Chapter 3

The breaking point came at the Hayes' s annual summer charity auction. It was a lavish affair, held on the great lawn behind their mansion. Ethan despised these events, the forced smiles and meaningless small talk, but he went for Chloe. He always went for Chloe.

He was standing by the bar, waiting for her to finish a conversation, when he saw Liam. He was holding court with a group of Chloe' s friends, laughing and gesturing. Something on his wrist caught the light.

Ethan froze.

It was a watch. Not just any watch. It was a one-of-a-kind prototype he had designed himself. The face was a miniature E-ink display, customizable with a dedicated app, and the movement was a complex hybrid of mechanical and quartz he' d spent six months perfecting. It was supposed to be Chloe' s engagement gift, a secret he had guarded closely. He had only finished the working model last week.

And Liam Hayes was wearing it.

Ethan felt a cold fury rise in him, so potent it made his hands shake. He had shown the designs only to Chloe, trusting her with his most personal project.

He walked over to the group, his eyes locked on Liam' s wrist.

"Nice watch," Ethan said, his voice dangerously low.

Liam looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. He held up his wrist, displaying it proudly. "Isn' t it? Chloe gave it to me. Said it was an early birthday present."

One of the girls in the group giggled. "Chloe takes such good care of you, Liam. You' re like her favorite little pet."

Pet. The word echoed in Ethan' s mind. He looked from the watch on Liam' s wrist to Liam' s smug face, and something inside him snapped. All the canceled dates, the lame excuses, the gnawing feeling of being replaced-it all coalesced into a single moment of painful clarity.

He grabbed Liam' s arm. "Where did you get that?"

Liam feigned surprise, his eyes widening. "I told you, Chloe gave it to me. What' s your problem, man?"

"That' s my design," Ethan gritted out, his voice a harsh whisper. "That watch was meant for her."

Just then, Chloe arrived, a champagne flute in her hand. She saw the scene, Ethan gripping Liam' s arm, and her smile vanished.

"Ethan! What are you doing?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

"Ask him," Ethan said, not taking his eyes off Liam. "Ask him why he' s wearing the watch I designed for you."

Chloe' s eyes flickered from Ethan' s furious face to the watch on Liam' s wrist. A flash of guilt crossed her features, so quick he almost missed it.

"Ethy, let go of him, you' re making a scene," she hissed, grabbing Ethan' s arm.

"I don' t care about a scene, Chloe. I want an explanation."

"It' s just a watch!" she said, her voice rising. "I showed him the design because he' s interested in that sort of thing. I let him try on the prototype. What is the big deal? Why are you so jealous and controlling all of a sudden?"

Ethan stared at her, stunned into silence. Jealous? Controlling? He remembered all the times she' d gotten upset if he even looked at another girl. He remembered how she would praise his possessiveness, calling it proof of his love. "You' re my Ethy," she used to say, "and I don' t share." The hypocrisy was breathtaking.

He let go of Liam' s arm as if it were burning him.

Chloe' s expression softened slightly, a tactical retreat. "Look, I' m sorry," she said, her voice dropping. "I should have asked you first. I didn' t think you' d mind."

"You didn' t think I' d mind?" he repeated, his voice hollow. "Chloe, that was for you. For our engagement."

"I know, and it' s beautiful," she said, trying to soothe him. "It was just sitting in my drawer. Liam was so fascinated by it. I was just being a good sister."

Liam, seizing the opportunity, stepped forward. He rubbed his wrist, a pained look on his face. "I' m sorry, Ethan. I didn' t mean to cause a problem. Chloe was just being nice to me. You don' t have to be so aggressive." He looked around at the assembled crowd, his voice trembling slightly. "It' s hard enough being the new guy in the family. I didn' t want to cause trouble between you two."

The onlookers murmured in sympathy. Ethan was suddenly the villain, the angry, jealous boyfriend bullying the poor, adopted orphan. He felt trapped, his legitimate anger twisted and used against him.

He looked at Chloe, searching for a sign, any sign, that she was on his side. But her face was a mask of disappointment. Disappointment in him.

A deep, chilling premonition washed over him. This wasn't just about a watch. This was about loyalty. And for the first time, he was forced to confront the terrifying possibility that Chloe' s loyalty was no longer his.