een. Her body stumbled backward, as tho

and

it was, spelled out in headlines

she couldn't gather. She was still Trent's wife-still bound

nywhere steady. Did her parents know? Of course they d

Cassie was still trying to organize her thought process. It was

n the whole city! Why is he getting married? I

rich. I would have given my left arm

ied to get a job at Silverwood Enterprises

s Instagram?" one of the girls a

w her at a charity event last week, and she

them added, "And she's so elegant and refined.

h pain as she listened to

r husband, even at work. She had worn their envy like a crown. She loved knowing that Trent belonged to h

oss her hand, but she didn't flinch. The fire

trips," his late-night "meetings." Lies. Every single one. He h

si

on. Without thinking, she pushed through the

rs. Her sobs spilled free, raw and trembling. Her feet carr

sob escaped Cassie's throat. All she knew was that she had to g

. Only close friends and family had been invited, and Tre

Now she saw it for what it was-a shadow, a sec

s what it seemed like. Cassie felt like her whole

ords echoed again: Murphy

rder than any of it. Not

never fully theirs. The words stripped her of place, of belongin

se was like a slap in the face. It was just a reminder that

shoved into her heart at once. The

n autopilot. She didn't know where she was going or what she was

e took it out. Her eyes lit up as

we need to talk. Can you come hom

ybe this was all just a big misunders

yped out a response to her father.

arrive, Cassie's mind began

n some kind of publicity stunt, and it wasn'

agined waking tomorrow to find this was only a

verlook everything - the pain, the betrayal, the humiliatio

wake up and have it

re, when she was happy and in love with Trent. Ma

dewalk, waiting for

he road and got out. "Cassie, your fa

saying a word. The driver got

ted Cassie to her father's study. H

ie enter the study alone. He closed t

e said but there

er mother, Bridget walked in

ing here?" she a

eed to talk,"

reach you, Cassie," Trent said condescendingly. "We

called me her for? You

dy, he is still your fa

Act like your fucking father

p. "Do not talk to your father like that!" Bridget w

th!" He pulled out a brown envelope from hi

, or the one radiating from her cheek. Her lips quivered and he

ent!" she said to her father w

ing her signature on them.

led at Misty. "It's all

om. Cassie wasn't going to take it lying dow

es of the Audit documents as

back!" Her father said as s

y to yourself," she bar

k tomorrow, alongside your cards. Any card affiliated to Mu

snapped back

ed the office door. She had just

re was no answer. It just meant she wa

ded to walk. It was already late at night, and she couldn't go back into the

.

pavement, but all she could feel was heat creeping up he

f her card being declined, the girls' laughter bubbling behind her, and th

rp jaw, the thin press of his lips when he looked at her like she was both fragile

d how his presence stuck l

utside the city, her legs felt like lead. The night air w

her heart skittering in her chest. The SUV slowed,

ught. The win

Twice. Her pulse t

ranger. The man whose f

conjured him out of sheer humiliation, lik

ice cut through the night-calm, control

king her head, though the world tilted ar

and stand tall-but her vision blurred. The edges of the

her body givi

r sentence, but only a faint whisp

e saw before the dark took her was his face-engrave