morphed into a strained smile when he saw me.

"Ainsley, darling. You're home. I didn't hear you come in."

His father appeared behind him, his eyes like chips of ice.

"I... I just got back," I stammered, my mind racing to find a plausible reason for lurking in the dark hallway.

"Are you still upset about the apology?" Jaydan asked, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "I know it was difficult, but it was a necessary business move. It protects the company from liability. It protects our future."

He reached out to touch my arm, and I felt a violent wave of revulsion.

"Don't," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

He frowned, misinterpreting my reaction. "Ainsley, don't be childish."

He tried to pull me into a hug, whispering his fake endearments, his breath hot on my neck. "I love you. You know that, right? Everything I do is for us."

I felt bile rise in my throat. The scent of his expensive cologne, a scent I once associated with safety and love, now smelled like deceit and rot.

I pushed him away, harder than I intended.

He looked surprised, then annoyed. "What's gotten into you?"

Before he could say more, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. The name 'Ariana' glowed, accompanied by a heart emoji.

He answered, his voice instantly softening into a tender murmur. "Hey, you... Yes, the deal is proceeding... I'll see you tomorrow... Of course, I miss you too."

He was talking to her about their wedding. Their real wedding. While I stood right there, the ten-year lie crumbling around me.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stand to be in the same room with him for another second.

Without a word, I turned and walked toward my bedroom, my movements stiff and robotic. I had to get out. Not tomorrow, not next week. Now.