ouple, Ava, the brilliant data scientist, and Liam, the charismatic tech CEO. Our life was a series of glossy photos and hi

ver tou

e. He would flinch if my hand brushed his, his eyes filled with a panic that seemed so real, so painful, that I believed him. I poured all my energy

d investors and partners. He was a master of his craft, his words smooth and convincing. But when a waiter

me to safety.

a

, and the world swam in a blur of shocked faces and glittering lights. Liam was immediately by my side

is voice laced with that familiar, theatrical panic.

der the villain. I felt a sharp, cold pang in my chest that had nothing to do with the throbbing i

er me with a calculated concern that made my stomach tu

shock," he said, his vo

ess washed over me almost immediately. My eyelids felt hea

of everything," he murmured, his voic

om the hallway. My body felt like lead, my mind sluggish. I tried to sit up but

was one of his friends, Jake. "You just le

so. "Let them. It's not like I'm touc

friend, Ben, snickered. "Clean

a physical blow. Ch

efore. "Always. Why do you think I married Ava in the first place? It's the

ust. Every excuse, every apology, every moment of his "suffering" was a lie. I wasn't

e and left me here, helpless, while he

I tried to scream, to move, but my limbs wouldn't obey.

me, his drugged and injured wife, to go be with her. The sound of their voices together, friendly and familiar, was the cr

tation. My consciousness flickered, the drug pulling me back under. I was a

d in the doorway, reekin

g," he slurred, stepping into t

cold and sharp, cut through the drug-induced haze. I was completely vulnera

a different voice cut thr

out,

s frame blocking the light from the hall. I recognized him, but his name was lost in the fog of my mind. He was part of

bled, "Li

," Mark interrupted, his voi

room, muttering under his breath. The immediate dang