Chapter 2

2

I hurried my pace, but those words still felt like a knife to the chest.

Ten years. I had loved him for ten years, and to him, I was just a loyal pet that needed to be trained.

It was a pathetic realization. My heart felt like it had been carved out of my chest.

The worst part was that he was right. My last name, my education, my life―it all belonged to the Kingsleys.

To the outside world, I was a powerful woman. But everyone knew I only had that power because of Archer and his grandfather.

I was an orphan Grandpa Kingsley had picked up to work as a maid in the manor.

At a high-society birthday party years ago, a group of rich girls had framed me for stealing a diamond necklace.

Archer was the one who found the security footage and cleared my name. He saved me from being thrown back onto the streets.

After the party, he told his grandfather he liked me. He wanted me to be his personal photography model.

Grandpa Kingsley moved me from the servants' quarters to Archer's side. I became his playmate, his assistant, and his shadow.

When it was time for college, Grandpa sent me abroad. He had a plan for me.

Archer was the only heir to the Kingsley empire, but he had zero interest in business. He only cared about his cameras and his "art."

Grandpa knew I loved Archer. He also knew the family needed a CEO who would be completely loyal and obedient.

He groomed me to be that person. That was the deal we made so I could stay near Archer.

When I returned to the States, I started at the very bottom of Kingsley Enterprises. I was a lowly assistant.

I worked twenty-hour days. I drank myself sick at business dinners just to close deals. I didn't sleep.

Slowly, I climbed the ladder until I was the Acting CEO. Only then was I considered "worthy" of marrying Archer.

I was a puppet with no real power, but I gave my life to that company anyway.

Archer and I started dating in college. It felt like a natural progression.

After graduation, Grandpa made us sign the marriage license. But there was no ceremony.

He told me that when I proved I could lead the company on my own, he would announce my status to the world. He promised me a wedding that would be the talk of the country.

I waited three long years for that day.

I poured everything into my work, thinking I was building a future for us. I didn't see that Archer was growing to resent my "boring" corporate life.

He missed having a model who lived for art. He missed having someone who could follow him into the wild for a shoot.

And then, Sienna appeared.

They met at a gallery opening. Archer was instantly captivated and invited her to join his studio.

They shared a language I didn't speak. They shared "passion" and "vision."

Sienna understood the emotions behind his lens. She understood the man I was too busy working to see.

Before I knew it, she had taken over his heart.

I was the wife who talked about quarterly reports. She was the muse who talked about the soul.

Archer became cold and impatient. He spent every night at the studio.

I tried to believe him when he said they were just colleagues. I was desperate to save my marriage.

I thought a grand wedding ceremony would fix us. I thought it would bring him back.

But while we were at the dress fitting, I overheard Sienna whispering to him.

"Is it okay for us to take these intimate photos? Won't your wife be upset?"

Archer had laughed. "I only want to photograph the woman I love. And that's you, Sienna."

Then came the "wedding photos" I received the day before our big event.

Except it wasn't us. It was Archer and Sienna.

In the photos, Sienna was wearing a lace nightgown―the exact one she had given me as a "wedding gift."

I had imagined wearing that for Archer on our wedding night. Seeing her in it broke something inside me.

The faith I had held onto for a decade crumbled into dust.

The truth was screaming in my face. Archer Kingsley did not love me.

It was time to let go of the man who had already let go of me.