Betrayed by Trust: A Love Story

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Chapter 2

The days in the hospital bled into a gray, lonely fog. When I was finally released, I walked back into a house that no longer felt like mine. I stood in the dark hallway, leaning on my crutches, my body a map of pain.

From the living room, I could hear Tiffany' s laughter and Ethan' s low, attentive voice. They were sitting on the couch together, bathed in the warm glow of a lamp. He was showing her pictures on his phone, his smile genuine and unguarded. It was a smile I had once thought was reserved for me, for my small victories in therapy.

I felt nothing. The part of me that could feel jealousy or longing had been burned out in that warehouse.

My phone buzzed. A text from Ethan. "Sorry, can' t check on you tonight. Making sure Tiffany is okay. She was so shaken by what happened."

I stared at the message, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. Shaken. Right.

I ignored it and used my phone to browse the web. An auction notice caught my eye. A rare, blue diamond necklace, "The Heart of the Sea," was up for sale. It was my mother' s. My father had sold it after she died, and I had been trying to track it down for years. The auction was tomorrow.

A fierce, desperate need seized me. I had to get it back. It was the last piece of her, besides the ashes I kept hidden.

The next day, ignoring the protests of my aching body, I went to the auction house. The room was filled with the city' s elite, a sea of expensive suits and glittering jewelry. I saw them immediately. Ethan, looking impossibly handsome in a tailored suit, with Tiffany clinging to his arm. She was wearing a white dress, looking like an angel. A fallen one.

The bidding for the necklace began. I raised my paddle, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"One million," I said, my voice clear and firm.

Heads turned. Ethan' s eyes found mine, his expression a mixture of shock and annoyance. Tiffany whispered something in his ear, her red lips curving into a smirk.

Ethan raised his own paddle. "Two million."

He was trying to stop me. He was trying to buy my mother' s necklace for the woman who had destroyed her record.

I wouldn' t let him. I wouldn' t let them win. Not this time.

"Five million," I said, my voice ringing with a conviction that surprised even me. The room fell silent.

I met Ethan' s gaze across the room. I would sell my soul to get that necklace.

Ethan leaned down and whispered to an assistant, who quickly scurried away. A moment later, Ethan stood up, a microphone in his hand. He smiled, a dazzling, public smile that didn' t reach his cold eyes.

"Before we continue," he announced, his voice smooth and commanding, "I have a special announcement of my own."

He turned to Tiffany, his eyes softening with a look of adoration that made my stomach churn. He got down on one knee and produced a velvet box. Inside was a diamond ring so large it seemed to swallow the light.

"Tiffany Stone," he said, his voice echoing through the silent hall. "Will you marry me?"

Tiffany gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in a perfect display of surprise. She nodded tearfully as he slid the ring onto her finger. The room erupted in applause.

She turned to me, her eyes glittering with triumph. She held up her hand, flaunting the ring, and then mouthed the words, "I win."

Then, as the auctioneer tried to regain control, Tiffany walked over to the display case where my mother' s necklace lay. With a vicious, calculated smile, she swept it off its stand. The necklace hit the marble floor and shattered, the priceless blue diamonds scattering like broken glass.

A guttural roar tore from my throat. It was the sound of my last tether to hope snapping.

Tiffany clutched her own arm, a tiny scratch suddenly appearing on her skin. She let out a piercing shriek. "She attacked me! Chloe pushed me! She tried to kill me!"

Ethan was at her side in an instant, his face a mask of fury directed at me. "Chloe, what is wrong with you? Look what you' ve done!"

Tiffany sobbed into his chest, her voice a pathetic whimper. "I was just so happy, and she... she ruined everything. She' s always hated me."

As the security guards rushed toward me, Tiffany gave me one last, triumphant look. Then, with a subtle movement no one else saw, she shoved me. Hard.

I was already off-balance, my body weak and broken. I tumbled backward, my head hitting the top of the grand staircase. The world spun, and then I was falling, the shocked faces of the crowd blurring into a kaleidoscope of horror as I crashed down the marble steps.

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