Chapter 1

I stood frozen outside the private room of Le Meridien, my hands trembling around the Ferrari keys I'd planned to surprise Aiden with. Seven years of love, of building a future together, crashed around me like shattered glass.

"How much longer are you going to string Ava along?" A deep voice cut through the door.

My heart stopped at the sound of my name. The Ferrari keys dug into my palm.

"Come on, Aiden. Brianna's been asking about you since she got back from Paris." Another voice chimed in, followed by the clink of glasses.

"To think you've been dating Liam's sister all this time." Someone laughed. "Does he even know his best friend's been sleeping with his runaway sister?"

My brother's name hit me like a punch to the gut. Liam. My brother Liam. The same brother Aiden claimed was just a friend he'd met.

"The look on his face when he finds out..." The voice continued.

"He won't." Aiden's familiar voice finally broke through. "Ava was just... convenient. A replacement while Brianna was gone."

"Seven years is a long replacement." Someone whistled.

"She made it easy. So desperate for love after her family problems." Aiden's words dripped with cruel amusement. "All those stories about knowing her brother, about waiting to tell him until we were married. She believed every word."

The keys slipped from my hand, hitting the marble floor with a betraying clatter. The voices inside went quiet.

"Did you hear that?"

I didn't wait to hear more. I ran, leaving behind the keys to the Ferrari I'd spent five years saving for. Leaving behind seven years of lies. Leaving behind the second family that had betrayed me.

…

I collapsed onto my bed, mascara-stained tears soaking into my pillow. The darkness of my room matched the void in my chest. Every memory, every kiss, every promise Aiden had made played through my mind like a cruel movie reel.

The front door clicked open. I wiped my face with my sleeve, forcing steady breaths as his footsteps approached our bedroom.

"Ava?" Aiden's voice carried that same warmth I'd fallen for seven years ago. The bedroom light flicked on. "You won't believe what happened at dinner."

I rolled over, plastering on a smile. "How was it?"

"Great catching up with everyone." He loosened his tie. "The weirdest thing though,security found Ferrari keys outside our private room. Can you imagine someone dropping those?"

My chest tightened. "That's... strange."

"Oh, and tomorrow night we've got plans." He sat on the edge of the bed. "My old school friend Brianna's back from Paris. She's hosting a get-together."

Brianna. The name burned in my throat. "The friend you mentioned before?"

"Yeah, just an old classmate." He waved it off, the lie sliding effortlessly from his lips. "You'll come, right?"

I met his eyes, searching for any trace of guilt, any flicker of the cruel words I'd heard earlier. Nothing. Just the same charming smile that had convinced me he was different from my family.

"Of course." I forced the words out. "Wouldn't miss it."

He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Perfect. Get some sleep, babe."

The bed shifted as he settled in beside me, his breathing evening out within minutes. I stared at the ceiling, tears silently tracking down my temples into my hair.

The next evening, Aiden's hand rested on the small of my back as we entered Brianna's penthouse. His touch burned through my black dress, each gentle squeeze a mockery of affection.

"Ava, darling, try the champagne." He pressed a crystal flute into my hand, making a show of kissing my temple in front of the gathered crowd.

Brianna stood across the room, her red dress matching the flush in her cheeks. Her mascara-rimmed eyes locked onto Aiden's every movement.

…

I excused myself from the crowd, desperate for a moment alone. The hallway leading to the restroom stretched before me.

"Well, if it isn't the runaway sister." Brianna's voice sliced through the air behind me.

I turned to find her leaning against the wall, champagne glass dangling from her manicured fingers. The red dress hugged her curves, making my black one feel childish in comparison.

"Must be nice, living your perfect little life while your brother dealt with everything alone." Her lips curled into a sneer. "Do you know how selfish that makes you? Abandoning family like that?"

My throat closed up. How did she know about Liam? The details I'd only shared with...

Aiden. Of course. He'd told her everything, all those late-night conversations where I'd opened up about my past, my fears, my guilt over leaving Liam behind. He'd handed her the weapons to hurt me.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" She stepped closer, her perfume overwhelming. "You know, Aiden and I have history. Deep history. The kind that doesn't just disappear because some girl played house with him for a few years."

I pressed my back against the wall, willing myself not to cry.

"Tonight's the night, Ava." She drained her champagne. "I'm taking him back. He's always been mine, you were just keeping his bed warm while I was in Paris."

I couldn't breathe as Brianna moved closer, her red-painted lips curving into a cruel smile.

"Want to know something fun?" She traced a finger down my arm. "Two days ago, when you were at that photography workshop..."

My stomach dropped. Tuesday.

"He came over to my place first." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "But then he had a better idea. Said he wanted to do it in his bed, yours and his."

"Those silk sheets you love so much?" She leaned in, her breath hot against my ear. "We made quite a mess of them."

My knees buckled. I gripped the wall to stay upright, bile rising in my throat.

"The way he grabbed my hair, pushed me down..." She ran her fingers through her dark locks. "God, Ava. The things he did to me that he'd never do with you. He said you were too... vanilla. Too safe. But me?" She laughed. "I bring out the animal in him."

The memory of Tuesday night flashed through my mind,how I'd crawled into those same sheets, how Aiden had kissed me goodnight in that same bed.

"Should've seen how fast he stripped those sheets after." Brianna's fingers wrapped around my wrist. "Wouldn't want his precious Ava finding out what a bad boy he really is. Though I have to say..." Her grip tightened. "The fear of getting caught made it so much hotter."