Erased By His Lies And Love

Payn

ht and buoyant, laced with the satisfaction

e you signed. Knew you' d co

ue. He made it sound like I' d just agreed to s

said, his voice brimming with excitement. "Our spot

t for a reply.

winkling below like a carpet of fallen stars. This was where he had first told me his company secu

out the IPO, about market caps and stock options, about the cover of Forbes magazine he was scheduled to sho

d," I said, my voice surprisingly stead

against mine. "To us, Ariel.

ity in my toast. He didn' t

e vintage tasting like ash in my mouth. For me, Ar

for you," he said, his tone magnanimous. "A little thank you. Ten percent of my personal shar

future, distilled down to a stoc

up, but I swallowed it down. I just

s secretary. He glanced at it, a

urgent about the SEC filings." He stood up, already shrugging into his jacket. "S

inded gesture. Then he was gone, leaving me alone with

able and walked towards the elevators. As the doors opened

inner with her tonight of all nights?" Aurora' s

lacating murmur. "She signed the papers. I had to give her the st

king around. It' s been three years, Des. I'

e ye

hree years of his lies, his reassurances,

. On the tray was a plate of seared scallops with saffron risotto-the exact same dish

sn' t even worth the effort of a different

ck, my hand reaching for the wall to steady myself. My finge

orld

le floor. A shard of glass, sharp as a razor, sliced through the palm of my hand. Blood

hat?" I hea

ir faces illuminated by the soft lighting. Desmond' s e

esmond surfaced. Panic. Concern. He took a

rora' s sharp, questi

th ice. Her eyes scanned my simple red dress, my shocked face

replaced by a cold, terrifying mask of indifference. He looked from

know her," he said, his voice flat and dismissive. "Just som

t kno

ten years of love and sacrifice, erased in a single, brutal sentence. He looked at

a str

Aurora away, his arm securely around her waist, sh

in in my hand a dull, distant throb compared to t

-