Chapter 0 Prologue

I was in love with Ethan Black, a brilliant man with big dreams. I gave him my twenties, my body, my loyalty. I worked three jobs while he chased his startup dreams. And when he finally made it, he became a stranger. Then I found out he got another woman pregnant, the same woman who dumped him in college when his family lost everything. That nearly destroyed me. But I stayed. I told myself love was worth it. But nothing could prepare me for the day he left our four-year-old daughter home alone... to go see her. And our little girl died. I buried my child and with her, the woman I used to be. Now, I live for one thing only: Revenge. He took everything from me. Now I'll take everything from him. He doesn't know it yet... but I'm not the same woman he left behind. And by the time I'm done, he'll wish he never met me.

My life finally had harmony. I was a respected indie artist, building a beautiful future with Liam, the kind, steady man who' d helped me pick up the pieces. Then, a ghost from my past went viral: a grainy college video of me and my ex-boyfriend, Ethan Carter, pop royalty now, promising "Maythan Forever." Suddenly, my phone blew up, and his name flashed across the screen. He was back. The internet was demanding a reunion, but I remembered the sting: how Ethan, three years ago, shattered me, calling me "average" as he left me for his new pop-star girlfriend, Brittany. I watched him publicly dismiss our shared history on national TV, only to have Brittany confront me, accusing me of playing games. Then, she brazenly performed my stolen song on live television, a song Ethan had handed her years ago to sabotage my career, ripping open all the old wounds. How could he, after all he' d done, act so clueless, so entitled? And why did it feel like my every step forward was met with a new attempt to drag me back into their drama, to prove I was still just "average"? It wasn't just about music anymore; it was about reclaiming my truth. I knew then: I wouldn't just survive this digital onslaught. I'd stand on that stage, in front of the world, and sing my story, not just for myself, but for every dream they tried to steal. This time, I' d reclaim what was mine, with the full force of my voice.

My daughter Lily and I drove seven hours to Austin, a surprise visit meant to finally reunite our fragmented family with Mark, my husband. After six months of living apart for his big promotion, I craved our happily ever after, a fresh start. But as we pulled up, I saw him laughing, grilling with a younger woman – Ashley. The supposed reunion shattered when I scrolled through his phone: "Ash B" with heart emojis, secret trips, lavish gifts. My world crumbled when my daughter, wide-eyed, even called her "Auntie Ash." His "mistake," as he called it, quickly escalated. He tried to gaslight me, his family lectured me on forgiveness and the financial impossibility of my single motherhood. Then, he stooped to the unthinkable, kidnapping Lily from school, sending me manipulative videos, and telling me I' d "never see her again" if I didn' t comply. How could the man I loved, the father of my child, systematically deceive me and weaponize our daughter? Alone, without an income, everyone seemed to agree I was irrational to fight. Was this my fate: to be broken, discarded, then lose my child to a cheater? But they hadn't seen the fire within. While they thought they' d broken me, I was secretly hiring the best lawyer, a private investigator, and rebuilding my career. He underestimated me. Now, the battle for my daughter, and my life, was just beginning.

I was blinded by love, pouring every spare cent and endless late nights into his dreams, even passing on a scholarship to stay by his side. Graduation day was meant to be my triumph, valedictorian honors awaiting, my future with Ethan stretching bright before us. But instead, the Dean's grave voice announced an accusation of academic fraud, and my name was tragically linked with Chloe' s, Ethan' s 'childhood friend,' who feigned innocence. "It was mine," Chloe sobbed, loud enough for the microphone, "Sarah stole my work." Then, the man I loved, my everything, stepped forward, not for me, but to embrace her, publicly declaring his belief in Chloe' s lies, accusing me of bullying. My world didn't just crumble; it turned to dust. My diploma was instantly withheld, my honors stripped, and my future, painstakingly built, evaporated into thin air. Every eye in that auditorium judged me, condemned me, while the man who once swore to build an empire with me watched my humiliation, his face a mask of cold righteousness. How could the man who promised eternal love betray me so easily, abandoning me to public ruin for a fabricated story? The searing pain of that injustice fueled every step as I fled, leaving behind my shattered past. Five years later, I returned to a college reunion, a woman transformed, only to find Ethan on one knee, holding a diamond, naively believing he could reclaim the girl whose life he ruthlessly destroyed.

I was just a paralegal, Ava Miller, trapped in a life I didn't choose, yet owed everything to Ethan Vance. He' d swooped in years ago, paying off my crushing student loans and mom's medical bills, making me his "savior." My job at his company and the lavish apartment he provided were constant reminders of my dependence, a gilded cage I' d willingly entered. Then, the termination letter landed on my desk. Fired. Effective immediately. No warning, just a cold "restructuring." But I knew the truth: his ex, Chloe Davenport, the one he never got over, was back in town. It felt like a deliberate, cruel punch, a betrayal so sharp it knocked the air out of me. Just hours after I learned Chloe was back, my entire life was snatched away, leaving me adrift. When I tried to return the money he'd "invested" in me, hoping for a clean break, his eyes glinted: "You belong to me." Chloe's friends attacked me, but Ethan, blind and infatuated, only asked me not to "cause trouble for Chloe's sake." His family's texts sealed my humiliation, confirming I was "that paralegal," easily replaced by "the right kind of girl." The injustice burned, a white-hot fury against the man who claimed to save me, only to hold me captive. How could I be so good at my job, so dedicated, and it meant nothing against his obsession and control? I was trapped, owned, facing physical illness exacerbated by stress, while he paraded his new life with Chloe. But as I watched Ethan plan his public proposal to Chloe, a cold, clear resolve hardened inside me. He wouldn't let me walk away clean, so I would find another way, a way that would make him regret ever thinking he owned me. The game had changed, and Ava Miller was about to change the rules, orchestrating a final, devastating farewell.

My lake trip with Ethan, my fiancé and a rising finance star, was supposed to be our last pre-wedding hurrah. I' d meticulously packed for two, my suitcase sitting beside his, ready for our perfect getaway. Then Chloe, the estate manager's daughter my family oddly favored, pulled up with her child, claiming Ethan had invited them. Without a glance, Ethan shooed me out of the car, promising to return after dropping them off at the resort an hour away. The humiliation burned as I watched him drive away, Chloe smugly waving from the passenger seat. Hours later, my phone buzzed with Chloe' s Instagram stories: Ethan laughing, steering a speedboat, his arm casually around her shoulder in a sunset photo. They were celebrating lake life while I was abandoned. When I confronted him, my own mother and brother, Liam, sided with Chloe, accusing me of just being "jealous" and "dramatic." The final blow came on my birthday. Ethan gifted me a beautiful diamond necklace, only for Chloe to reveal she had an identical one, saying Ethan got it for her as a "thank you" for helping him choose mine. It wasn't just betrayal; it was a brazen insult, confirming I was nothing but an afterthought, discarded by my fiancé and dismissed by my family. But in that moment, pain sharpened into an unyielding clarity. I wouldn't wait anymore, not for anyone. I blocked Ethan, then secretly packed a single bag, leaving my engagement ring and the mocking necklace behind. My gilded cage was about to open as I boarded a bus, bound for a new life, far from the Hawthornes and their suffocating expectations.