Chapter 2

The small, cramped apartment smelled of dust and old memories.

It belonged to a friend from the ballet company, a kind soul who had offered it to Ava without asking too many questions.

It was a world away from Liam's sterile penthouse.

Here, a worn-out sofa was piled with colorful cushions, and photos of smiling dancers lined the walls.

The warmth of the place should have been a comfort, but it only made Ava feel more like an intruder in someone else's life, a ghost haunting the edges of a happiness that wasn't hers.

She sat on the lumpy mattress on the floor, her only possession a small bag of clothes.

The pain in her leg was a throbbing, constant reminder of the report Liam had dismissed as a lie.

She ran a hand over her thigh, feeling the slight, firm swelling under the skin.

It was real.

The cancer was real.

And she was utterly alone with it.

Her phone buzzed on the floor beside her.

A calendar notification popped up on the screen.

'Anniversary Dinner - 8 pm at La Perle.'

A dry, humorless laugh escaped her lips.

Today.

It was their anniversary.

Eight years since their first date, a clumsy, sweet evening at a cheap Italian restaurant when they were just teenagers.

They had celebrated every year since, always at a new, more extravagant restaurant as Liam's success grew.

This year was meant to be La Perle, the hardest reservation to get in the city.

A celebration of their last anniversary before becoming husband and wife.

She stared at the notification until the screen went dark.

The memory of that first date felt like it belonged to another person, another lifetime.

She remembered Liam, nervous and fumbling, spilling wine on his shirt.

She remembered the way he had looked at her, as if she were the only person in the world.

He had taken her hand across the checkered tablecloth, his palm warm and a little sweaty, and promised he would love her forever.

Where was that boy now?

Where was the man who had held her when her mother got sick, who had promised to stand by her through anything?

He had been replaced by a cold, cruel stranger who looked at her with contempt.

The contrast was so stark it made her head spin.

He had thrown away eight years of love and devotion as easily as he had thrown her ring on the floor.

It was all gone, erased by a lie she didn't even understand yet.

A loud, insistent banging on the apartment door startled her out of her reverie.

Her heart leaped into her throat.

Liam?

Had he come to his senses?

Had he realized his mistake?

She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the sharp protest from her leg, and hurried to the door.

She unlocked it and pulled it open, a sliver of desperate hope flickering in her chest.

It wasn't Liam.

Two large, menacing men stood in the hallway.

They wore cheap suits and expressions that were anything but friendly.

They pushed past her, forcing their way into the small apartment without an invitation.

"Ava Hayes?" the taller one grunted, his eyes scanning the room with disdain.

"Who are you?" Ava asked, her voice trembling as she backed away.

Fear, cold and sharp, replaced the flicker of hope.

"Doesn't matter who we are," the second man said, his gaze lingering on her in a way that made her skin crawl.

"We have a message from Liam Sterling."

"A message?"

"He wants the money," the first man said, stepping towards her.

"The money your father stole from his company. He knows you have it."

The accusation was so absurd it would have been laughable if the situation weren't so terrifying.

"What money? There is no money! My father is innocent!"

The men exchanged a look of amusement.

"That's not what we heard," the taller one said.

"We heard you're hiding millions. And Mr. Sterling is prepared to do whatever it takes to get it back. He thinks a reminder of what happens to people who cross him is in order."

He took another step, and Ava pressed herself against the wall, her breath catching in her throat.

This wasn't just a threat.

This was a calculated act of cruelty.

Liam had sent these thugs.

He wanted to terrorize her.

"I don't have any money," she pleaded, her eyes wide with fear.

"I swear to you. We lost everything. My father is in jail. My mother..."

Her voice broke.

She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'dead' to these strangers.

"Please, just leave me alone."

"Leaving you alone isn't an option," the second man sneered.

"Mr. Sterling was very clear. He believes his father died because of the stress your family caused. An eye for an eye, you know? He wants you to feel a fraction of the pain he's feeling."

An eye for an eye.

The phrase echoed in the small room, chilling her to the bone.

This was more than just a misunderstanding.

This was vengeance.

Liam, consumed by his grief, was actively trying to destroy her.

He wasn't just abandoning her, he was hunting her.

The love he once felt had curdled into a desire for retribution so strong he would send violent men to her door.

The man she loved was gone, and in his place was a monster she didn't recognize.