ry need, a system I planned to unveil as a wedding gift to my fiancée, Chloe Davis. Our wedding. In one week, I would marry the woman I had loved for a decade. The venue was booked, a

en and close, and I smile

home," Chlo

to the leather couch. She looked tired, but tha

urned her head slightly, so the kiss landed on h

eeting my eyes. She sank onto the co

ed. "Okay. Is eve

her expression was one I didn' t recognize. It wasn't lov

you next week,"

a joke, a bizarre moment of pre-wedding jitters. "Wh

o marry Li

epbrother. The son of her late stepmother. The man she alwa

to do with our wedding?" I a

re the one being unreasonable. "She wanted me to take care of him, to marry him, to mak

' re getting married in seven days! You want to postpone our wedding, our life, so you can marry

vely. "I' ll marry him, and then I' ll divorce him. It' s just a

ck turning into a cold, hard anger. "What about our relationship

re important, yes. But they aren' t as important as Liam' s well-b

of the room. She had always called him that, half-jokingly, a reli

tanding. In her world, I was secondary. My love, our future, it was all jus

t child. "Look, I' ll still be at our wedding. I just need to

ged eve

ehind her, leaving me alone in the house that was supposed to be our future home, sur

en I walked over to the wet bar, poured myself a stiff drink, and downed it in

me, but I scrolled past it, my jaw tight. I found the

ng. "Ethan! Getting some las

n," I said, my voice fl

ifting to one of concern. "You so

nued, staring out the window at the

silence on the oth

at the hell

he words tasting like ash.

e the exclusive bridal salon, the one Chloe had insisted on, feeling like a

k about the memorial service yesterday. He f

simply existed while he clung to

you something to apologize for the scene he made. It' s

aped to it was a small, generic gift box. I opened it. Inside was a plastic model of a drone, the ki

and. He' s a good person." She hung up and turned to me, offering a strained smile. "Sorry I' m late. Did you g

e model heavy in my hand. "Yo

said, already walking toward the salon d

champagne. Chloe, however, barely glanced at the dresses. Her attention was glued to her

consultant asked, holding

Chloe mumbled,

t her mind, her heart, was som

. "Liam? What' s wrong? Are you okay? ... Okay, okay

face a mask of panic. "I have to

emerg

She grabbed her purse, already halfway to the door. "Just... pick

n she w

surrounded by dresses for a wedding that was turning

longer a decision. It was a necessity. I p

steady. "You mentioned

sure about this?

re of anything in my life,

re not going to like it

only company that gave my own a run for its money. We' d been battling for market share f

personal one. Canceling would be a logistical and financial nightmare, a pu

willing?"

ake in our joint venture and full control over the

transaction. Cold. Clean. Uncomplicated.

er yes,"

study when Chloe let herself in.

her voice soft and conciliatory. "I

ed downtown. I recognized it instantly. Liam had posted a picture of himself there on his

of fried chicken had a perfect, c

en bothered to get me a fresh order. Sh

pushing the box away

, her expression turning serious. "Etha

urse th

y about his debts and his inability to cope after his mother' s death. "I was thinking... s

er. "A dowry

pocket change. "It would set him up for life. It would be

nsult. I wasn't her partner. I was h

rd was quiet, but it f

ned. "What do

standing up. "I am not g

g. "After everything I' m doing to honor his mother! Y

out,"

"I' ll get the money myself! Don' t come cryi

hard that a picture fr

icken filling the air. What I had lost was an il

-