Chapter 3

Chloe recovered quickly. Her confusion morphed into a smirk. She clearly thought this was a new game I was playing. A desperate, pathetic attempt to get her attention.

She followed me as I found a quiet table in the corner of the ballroom. Liam trailed behind her like a lost puppy.

"Oh, Ethan," she cooed, reaching out and patting my cheek like I was a child. "Don't be like that. I know you're hurting."

I flinched away from her touch.

She didn't seem to notice. Her eyes scanned the room, then landed on a display of silent auction items. A particularly gaudy diamond watch caught her eye.

"Liam, honey, look at that," she said, pointing. "Wouldn't that look just perfect on you?"

Liam puffed out his chest. "It's nice, I guess. But we can't afford something like that." He shot a pointed look at me. "Not unless your little admirer wants to buy it for me."

The performance was so transparent. He was pretending to be humble while simultaneously putting me down.

"Oh, don't be silly," Chloe said, stroking his arm. "Ethan would be happy to buy it for you. Wouldn't you, Ethan? Think of it as a wedding present."

She turned back to me, her expression a mask of condescending pity. "You see, Ethan, this is what real love looks like. Liam is so selfless. He knows how much you still love me, and he's willing to share. But you... you were always so possessive. So needy. It was suffocating."

Liam nodded sagely. "You have to learn to let go, man. She's with me now. You need to accept your place. Be grateful for what she's willing to give you."

My place. The secondary. The walking ATM.

I almost laughed at the sheer nerve of it. They stood there, a united front of greed and delusion, lecturing me on selflessness. Liam, who hadn't worked a day in his life, and Chloe, who had built her entire identity on my money.

I said nothing. I just watched them.

I decided not to engage. I picked up my new drink and moved to another, even more secluded corner of the room, hoping they would finally leave me alone.

But Chloe's friends, a flock of equally vapid and cruel women, soon descended upon them. Their voices were high and sharp.

"Chloe, is that him? The ex?" one of them asked, not even bothering to lower her voice.

"He looks so sad," another one said with a fake pout. "You really did a number on him."

"Don't worry, honey," Chloe said loudly, making sure I could hear. "He'll get over it. He has to. Especially with the Miller family announcement coming up."

My ears perked up.

One of the friends gasped. "Wait, the Miller family? As in, Miller Tech? I heard their heir is finally getting married. It's the biggest news in the city."

"Oh, you have no idea," Chloe said, preening under the attention. She shot me a triumphant, pitying look. "It's going to be the wedding of the century."

The friends all stared at her, their eyes wide with a mixture of envy and awe. They thought she was the one. They thought she was about to marry into one of the wealthiest families in the country.

And Chloe, basking in their admiration, believed it too. She stood a little taller, her chin held high, the queen of a fantasy she had built on lies.

The thought of what was coming, of the moment her fantasy would shatter into a million pieces, was the only thing that kept me from walking out right then and there.