Chapter 1

The poison tasted like bitter almonds and betrayal.

I lay dying, the Vanderbilt emeralds cold against my skin, a stark contrast to the fire in my veins.

Thirty years.

Thirty years shackled to Ethan Miller, my childhood friend, the man I' d loved with a fierce, unyielding passion, the man I' d forced into a marriage he never wanted.

Our life together was a wasteland of resentment, silent dinners in opulent rooms, his heart always belonging to Brittany Larson, his "white moonlight."

Now, he was finally free.

Or so I thought.

My hand, weak but resolute, clutched the letter opener I' d snatched from the antique desk.

He stood over me, his face a mask I couldn' t read.

"Why, Ethan?" I choked out, the words tearing at my throat. "Was thirty years of misery not enough?"

He knelt, his eyes, usually so cold towards me, now held a strange, frantic light.

"Ash, no," he said, his voice hoarse. "It wasn't me. I was trying to help you."

He fumbled with a small vial, pressing it towards my lips. "Antidote. For a different poison. I' ve been looking… someone else…"

His words blurred.

My strength, fueled by a lifetime of pain, surged one last time.

I lunged, the sharp point of the letter opener finding its mark.

He gasped, a dark stain blooming on his pristine white shirt.

His eyes widened, not in anger, but in a profound, heartbreaking sorrow.

"Ash," he whispered, slumping beside me, the vial rolling from his grasp. "All this time… I was trying to find out who was hurting you. I… I finally understood…"

His voice faded.

The world went dark, his last words echoing in the sudden, terrifying silence.

Misunderstanding.

A tragic, colossal misunderstanding.

And then, nothing.