Five Years, A Cruel Deception

g him. "Invalid Certificate Number." He typed the string of digits again, carefully,

leather office chair. The city lights of downtown gli

he screen, her brow furrowed with pretend concern. "That' s so strange. Maybe

Liam insisted. "The 'Miller-Davis Foundation f

word, Chloe couldn' t conceive. Liam' s heart had broken for her, for them. But Chloe, ever the optimist, had turned their private pain into a public mission.

that. He loved he

s soothed him. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Don' t let some sill

e, decided to handle it in person. He drove to the County Clerk' s office, a sterile, bureaucratic building that smelle

and a name tag that read 'Brenda.' She typed the number into her computer,

ing at him. "There' s no record of a m

his voice calm. "Chloe Davis and Liam M

m grew heavy. "I have a Liam Miller here, but he' s listed as single. And I have no marriage record for a Chloe Davis at all in our system." She slid t

ould it be a fake? He remembered the day perfectly. A small, intimate ceremony on a sun-drench

hed in his hand. He sat in his car, the engine off, the air growing thick and hot.

er cool hand on his forehead. Chloe celebrating his business triumphs, her pride in him so obvious and fierce. Was it all an act? Five years. Three hundred

o her. He needed to

irst flight to Monaco. He didn' t pack a bag. He didn' t call his assistant. He just drove to

nding coastal roads, the sea a glittering, indifferent blue. He' d gotten the name of her hotel from her itinerary. He walked into the opul

. Music and laughter drifted out from the grand, open doors. It was a party. A big one.

sly landscaped gardens, peering through a

keshift aisle, flowers woven into her hair. Her face was radiant, glowing with a happiness

mentee he had personally coached, funded, and helped build a career. Chloe reached him, and they claspe

d a large hedge, the world tilting on its axis. He could hear the voices of two women

er voice laced with amusement. "She' s been waiting for Eth

l Liam?" the

him around for the money and the stability until Ethan was ready. She' s

hed. "Chloe always

out his phone, his vision blurry with

sh you were here with me. Monac

rising in his throat. He pressed call, a last, desperate nee

keningly sweet and bright. "Liam, honey! Is e

e?" he asked, his own voi

. "Just sitting in a stuffy room, listening to bo

as Ethan wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck. She laughed

tableau of perfect happiness built on his shattered life. The love, the trust, t

way from the villa, down the dark coastal road, with no destination in mind. There was nothing left. He would liquidate ever