Chapter 2

The lie shattered at SXSW.

Ethan' s tech company was hosting a private rooftop party. The air was thick with the smell of money and expensive perfume. I felt out of place, as always. A working-class filmmaker in a sea of investors and influencers.

I went to find a quiet corner, needing a break from the noise. I slipped behind a large, potted plant near the edge of the balcony. That' s when I heard their voices. Ethan and Dylan.

Dylan' s laugh was loud and cruel. "I still can' t believe you pulled it off. Five years, and she still looks at you like you' re her hero."

My breath caught in my throat. I froze.

Ethan' s voice was low, tight. "Shut up, Dylan."

"Come on," Dylan sneered. "It was a masterpiece of a scheme. Bankrupting her old man' s club just to get me that land deal. All so you could get in Scarlett' s good graces. Did it work? Did she finally fuck you for it?"

Scarlett. The name hit me like a physical blow. Scarlett, the social media queen, the daughter of a rival tech mogul. The woman Ethan had been obsessed with since prep school. The woman now engaged to Dylan.

My world tilted. The sounds of the party faded to a dull roar in my ears.

"I told you to shut up," Ethan repeated, his voice dangerously quiet.

"What' s the matter, Ethan?" Dylan taunted. "Feeling guilty? You got what you wanted. You got the consolation prize. You married the poor little musician' s daughter after you destroyed her family. You get to play savior for the rest of your life. It' s perfect."

I couldn' t breathe. My father. His venue. His heart attack. It wasn' t Dylan' s greed. It was Ethan. The man I married. The man who held me while I grieved for a father he helped kill.

The entire foundation of my life, our five-year marriage, crumbled into dust. It wasn' t love. It was guilt. It wasn' t a rescue. It was a cover-up. And it was all for another woman.