o his name. He gave me a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and an education that opened the world to me. He treated me like a son, and my heart was filled wi

ent. Our relationship was a secret, a fire that burned just for us. It all changed on my 21st birthday. The party was a blur of champagne and polite conversation, but I only had eyes for Olivia. Later

secret affair became a dangerous game played right under her parents' roof. We would steal moments in the library, in the empty guest rooms, in the pool house late at night. Her touch was an ad

nter in my studio, with the scent of her perfume still lingering in the air and my architectural models standing as silen

g slightly as I took her hand. "L

r expression still s

velvet box I had been carrying for weeks. I got

tch was flipped. She pulled her hand away from mine as if it

said, her voice sharp. "Get up. I

pen ring box in my hand. The rejection was so sudden, so cold, it felt like a physical blow

mpany was getting to her. I wanted to believe any excuse. The truth, when it came, was far worse than anything I could have imagined. I was in the library late one nig

ran cold. I leaned closer, my hands trembling as I read. It wasn't just one email, it was a chain. There were messages from Olivia to Ethan, complete with att

is talented, but he's naive. This will guara

n't her lover, I was her pawn. She had used my love for her, my body, my talent, all to clear a path for Ethan Cole, the man she truly wanted. The realization hit me with the force of a tidal wave, drowning