Chapter 6

I remembered the time Jaxon' s family had first objected to our relationship. His mother, with her cold eyes and colder money, had tried to buy me off. Jaxon had stormed into their mansion, declared that I was the only woman he would ever marry, and threatened to cut ties with his own family if they didn' t accept me.

I thought he was my hero, my one true partner for life.

How naive I was. How fleeting his promises were.

He started to say something, some useless explanation, but Krystal chose that moment to swoon, collapsing dramatically in his arms. He didn' t hesitate. He swept her up and rushed past me, his face a thunderous mask.

"Wait here," he tossed over his shoulder. "I' ll send someone to take you to the hospital."

He left me there, a shivering, soaking wet heap on the riverbank, clutching my father' s medal. I saw Krystal peek over his shoulder as they left, a triumphant smirk on her face before she buried her head in his chest again.

I ended up in the hospital, of course. It was becoming my second home. I lay in the sterile white bed, numbly watching the IV drip into my arm.

Jaxon came into my room hours later. He looked haggard, but his eyes... his eyes were what scared me. They were the eyes of a stranger.

"Your mental state is deteriorating again, Alina," he said, his voice laced with a false, pitying concern. "I think it' s best if you go back to the clinic in Switzerland. Just for a little while."

He looked at me with such deep, convincing affection that for a split second, I almost fell for it again. Almost believed that he cared.

"Go back where?" I asked, my voice hollow. "To the home you share with your wife? To the life where I don' t exist?" I held up my hand. "You never planned to divorce her, did you?"

He froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "Alina, it' s complicated. I have my reasons. Please, just trust me."

I felt a hysterical laugh bubble up in my throat. I reached for the simple diamond band he' d given me, the one I' d worn on a chain around my neck for three years. I had imagined him taking it off the chain and sliding it onto my finger on our wedding day.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed it out the open window. It disappeared into the night.

Jaxon' s face darkened with anger. Before he could speak, a nurse bustled in. "Mr. Francis, your wife is asking for you. She says her head hurts."

He didn' t even hesitate. He turned and left without another word.

He didn' t come back. For days, he sent his assistants with food and expensive supplements, all of which I threw in the trash. The day I was discharged, a friend sent me a link with the message, 'OMG, Alina, is this true?!'

I clicked it. My heart plummeted.

The headlines were everywhere. 'Krystal Gomez, wife of Nexus Corp CEO, accuses protégé Alina Phillips of plagiarism.'

There they were, side-by-side. Krystal' s new hit song, 'Winter' s Thaw,' and my composition, a piece I had labored over for months in the clinic, a piece I had sent only to Jaxon. The melodies were identical.

The comments section was a cesspool. I was a thief, a home-wrecker, a social-climbing parasite. Someone had leaked that I had a history with Jaxon, and the narrative was set. I was the jealous ex trying to ruin his happy marriage.

My hands shook so hard I dropped my phone. Krystal hadn' t just stolen my music. She had stolen my name, my future.

I ran out of the hospital, desperation giving me strength. I had to find Jaxon. He had to fix this.

I found him giving a press conference on the steps of his company headquarters. He stood at a podium, Krystal clinging to his arm, looking fragile and victimized.

"My wife is a brilliant artist," Jaxon said, his voice booming with authority. "These accusations are baseless and cruel. As for Ms. Phillips... I have known her for many years. She is a talented, but troubled, young woman. I would simply ask that she cherish her own reputation and stop this baseless harassment."

He was sacrificing me. Publicly. To protect her.

The world tilted, and I fell to my knees on the cold pavement. He had just pushed me into the abyss.