Chapter 2

Ethan held Leo tighter, his gaze fixed on Olivia.

He saw her now for what she truly was.

The soft concern in her eyes was a lie. The gentle smile was a mask. Behind it was the monster who had called their son a "mistake."

"Ethan? Are you okay? You look pale," she said, taking a step closer.

He flinched, pulling Leo back with him instinctively.

Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face before being replaced by that same fake worry.

"I' m fine," he said, his voice rough. "Just a bad dream."

In his first life, he had been so naive. He had hugged her, told her he loved her, and promised to take good care of Leo while she was gone. He had believed her when she said she' d be right back.

He remembered it all so clearly now. The little signs he had dismissed as nothing.

A few weeks before she left, she had been on the phone late at night, her voice hushed. When he asked who it was, she' d said it was an old art school friend, offering condolences about her sister. But he remembered the words he' d overheard. Words like "opportunity" and "arrangement."

He had chosen to trust her.

He remembered his best friend, Mark, pulling him aside after visiting their shop.

"I don' t know, man," Mark had said, looking uneasy. "Something' s off with Olivia. She was asking me all these questions about my cousin who works in finance. Asking about prenups and asset transfers. It was weird."

Ethan had defended her fiercely.

"She' s just curious, Mark. Her sister was engaged to a rich guy. She' s probably just trying to understand that world."

He had called Mark paranoid. He had been so blinded by love, so wrapped up in the image of the struggling artist who loved him for him, not for the family fortune he had walked away from.

A "love brain," Mark had called him. He had been right.

Ethan looked at the suitcase she was holding. In his first life, he had helped her pack it. He remembered her carefully folding a very expensive-looking dress, one he had never seen before.

"It was my sister' s," she had explained. "Daniel-her fiancé-insists I wear it to the service. It' s what she would have wanted."

Now he knew the truth. It wasn' t a funeral dress. It was an audition outfit. An outfit to snag her dead sister' s rich fiancé.

The pieces clicked into place with horrifying clarity. Her sudden interest in the art world' s high society, her offhand comments about how "some people are just born lucky," her frustration with their mounting debts.

It wasn't about their shared dream. It was never about their dream. It was about her ambition, and he was just a stepping stone she was about to kick away.

"Well, I should get going or I' ll miss my bus," Olivia said, her voice pulling him from his dark thoughts.

She bent down to kiss Leo. "Be a good boy for Daddy, sweetie."

Leo, oblivious, gave her a big hug.

Then she turned to Ethan, puckering her lips for a goodbye kiss.

He couldn't do it. The thought of her lips touching his made his stomach churn. He turned his head slightly, and her kiss landed on his cheek.

It felt cold.

She pulled back, a flash of irritation in her eyes again. "I' ll call you tonight."

"Don' t bother," he said, his voice flat.

She froze. "What did you say?"

"I said don' t bother calling," he repeated, looking her straight in the eye. He saw a flicker of panic, of a carefully laid plan starting to go awry.

"Ethan, what' s wrong with you this morning?" she asked, her tone shifting, becoming a little sharper.

"I' m just tired," he lied, forcing a neutral expression. He couldn' t reveal what he knew. Not yet. He needed to be smart. He needed a plan.

She studied him for a moment longer, then seemed to decide it wasn' t worth delaying her trip. "Fine. I' ll see you in a couple of days."

She walked out the door, closing it softly behind her.

He listened to her footsteps descending the creaky stairs. The moment he heard the front door of the building close, he let out a breath he didn' t realize he was holding.

His first life was a nightmare he had barely survived. This life would be different. He wouldn' t be the victim. He wouldn' t be the heartbroken fool left to pick up the pieces.

He would protect his son. He would reclaim his life. And he would make Olivia Reed pay for everything she had done, and everything she was about to do.

He looked at Leo, who was back to his blocks, humming a little tune. The sight of his son, happy and safe, solidified his resolve into something as hard and unbreakable as diamond.

There was no time to waste.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number he hadn't used in two years. It was the number for the lawyer who handled his trust fund before he cut ties with his family.

Then, he went to his laptop and pulled up an online marketplace. He took a few quick photos of the tools and equipment in his struggling tech repair shop.

He typed out a listing: "ENTIRE TECH REPAIR SHOP INVENTORY FOR SALE. EVERYTHING MUST GO TODAY. CHEAP."

He hit 'post' .

His old life was over. It was time to go home.