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Chloe's POV.I couldn’t stop thinking about him.About last night.His low voice in the dark. "I’ve wondered what you would taste like."The way he looked at me—like I was a secret he was scared to keep, and even more scared to lose.The memory played on a loop in my head. It left me restless. Too warm, even in the cool morning air.---Breakfast was another performance.Rita sat beside me, stirring her tea. The silver spoon made a soft ting against the china.She looked at me with eyes that were almost teary. "Chloe, sweetheart… I have to leave early. Something came up at the office."I placed my hand over hers. "It’s okay, Rita. Thank you for being here. It meant a lot."She gave me a light hug, her perfume sweet and familiar. "I love you, you know."My father’s cheerful voice cut in from the head of the table. "If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were planning a business takeover."Rita laughed—a bright, polished sound. "Only if you’re supplying the oranges, Alistair."We al

Chloe's POV He didn’t let go all at once. It was slow. His arms loosened, and his hands slid down to my elbows, then fell away. The air felt cold where he had been.We didn’t speak. We just walked to the stone bench by the dark water and sat. Not touching, but close. My body still felt warm from where he’d held me. My cheek remembered the soft wool of his shirt.I pulled my knees up and looked at him. The moonlight showed the tired lines near his eyes. He didn’t look like my father’s friend just then. He just looked like a man. A man who had seen me cry and hadn’t looked away.Then the words left my mouth in a quiet breath.“What’s the worst way someone can betray you?”I don’t know what made me ask it. The words were just there, sitting in the quiet between us, and then they weren’t.“What would you call the worst kind of betrayal?”The night felt thick. We were on the stone bench by the pool, the water dark and still. Richard didn’t move. He just stared ahead, his face half in moon

Richard's POV I’ve run companies on less sleep than I’ve had this week.But this… this felt different.This wasn’t business. This was personal.And personal hurts in a way numbers never could.The flight felt endless. Every minute in the air was another minute she was alone in that big, quiet house. Staring at walls that had nothing to say back.I kept checking my watch. Pointless. Time wasn’t moving. My mind was already there—with her.Alistair met me at the door. He looked like he hadn’t slept either. Shadows under his eyes, shoulders slumped.“Thank you for coming,” he said, his voice rough, like gravel under a boot.I just nodded.What could I say? Your daughter’s heart is broken, and mine hasn’t felt right since I heard?So I kept quiet. Sometimes silence is the only honest thing left.We stood in the hallway like two strangers. Two men who’d faced angry shareholders and legal battles without flinching—now completely undone by the quiet coming from the second floor.Then I felt

Chloe's POV My father’s house is my safe place. At least, it’s supposed to be.But when the big iron gates closed behind me, it didn’t feel like a refuge. It felt like a beautiful, quiet cage.I’d been hiding in my old bedroom for three days.The world thinks I’m hiding from the scandal. The pictures. The whispers.And I am.But that’s not all.I’m hiding from my own heart. Because it does this stupid, hopeful jump every time my father even says his name.“Richard is coming for dinner tonight,” Dad said at breakfast. He didn’t look up from his paper.My fork slipped. It clanged loudly on my plate.“Why?”The word was too sharp.He finally looked at me. His eyes are usually warm. Today they were flat. Like stones.“Because I invited him. He’s my oldest friend.”His voice got gentle. “He’s called me, Chloe. Every day since it happened. He doesn’t ask for gossip. He asks about you.”A shiver cut down my spine.Every day.---Then, salvation roared up the driveway.Rita’s bright red conv

Chloe's POV That morning, I watched him get ready. His suit was perfect. For a second, I remembered why I fell for the idea of him.“Ready to make us official?” he asked, smiling.I forced a smile back.“I’m ready.”It was the truth.Just not the one he thought.---The ballroom was too much. Too many flowers, too many of my father’s rich friends. I watched them from my window.My father stood there, looking proud enough to break my heart. Beside him was Richard, Dad’s best friend. He wasn’t drinking his champagne—just watching. His calm gaze made me feel strangely steady.And in the third row… a woman with tired eyes. Two small children squirmed beside her.His real family.My heart turned to stone.Everyone was here. Perfect.Almost everyone.My eyes went to the empty chair in the front row.That was Rita’s spot. A last-minute trip had taken her to Singapore.I’ll be watching in spirit,she’d texted.---My dad knocked and came in. “My darling girl,” he said, eyes shiny.This dress cos