de in the fabric were the only sign of her inner turmoil. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, New York City glittered, oblivious. The sound of distant sirens an

mbered standing in this exact spot with him when it was just a concrete shell, the city lights painting patterns on the dusty floor. He had wrapped his arms around her and whispered,

and had never felt like her. With numb fingers, she unclasped it from her neck. The diamonds felt like ice against her skin. She dropped it into a cardboard

wed by the slide of the apartment door. Anya's

oe, his brilliant, ambitious protégé, looked up at him with an adoration that made Anya's stomach tu

mirk played on her lips. "Oh, Anya," she said, her voice dripping with false c

ing smile faltered, replaced by a flicker of annoyance.

. "The apartment is yours. The cars. Everything you bought. It's all yours

d the all-nighters she pulled, using her architectural eye to refine his product designs, helping him craft presentations that won over investors. She had put her own promi

aring a cheap bottle of champagne and watching the distant fireworks. He had kissed her, his eyes full of dreams and promises. "One d

ney and the lies. For a second, her fingers tightened on the cover, a painful squeeze of a memory she needed to release. She almost left it beh

She would not give them the satisfaction of her tears. As she stepped into the elevator, she thought, this is