Chapter 1

After my plane landed at JFK, I texted everyone.

Not a single person replied.

I didn't think much of it. I dragged my suitcase outside, got into an Uber, and gave the driver the address of my Manhattan apartment.

Once we merged onto the highway, I opened TikTok.

The first thing on my feed was a livestream from a local food blogger.

She was inside a newly opened rooftop restaurant in Brooklyn, walking through the menu as she slowly panned her camera across the floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor terrace.

The terrace was decked out with roses and champagne.

Then the camera swept past one particular table.

My breath caught.

My boyfriend, Ethan Vale, was down on one knee.

An open ring box rested in his hand.

And the woman standing in front of him was wearing the white dress I'd bought just last week.

My younger half-sister.

Lila Hart.

My fingers went ice-cold as I zoomed in.

My mother sat at a table by the windows, both hands over her mouth. Her eyes were red, like she was watching a happy ending she'd been waiting years to see.

Maya Kim, my best friend, walked over carrying a bouquet of white roses.

Smiling, she handed them to Lila.

Comments were flooding the livestream.

"OMG she's so pretty!!!"

"Say yes!!"

"Perfect couple."

The blogger was close enough that her phone picked up every word.

Then I heard my mother say, "Three years. It hasn't been easy, but you two finally made it."

Three years.

I sat frozen in the back seat of the Uber, staring at my phone as my hand began to shake.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Ma'am, you okay?"

I locked my phone.

When I spoke, my voice was so hoarse I barely recognized it.

"Change of plans. Midtown. Briar & Cole."

It was the law firm my company had retained for years.

Everyone around me seemed to think that as long as they kept me in the dark, they could keep pretending everything was fine.

They were about to find out otherwise.

Some things, once taken from you, you don't get back.

The lights in Briar & Cole's top-floor conference room burned late into the night.

"Ms. Hart." My attorney, Daniel Cole, slid a tablet toward me.

"We can suspend Ethan's authority as COO and deactivate the authorized-user Chase Reserve card on your account tonight, as soon as you sign off."

He swiped to the next document.

"As for the condo Ms. Lila Hart currently occupies, if you want to reclaim it, we'll issue formal notice."

I sat on the couch and took a sip of coffee that had gone completely cold.

The bitterness was just enough to settle the nausea churning in my stomach.

"Do it."

Daniel nodded and pushed several documents across the table.

"You've spent the last four years building Ethan up. You handed him major clients and let him represent the company at high-level events."

He paused.

"If you take this all the way, he won't just lose his current position. He'll have a hard time landing anything comparable."

I picked up the pen and signed my name on the final page.

"Then that's what he's earned."

A light rain had started by the time I walked out of the law office.

Three hours earlier, I'd been on a plane, looking at my reservations and thinking about surprising Ethan.

For our fourth anniversary, I'd booked a table two weeks in advance at his favorite steakhouse and tasting room.

I'd even pushed a business dinner in Austin to the following week.

Instead, on the day I came home from a business trip, he proposed to my half-sister.

And my mother and my best friend both stood there, crying and applauding.

My phone buzzed.

Ethan.

[Landed yet, babe?]

[Ordered your favorite lobster bisque from that place downtown.]

[Should be there any minute.]

[Wait up for me, okay?]

I stared at the word "babe."

My fingertips went numb.

I called him.

It rang for a long time before Ethan finally answered.

"Babe."

His voice was as gentle as always.

I asked softly, "Still at the office?"

"Just wrapped up a review. The team's wiped."

He chuckled.

Behind him, I could faintly hear silverware clinking and quiet laughter.

Then I heard my mother say, "The lobster here is incredible."

"Sounds like a lot going on over there," I said calmly.

Ethan laughed softly.

"Get some rest. I'll head home as soon as we're done here."

The lie rolled right off his tongue.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I might never have known he was betraying me.

When I got home, the takeout he'd ordered was sitting outside the door.

Stone cold.

I looked at it once, left it untouched, and walked straight into the bedroom.

At one in the morning, I heard the front door open.

Ethan stepped inside quietly.

A sliver of hallway light fell across his suit jacket.

A few flecks of gold glitter clung to his shoulder.

He came to the bed and leaned down.

I could smell alcohol on him.

And underneath it, a familiar perfume.

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia.

The bottle I'd given Lila last week.

"Mia, you asleep?" he whispered.

I kept my eyes closed.

I didn't answer.

He seemed to relax.

Then he turned and went into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, he came out freshly showered and slipped under the covers beside me.

Out of habit, he reached for me.

I shifted away, avoiding his touch.

"What's wrong?" He moved closer behind me, his voice carrying that familiar warmth. "Mad I didn't pick you up?"

"Today was insane. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

He paused.

"I'll take you to look at that Kelly bag you've been eyeing, okay?"

"No. I'm tired."

"Then get some sleep."

He gently tucked the blanket around me.

"Good night, Mia."

The bedside lamp clicked off.

The room went dark.

I lay awake for a long time.