The Architect of His Own Downfall

the city' s golden boy politician. I designed our per

drive. It was of him marrying his pre

he secretly drugged my daily smoothies, making me feel foggy and unstable. He staged a fire at my award-winning bui

ation began seven years ago, when he paid someone to sabotage my college t

st a lie; it was a cage he had d

e created a ninety-minute documentary to expose every crime, every lie. And we p

"The Archi

pte

Jense

lready married when my best

ing your campaign manager at the courthouse. What' s going on?" Ch

ary of clean lines and quiet minimalism. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceili

, kissing my temple. "You' re my future, and I want you to see every part of my life." I' d f

il

ne. The folders were neatly labeled: 'Campaign Speeches,' 'Donor Lists,'

the silent room. I clicked it. There was a single video

oice, Carter' s, smooth as single-malt scot

one casual, like he was discussing stock options. "Harper is for the i

n the cavernous space. I sank to my knees, the cold of the floor seeping through my jeans, but

e back up and jabbe

ast week. He was standing in front of a judge at the city courthouse. And next to him, her hand i

, proprietary curve of her li

r leaned in and kissed her. It wasn' t a perfunct

d. It turned to dust and blew away in the s

three tries to press play again. Liam' s voice, tight with disbeli

dy. I' ll stage a perfect proposal, something public and grand. The wedding w

essed. "You just marrie

ocking the air from my lungs. I hadn't seen a

uard for the child. It secures the Hart lineage. After the election, I' ll have annulment papers drawn up, tell

. So utterly, ter

as behind a minimalist print, the code our anniversary. The irony wa

nts for my first award-winning building-the very project that

iage l

er Hart and Co

he was in a closed-door strategy session, the day he' d come

e handwriting detailing a future I had built from nothing. He had kept them. He kept them right next t

the lock downstairs jo

as h