Betrayed Heiress, Ruthless Redemption

he fabric was a cheap polyester blend that felt scratchy against my skin, a stark contrast to the smooth silk I had been wearing. It was too tight

n hour ago-radiant, confident, in love-was gone. In her place was this pale, diminished v

n the silent room. *You're being overly sensitive. It was an accident.

ked everything on this engagement, on them. To admit it was a sham was to

apologize for being emotional, smooth things over, and we would walk onto that stage

party, the muffled music and laughter, felt like it was coming from another planet. As I neared the end of the corridor, I

can't believe she almost made a scen

doorknob. My heart began to pound

empt that cut me to the bone. "It's what makes her so easy to manage. Bu

ngs turned to ic

triumphant. "Did you see her face? She looked like a pathetic, drowned r

g sound. "But the real prize is her company's shipping contracts. Once we have control of those through th

pressed my ear to the door, my body trembling. I ne

y, possessive note in her tone. "What will

r an eternity. Then Mark laughed, a low, intim

use where she can't cause any trouble. My dear sister, you know you're the only one I

was thick and unbreathable. The entire relationship, every shared laugh, every whispered promise, every tender touch-it was all a lie. A meticu

ed, conspiratorial sound, was the f

get away. I turned and ran, blindly, my vision blurred by a hot, stinging flood of tears. I didn't know whe

dor, my cheap heels slipping on the polished marble floor. I colli

shed out of me as

hit the ground. My purse clattered to the floor, its contents spillin

cold, slate-grey ey

devastation on my face, all in a single, sweeping glance. He then bent down, his movements economical and pre

ad, his thumb brushed across the surface, and the locket sprang open, revealing the t

ace, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something in hi

g in the silent hallway. He held it out to m

resonant baritone. It wasn't an observation; it was a ve

hing against mine for a brief, electric moment. The warmth of

onated with the ugly reality I had just been forced to confront. The false sentiment I had escaped, the

t, I had never fe