Chapter 2 The Lie that changed everything

There's something worse than being betrayed by the man you loved...

It's realizing you may have spent five years hating the wrong person.

---

I don't panic easily.

But that voice on the phone... It wasn't just a threat.

It was a crack in the foundation of the story I've built my life around.

Ask Cosmas who really orchestrated your divorce.

I press my fingers to the cool champagne glass in my hand, grounding myself.

Cosmas stands across the ballroom, still watching me with that unreadable expression. He hasn't moved since I stepped away from Isabelle.

Did he see me take that call?

Did he know I'd get that call?

I hate how my heart still stutters around him. How my body remembers his touch, even as my mind replays every moment he broke me.

But now there's doubt. And I don't like doubt.

Doubt makes people vulnerable.

And I've spent too long building walls.

I head for the terrace again, needing air and distance. The cool night kisses my skin, but it does nothing to cool the heat rising under my collarbone. The skyline stretches wide and glittering, mocking the storm inside me.

A voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Planning another ambush, or are you finally ready to talk like adults?"

I don't turn around. I don't have to.

His presence always moves through me before I see him like thunder that arrives before the lightning.

"Surprised you're not inside, licking your wounds," I say evenly.

"Was that your goal?" Cosmas steps beside me, too close. "Wound me?"

I turn my head, meeting his gaze. "Not really. Hurting you wouldn't mean anything unless it left a scar."

He smirks but it's hollow.

"You never did play fair," he says quietly.

"You taught me how," I shot back.

We're quiet for a beat. The city hums below us. Cars, horns, distant music. But all I hear is the echo of that voice on the phone.

His voice breaks the silence.

"I didn't know you were back in New York."

"That was the point," I replied. "I didn't come back to be found. I came back to win."

"Win what?"

"Everything."

He laughs under his breath, but it's bitter.

"And how exactly does destroying me help you win?"

I tilt my head. "Don't flatter yourself. You're not the prize. You're the reminder."

"Of what?"

"That love, real or fake, can cost more than money."

His expression shifts, just slightly. There it is again that looks like he wants to say something. Confess something.

And I almost let the silence stretch between us.

But then I remember the call.

And I take my chance.

"Cosmas..." I begin, keeping my voice cool. "Why did you divorce me?"

He blinks. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. We got married. Three months later, you handed me divorce papers. No fight. No reason. No goodbye. Just a clean break."

His jaw tenses.

I press forward. "So tell me, since we're talking like adults now why?"

He's silent.

Then he sighs and leans both hands on the balcony rail. His shoulders rise and fall slowly.

"I did what I had to do."

I step in front of him, forcing eye contact. "That's not an answer. That's a politician's excuse."

He clenches his jaw again. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

He looks away, and that flicker in his eyes it's not coldness.

It's a shame.

Damn it.

"Did someone force you to?" I ask, softer now. "Was it Isabelle?"

His eyes snap back to mine, and for a split second, I see it. Guilt. Panic. Pain.

He says nothing.

I step back, my heart hammering.

"Wow." I give a bitter laugh. "So she was involved."

Still silent.

"You let me believe it was you," I whisper, my voice cracking despite myself. "You let me think you used me."

"I did," he says finally, his voice low. "At first. But not the way you think."

His words hit me like a cold slap. I reel inwardly but don't show it.

"At first?" I echo.

He runs a hand through his hair. "I married you because I had no choice. My inheritance, the board, everything was tied up in a clause. I needed to marry before I turned thirty, or Isabelle would gain majority control."

I blink.

That part... I remember vaguely. A clause in his father's will.

"But why me?" I demand. "You had models. Heiresses. You could've picked anyone."

He swallows. "I didn't want someone who'd trap me. I wanted someone who wouldn't demand more. Someone who..." He trails off.

"Someone disposable," I finished, my voice hollow.

"No." His tone sharpens. "Someone I thought I could protect from this world."

I stare at him.

"You thought divorcing me would protect me?"

"I thought keeping you was worse."

I don't know whether to scream or laugh.

He turns toward me. "By the time I realized how much I loved you, it was too late. Isabelle had evidence fabricated crap. She threatened your career, your mother's treatment, everything. I thought walking away was the only way to save you."

I feel like I've been punched.

"You could've told me," I whisper.

"I wanted to. God, Rita , I tried. But you were so... hurt. And I didn't know how to make it right."

We're quiet again.

The stars above Manhattan don't care about the messes we make.

And suddenly, I don't know what hurts more that he left me, or that he thought it was kindness.

I open my mouth to speak when my phone buzzes again.

Blocked number.

I answer instinctively, turning away from him.

The same voice.

"You're getting close to the truth. But not close enough. Ask him about the deal with Verdane Corp. Ask what he signed... and what he sacrificed."

The line goes dead.

I turn slowly, holding Cosmas 's gaze.

"What did you do with Verdane?" I ask quietly.

His eyes harden instantly. "That's not your concern."

I step closer. "It is now."

He stiffens. "Who's feeding you this?"

I fold my arms. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me the truth. All of it. Because I'm not walking away this time, Cosmas . Not until I know what you really gave up."

He hesitates. For the first time, I see real fear in his eyes.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because if I tell you... you'll never look at me the same way again."

---

I stare at him, heart in my throat.

"Try me."

His jaw tightens, but he reaches into his coat and pulls out a sealed envelope.

"This," he says, holding it out, "is what I gave up... to save you."

I take it with trembling fingers.

And as I open it, I know one thing for sure

Whatever's inside is about to change everything I thought I knew