Chapter 2

"The engagement is off."

Chris' s voice was cold and final. He was in his father' s study, the door slightly ajar. I was supposed to be walking past, on my way to the garden for some air, but his words stopped me.

"Don't be ridiculous, Christopher," Mr. Reynolds said, his tone heavy with disapproval. "The contracts are already drawn up. This is about the future of Reynolds Incorporated."

"I don't give a damn about the contracts," Chris said. "I won't marry her. I won't marry anyone I don't love."

As he spoke, his thoughts flooded my mind, a torrent of defiance and loyalty.

I won't do it. I'll give up the company before I marry her. My life is my own. And my heart... my heart belongs to Alex.

I leaned against the wall in the hallway, my own heart aching for him. He was willing to fight his family, to give up his inheritance, all for a love he believed was impossible. For me. For the boy he thought I was.

His loyalty was a physical warmth spreading through my chest, chasing away some of the cold fear that had lived there for eighteen years.

For eighteen years, I had been a lie.

I remembered being a little girl, maybe six or seven, when my father first sat me down. He explained that Grandpa Miller was old-fashioned. He would only leave the family business, a massive real estate empire, to a male heir. My father, having been sidelined by his own brother, Uncle Bob, was desperate to secure our branch of the family's future. And I was his only child.

So Alexandra became Alex.

The years that followed were a blur of sacrifice. My hair was kept short. My clothes came from the boys' department. I was taught to lower my voice, to walk with a confident stride, to suppress every feminine instinct. The chest binders were the worst part, a constant, painful pressure that served as a daily reminder of my cage.

Puberty was a private hell, a series of changes I had to hide with terror and shame.

Through all of it, Chris was my only light.

He never questioned why I was quieter than other boys, or why I preferred reading in the library to playing sports. He just accepted me. When other kids made fun of me for not being "manly" enough, Chris was the one who threw the first punch. He was my protector, my confidant, my entire world.

He was the only person who made me feel real, even when I was living the biggest lie imaginable.

And now, I knew he felt the same way. He was my anchor in a stormy sea, and I was his.

The knowledge changed everything. The fear was still there, but now it was mixed with a fierce, burning determination. I couldn't let him throw his life away for a phantom. He deserved to know the truth. He deserved the real me.

I decided right then. The family inheritance announcement was in two weeks. It would be a formal dinner, even bigger than my birthday party. Grandpa Miller would officially name me CEO of Miller Holdings.

That would be the night.

After I secured the inheritance, after my family' s future was safe, I would be free. I would tell Chris everything. I would become Alexandra for him.

But first, I needed to be sure. This mind-reading thing... it was too new, too strange. I had to understand it.

Later that evening, Chris found me in the garden. He looked exhausted.

"Hey," he said, slumping onto the bench beside me. "Sorry about... all that. With Lisa."

"It's not your fault," I said softly.

I focused, trying to hear his thoughts again. At first, there was nothing but the chirping of crickets. I panicked for a second. Had I imagined it?

Then, I looked at him, at the worry etched on his face, and I poured all my affection for him into a single thought. You're the most important person in the world to me, Chris.

His head snapped up, his eyes wide. He looked at me, a flicker of confusion on his face.

What was that? His thought was a whisper in my mind. For a second, it felt like... like Alex was speaking right inside my head. God, I must be going crazy.

It worked. He couldn't hear me, not really, but he could feel it. Our connection was real.

A slow smile spread across my face. I decided to push it a little further.

"You know," I said, keeping my tone light, "for someone who just blew up his engagement, you don't look very upset."

He let out a short, surprised laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

Obvious? his mind screamed with joy. I feel like I could fly. I'm free. I can finally just be with Alex without her shadow hanging over us.

I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning. This was better than I could have ever imagined. It was a secret language, just between the two of us, even if only one of us knew we were speaking it.

"Yeah," I said, nudging him with my shoulder. "It's pretty obvious. You look happy."

He looked at me, his gaze so intense it felt like a physical touch.

"I am, Alex," he said, his voice low and serious. And in my head, his thoughts finished the sentence.

I'm happy because of you.