No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules

No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules

Gavin

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I stood at the Northwood University Alumni Gala, a successful architect, a wife, and a mother, years after I' d left everything behind. Then, my ex, Ethan Hayes, stepped onto the stage, and the whole room hushed. He finished his speech and, to my horror, dropped to one knee before me, publicly proposing marriage with the words, "Phoenix Rising." Phoenix Rising. The name ignited a searing pain, a brand from a past I' d buried years ago. I remembered my senior year, my award-winning design stolen by Olivia Monroe, and Ethan, my then-boyfriend, standing by her side, calmly confirming her lie. That betrayal led to my disqualification, academic dishonor, and blacklisting, forcing me to flee the US, utterly broken. Stones in my gut, those words. How could he, after everything, dare to invoke that name, that pain, for this grotesque public spectacle? Did he think a grand gesture could erase the humiliation, the shattered dreams, the life I had to rebuild from nothing? But this wasn't the shattered girl he remembered. Before he could utter another word, my husband and daughter appeared, a living testament that I had not only survived but thrived. My past was about to get a very clear message: I was no longer a victim; I was home, loved, and ready to close this painful chapter for good.

Introduction

I stood at the Northwood University Alumni Gala, a successful architect, a wife, and a mother, years after I' d left everything behind.

Then, my ex, Ethan Hayes, stepped onto the stage, and the whole room hushed.

He finished his speech and, to my horror, dropped to one knee before me, publicly proposing marriage with the words, "Phoenix Rising."

Phoenix Rising.

The name ignited a searing pain, a brand from a past I' d buried years ago.

I remembered my senior year, my award-winning design stolen by Olivia Monroe, and Ethan, my then-boyfriend, standing by her side, calmly confirming her lie.

That betrayal led to my disqualification, academic dishonor, and blacklisting, forcing me to flee the US, utterly broken.

Stones in my gut, those words.

How could he, after everything, dare to invoke that name, that pain, for this grotesque public spectacle?

Did he think a grand gesture could erase the humiliation, the shattered dreams, the life I had to rebuild from nothing?

But this wasn't the shattered girl he remembered.

Before he could utter another word, my husband and daughter appeared, a living testament that I had not only survived but thrived.

My past was about to get a very clear message: I was no longer a victim; I was home, loved, and ready to close this painful chapter for good.

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My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

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