Chapter 2

It was my sixth year at the firm. I could have left three years ago, but I stayed. I stayed for Ethan. In my previous life, after we married and it all fell apart, I never saw my family again.

After the call with my dad, I limped back to my desk to gather the few personal items I had left. My body was still weak, a constant reminder of the fever and the neglect.

Before I could even open a drawer, two angry executives from the board confronted me. They blocked my path, their faces grim.

"Olivia Reed," one of them said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Are you truly willing to take the full blame for this scandal to save Ethan's career?"

I was confused. I looked past them, searching for Ethan. He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable. He walked over, his steps quiet.

"Olivia," he began, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Sarah asked me to take her on as a partner. She has a brilliant future ahead of her. We owe it to her to protect that. Please, just take the fall. For her."

My heart, which had held a foolish, tiny spark of hope, shattered into a million pieces. I had expected them to get together, I knew it was coming, but not like this. Not so soon, not at my expense.

Before I could answer, before I could scream, Ethan covered my mouth with his hand. The executives pushed a stack of papers into my chest. A harsh severance package. A non-disclosure agreement that would silence me forever.

I bit my tongue, hard. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. I looked down at the devastating terms, the clauses that would professionally blacklist me. My spirit, already so bruised, finally broke.

As the executives left, my legs gave out. I slid to the floor, my body trembling uncontrollably.

Sarah entered the room. She walked over, feigning concern. She knelt beside me.

"Olivia, are you okay?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Ethan just couldn't bear to see me get hurt by all this. He was so worried about my career. That' s why he had to ask you to take the fall."

She then held up her wrist, flaunting a delicate, vintage watch. It was gold, with a small, intricate face.

"Look," she said, her smile wide and triumphant. "This is Ethan's mother's watch. He told me it' s his most precious possession. He gave it to me. As a promise."

I stared at the watch. I remembered it. He had given it to me in our previous life, on the day he proposed. I tried to smile, to say something, anything, but the pain in my tongue and my heart made it impossible.

Sarah' s face hardened. "What, you' re not even going to wish us well? Ethan and I are getting married. You'll wish us happiness, won't you?"

I struggled to form the words. My voice was a mangled whisper.

"I... wish... you... both... happiness."

"I can' t hear you," Sarah said, annoyed, crossing her arms. "You' re not being sincere."

Ethan stepped forward. "She' s not well, Sarah. Her voice is weak." He gently wiped a single, perfect tear from Sarah's cheek. Then he turned to me, his face contorted with anger. He kicked my side, a sharp, brutal blow that knocked the air out of my lungs.

"Can't you speak properly?" he muttered, his voice low and menacing. "You've made her cry."

He only saw her single, calculated tear. He didn't see my broken spirit, my shattered life lying in pieces on the floor.

I clutched my chest, a new, sharp pain radiating from my ribs. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't bear their presence, their counterfeit love story built on my ruin. I tried to leave, to crawl away from them. I collapsed again, my body refusing to cooperate. I dragged myself across the floor, a miserable, broken thing.

Ethan saw the trail of blood I left on the polished floor, a smear from my bitten tongue. For a fleeting moment, a flicker of some unreadable emotion crossed his eyes. He almost reached for me.

But then Sarah scoffed. "Ethan, darling, don't you understand professional boundaries? Don't touch her."

He immediately retreated, moving back to Sarah's side, his moment of humanity gone as quickly as it came.

I kept crawling. The wounds on my body were nothing compared to the ones inside. I finally reached my old office, the one I had before they moved me to the storage room. I pulled myself inside, closed the door, and finally let the sobs come, weeping until there was nothing left.

The incident left me scarred, physically and emotionally. I resumed my work, what little was left of it, counting the days, waiting for my father's call. Waiting for the arrangements to go home.

But before his call came, the news spread through the office like a wildfire. Ethan Miller and Sarah Jenkins were engaged.