New Beginnings, Old Scars

were a mastercla

ere was thick with unspoken words, heavy with the weight of her discovery. The weather out

He brought her flowers, cooked her favorite m

p of her head as she sat at her desk, pretending to work. Each tender touch felt like a lie, each loving w

rying to reconcile the man she had loved for a decade w

cretive. Once, she walked in on him smiling at his phone. H

lo

f that smile on his face was more damning than any financial ledger. She felt a wave of nausea and turned away before h

asn' t hers. He told her he' d been in a long meeting with investors

it was his. They had designed it together, picking out the dark wood and leather chairs. Her gaze fell upon his b

trembling fingers, she pi

t was a stunning, pear-cut diamond, exactly the kind she had o

rkling lie. For a moment, a wild, desperate hope flared within her. Maybe the video was a mistake. Maybe Chloe w

it had appeared. This ring wasn' t a symbol of love. It was a tool of manipulation. A way to secure his fu

ming, that she had to grip the edg

pen ring box in her hand. The confident swagger

ce cautious. "You weren'

a broken whisper. She couldn'

her. "Baby, I had this whole thing planned. The

ng to her on that stage, in front of all those people, while

ont him, to throw the ring in his face. But her plan wasn't

the wounded, overwhelmed girlfriend, not the woman who knew h

ooked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "I need you. Tonight. Just... stay with me. Don' t go to the office.

on the desk, buzzed. He glanced at it. She kn

e stretched between them, thick with a mill

ng it. He looked back at her, his expressi

a hug. His embrace felt like a cage. "I' m

e felt a flicker of hope, a tiny, fragile thing. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he would choose her.