Chapter 3

Fae Ware POV:

Glenn misread my silence. He probably thought I was sulking, jealous perhaps, but still loyal, still his. He knelt before me, pulling a small velvet box from his jacket pocket. It wasn't the ring I'd seen in Karis's text, but a smaller, elegant diamond pendant.

"Fae," he began, his voice a practiced whisper of tenderness. "I know I've been distant lately. Work, you know. But you are always on my mind. This is for you. A symbol of my unwavering love."

He stretched out his hand, the pendant dangling, sparkling under the chandelier light. He expected me to melt, to forgive, to fall back into his arms. The irony was a bitter burn in my throat. He was giving me trinkets while giving Karis his name, his future. And he was doing it with such casual ease, such practiced charm. He truly believed he could have both.

"Glenn, I saw you," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "With Karis. The engagement."

His face went rigid. The tender mask slipped, revealing a flicker of panic, quickly replaced by indignation.

"Fae, what are you talking about? That's ridiculous. Karis is just a friend. You know how close we are. She probably just bought that ring for herself. She's always been a little... flashy."

He was gaslighting me, right here, right now, after being caught red-handed. The audacity was breathtaking. My gaze drifted past him, landing on a news alert flashing on the TV in the corner of the room. A picture of Karis, holding up her hand, the diamond unmistakable. Christensen Scion Engaged to Rising Starlet Karis Hubbard. It was a cruel joke, played out on a public stage.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his expression shifting from feigned anger to genuine concern. "I have to go," he said abruptly, standing up. "Karis needs me. Some sort of emergency at her apartment."

He was leaving. Again. For her. The woman he was supposedly just "friends" with, who had just bought a fake engagement ring for herself. My heart, already shattered, felt a fresh crack.

"Go," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Go to her."

He hesitated, then gave me a quick, almost dismissive squeeze on the shoulder. "I'll explain everything when I get back, Fae. Don't worry, okay?"

He walked out, and I felt nothing but a cold, hard resolve. No more waiting. No more tears. I picked up my phone, my fingers flying across the screen. Dr. Petrova's number. "I'm leaving now," I said, my voice steady. "To the airport."

As I stepped out of the mansion, I saw Glenn' s car speeding away, then abruptly swerve. He screeched to a halt outside Karis's apartment building. He burst out of the car, his face contorted with worry. Karis was standing on her balcony, dramatically clutching her chest, a single tear rolling down her cheek. He rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her, murmuring reassurances.

He had never looked at me with such desperation, such frantic concern, not even when I nearly lost my scholarship. He had never rushed to my side with such unbridled panic, not even when I was truly hurt. It was always about him, about his reputation, about his control.

My love for him, once a fierce inferno, had dwindled to a few dying embers. Now, watching him cradle Karis, the embers turned to ash. He didn't love me. He loved the idea of me, the compliant little project he could mold. He loved the illusion of control. And now, that love had simply transferred.

"Glenn," Karis whimpered, her voice shaky. "I'm so scared. I think someone was trying to break in. I called you, but you didn't answer."

"It's okay, baby," Glenn soothed, rocking her gently. "I'm here now. I'll protect you. I'll make sure no one ever hurts you again."

His words, once meant for me, now fell on Karis's ears, a cruel echo of a forgotten promise. I remembered one night, years ago, when I was sick with a high fever. He had held me, his hand gentle on my forehead, his voice a soft murmur in the darkness. "I'll protect you, Fae. Always."

Now, I was just a ghost in his memory, a convenient placeholder. Karis was his new reality, his new project. My chest tightened, a sharp pain radiating through my ribs. It felt like someone had driven a nail through my heart.

Suddenly, a shard of glass from a shattered window above Karis's balcony fell, grazing my arm. A thin line of blood welled up. It hurt, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional agony. I stood there, bleeding, watching him comfort Karis, oblivious to my presence, my injury.

A choked sob escaped me, hot and bitter. He didn't even notice. He was too busy being her hero. The thought, the realization, hit me with crushing force. I was invisible to him. My pain, my suffering, meant nothing.

A passerby gasped, pointing at my arm. "Oh my god, miss, you're bleeding!"

Glenn glanced over, his eyes widening slightly, but it was Karis who spoke, her voice laced with a strange mixture of triumph and malice. "Oh dear, Fae! Are you alright? It's just a scratch. Glenn, darling, you should really call the police about this security breach. It's so unsettling."

Her concern was a mockery, a thinly veiled enjoyment of my visible injury. She knew. She was always the clever one. I remembered a conversation, weeks ago. Karis had been complaining about a rival at Juilliard, someone "less talented" who was getting all the attention. "I wish something terrible would happen to her," she' d said, a dark glint in her eyes. "Something that would make Glenn notice me instead."

I tried to push the memory away, but it clung to me, a suffocating shroud. It wasn't just Glenn who had betrayed me. Karis, my best friend, was just as rotten. They were two peas in a pod, manipulating and scheming.

My vision blurred, not from tears, but from a surge of pure, unadulterated fury. I wouldn't let them win. I wouldn't let them erase me.

I looked down at the locket, still nestled in the curve of my palm. The one he' d given me, the symbol of his "eternal loyalty." I clutched it for a moment, then, with a resolute grunt, I flung it with all my might into the nearby sewer grate. It clanged once, a final, metallic farewell, before disappearing into the darkness.

Glenn was still holding Karis, his back to me. He wouldn't even notice. He never did.