Chapter 2

The divorce papers sat on my desk, a monument to my failure. I picked up a pen, my hand trembling. I agreed to sign, but a tiny, stupid part of my heart still whispered, what if? What if one day he wakes up and remembers?

I pulled out my phone and sent him a text.

Liam, can we meet one last time? Just to talk.

The reply was almost instant, cold and efficient.

No. My lawyer will handle everything. Do not contact me directly again. Chloe is feeling unwell because of you.

I stared at the screen, the words blurring through my tears. He was gone. The real Liam, my Liam, was truly gone. I had to accept it.

I was about to throw the phone across the room when it rang. An unfamiliar number. I almost ignored it, but something made me answer.

"Is this Mrs. Olivia Hayes?" a man's polite voice asked.

"This is Olivia Vance," I corrected him automatically. I wouldn't be a Hayes for much longer.

"Ah, Ms. Vance. This is Julian from Vancleef & Arpels. Your custom order, the 'Eternal Star' necklace, is ready for pickup. Mr. Hayes placed the order six years ago for your fifth anniversary. It just arrived."

My breath hitched. The Eternal Star. It was a design Liam and I had sketched together on a napkin on our honeymoon. A unique star-shaped diamond surrounded by smaller sapphires, his birthstone. He had promised to have it made for me one day. He had ordered it a year before his accident. He hadn't forgotten.

"Hello? Ms. Vance? Are you there?"

"Yes," I managed to say. "Yes, I'm here. I'll come get it."

A small, fragile piece of hope bloomed in my chest. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe if he saw it, something would click.

I drove to the high-end jewelry store, my heart pounding with a nervous rhythm. As I walked in, the manager greeted me warmly.

"Ms. Vance, it's wonderful to see you. The piece is exquisite."

He led me to a private viewing room and placed a velvet box on the table. He opened it.

The necklace was breathtaking. It was more beautiful than I had ever imagined. It was our love, solidified in diamonds and sapphires.

Just as I reached out to touch it, the door to the room opened.

Liam stood there. And beside him, clinging to his arm, was Chloe.

"What a coincidence," Chloe chirped, her eyes immediately landing on the open box. "Oh, Liam, darling, is that for me? It's beautiful!"

Liam looked at the necklace, then at me, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "I... I don't remember ordering this."

"Of course you don't, silly," Chloe said, patting his arm. "You probably ordered it for me before... well, you know. Before you fully remembered our life together. It's so perfect."

She reached for the necklace, but I instinctively put my hand over the box. "No. It's not for you."

Chloe's face fell, her lower lip trembling. "Olivia, why are you being so mean? You're already taking everything in the divorce. Can't I have this one thing?"

"It's mine," I said, my voice shaking with anger. "Liam designed it for me."

"Liam?" Chloe looked at him, her eyes welling with tears. "Is that true? Did you buy this for her?"

Liam looked uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture he always made when he was stressed. "I don't know, Chloe. I don't remember. But it doesn't matter now. Olivia, just let her have it. It's just a necklace. Don't make a scene."

Don't make a scene.

The words echoed in the silent room. He wanted me to give our necklace, the symbol of our entire history, to her. To the woman who had stolen my life.

"No," I said, my voice firm. I looked directly at him. "This is one thing you won't take from me."

Chloe started to sob quietly. "It's okay, Liam. I don't need it. It's fine. I just thought... with the baby coming... I thought you loved me."

That was the final push. Liam's face hardened. He reached over and took the box from under my hand. His strength was effortless. He didn't even look at me.

He turned to Chloe and gently took the necklace out of the box. "Don't cry, sweetheart. Of course I love you."

He fastened the Eternal Star around her neck. It lay against her skin, a beautiful, stolen star. A lie.

Chloe beamed, her tears miraculously gone. She touched the diamond at her throat. "Oh, Liam. It's perfect. Thank you."

She then looked at me, a flicker of pure malice in her eyes. "Oh, dear," she said, her hand fumbling with the clasp. "It seems a bit... fragile."

With a sharp little tug, the delicate chain snapped. The necklace fell to the plush carpet. The main star-shaped diamond skittered under a nearby armchair.

"Oops," Chloe said, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm so clumsy."

I stared at the broken pieces of my past lying on the floor. My heart didn't just break. It shattered.