The Lies We Marry For

ts' house. It was a transparent attempt to control the narrati

emnation. Ethan's mother, Eleanor, g

glad you came to your senses. After the scene you mad

s gathered, their faces a mixture of pity for Ethan and contempt for me. I was the

eling himself over to me and placing a proprieta

d this is how you repay him? You've always been bad luck, Chloe. Ever

the air. I was a curse.

emembered the nights I spent massaging his "lifeless" legs, trying to ease the phantom pains he claimed to have. I remembered selling m

ove and gratitude, was a joke.

of juice, looking pale and lovely, the brave single mother. She was a rising star in the local art scene, a

My purpose was to provide a backdrop of stability and resources so she could shine. The reali

ffocating. The judgment in

d, pulling away from Ethan a

e Ashley followed me. She closed the glass door

said, her voice no longer soft and sympathetic. It

s that all you care abou

been better at it than you. You remember that scholarship to study art in Paris? Th

a cold dread cree

ight before it was due? I still have the files, you know. It was a brilliant desi

med on bad luck, was her. She had been sabotaging me for years

ed. "Why would y

e always had everything. A loving mother, talent, peopl

her eyes gleaming wi

I was the one who saw the news about the unstable chandelier in that old church. I was the one who t

sn't just Ethan's deception. It was Ashley's masterpiece.

nd calculated cruelty. My entire life had been a lie, man