Chapter 2

The hope she had felt just twenty-four hours ago now seemed like a cruel joke. When Ethan had handed her the list the next morning, her heart had soared. A custom-designed ring. A specific designer gown from Paris. 999 imported red roses. She had assumed it was all for her, for their engagement, for the fairytale ending she had earned.

Now, Serena Vance stood before her, wearing that exact gown. The ring, the one Chloe had picked out, was sparkling on Serena' s finger. This lavish "unveiling" party wasn' t for Ethan' s return to society. It was Serena' s engagement party. And the roses, the 999 perfect, imported roses, were for Serena' s bath.

Chloe felt like a fool. A complete and utter fool. Ten years of her life, ten years of catering to his every whim, of suppressing her own needs and desires, of living in his shadow, and it all came down to this. The humiliation was so profound it left her speechless.

"Well?" Ethan' s voice cut through her daze, sharp and demanding. "Are you going to just stand there? Deliver the flowers and prepare the bath. Serena will be moving in tonight."

The veins on his forehead bulged slightly, a sure sign of his rising anger. It was a look she knew all too well, a look that had always made her shrink and obey.

Chloe' s gaze fell on the cart of roses nearby, their deep crimson petals still fresh and vibrant. A tightness seized her chest, and breathing suddenly felt like swallowing razor blades. For the first time in a decade, a different feeling rose up inside her, stronger than fear. It was a cold, hard resolve.

She lifted her head and met his furious gaze. "If she' s moving in," Chloe said, her voice surprisingly steady, "then I' m moving out."

A sneer twisted Ethan' s handsome features. He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. "Is that right?" he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Your struggling family gives you the courage to leave me?"

He grabbed her, his fingers digging into her arm. "Chloe, have you been spying on me for your grandfather all these years? Is that what this is about? How much did he pay you to stick around?"

Chloe' s breath hitched. A spy? He thought she was a spy?

Ten years ago, her family' s business had collapsed overnight. Her father had been destroyed, and creditors were hounding her and her mother. Ethan' s grandfather, Mr. Stone, a long-time family friend, had stepped in. He had offered them protection and assistance. He had also proposed a strategic marriage alliance to help rebuild her family' s fortune, a choice between two of his grandsons: Ethan, or his cousin, Alex Chen.

Chloe, blinded by a youthful crush and a desperate hope for love, had chosen Ethan. She chose to dedicate herself to him, to support his ambitions, even knowing his heart had once belonged to another. She thought she could win him over. She thought her devotion would eventually mean something.

But today, standing in this ballroom, she knew Ethan was no longer an option. He had never been an option.