My Love, My Ruin

ve. M

rom my mother's scandal.

ng another woman for business

ccused me of ruining her brooch. Ashton di

attacked.

a helicopter

m on a park bench-broken, holl

m two: "N

pte

ann

th a single, cruel demand. He told me he would marry another woman for business, and I could remain his secre

by my mother's disgrace, Ashton had stepped in and chased away the monsters. He brought me coffee, walked me to class, spoke of justi

. Ashton's hand, still warm from holding mine moments before, slipped away. He leaned clo

low, almost conspiratorial. "We

ut wedding venues, honeymoon destinations. "Yes, Ashton?" I

decided to formalize my partn

y events-impeccably dressed, commanding attention. I once asked Ashton why he spent so much time with her. He said

rship?" I asked. "What

nervous habit I had learned to read. But this time, the calculation wasn't about

ring ballroom, the happy faces, the music-everyth

red. "You're goin

, Brianna. Her connections, her drive-

d into my bones. "

chilling pragmatism. "You'll remain my confidante, my closest co

ss. The humiliation burned through me, hotte

ng. "You want me to be your secret l

ent makes you a liability in certain elite circles. Kiley, on the other hand, brings a clean public

very scar. He had watched me flinch at the mention of my mother's name. And now he was

aking but firm. "I cannot

chance to maintain your comfortable life. Refuse, and y

steely resolve formed in its place. I thought of my mother, alone in that small apartme

arm. "Brianna, don't be so dramatic. I st

voice dropping. "The humiliation, the isolation. You don'

. He saw me as a damaged commodity. But I wasn

on with my family's notoriety. But six months ago, after years of silence, she sent me a cryptic message: "If things ever go south, I'm always here

clutch. Under the cover of a nearby pott

brated. A single word: "Done.

will be fine. You're just emotional." He mistook m

s to arrive at the gala together.

Kiley prefers the front seat tonight. She t

en. Now I was relegated to the back seat, a silent acc

artnership," he added. "You understand, right? Kiley and I will make the

f nature." Then, he called her a "dragon lily"-beautiful, but with a hidden sting. I had dis

m a wilting centerpiece, had pierced my skin. A thin line of red bloomed on my

?" Ashton ask

on my bleeding hand, but on the small, almost

convenience. The insult was a ph

t the dress. "And try not to touch anything of Kiley's. She's quite part

y hand still ble

e back seat,"

the word firm, clear. My v

may find your own way to the gala. K

nnell already sat inside, her eyes fixed

street, Kiley's smiling face a fleeting blur. I was abandoned-not just by Ashton, bu