Chapter 1: Engaged to a Lie

ANNA POV

“I am sorry, babe. I don’t think I will  be able to make it today. I am  really busy, but I trust you to pick the right ones for both of us. Love you.”

Really busy?

I stared at the message on my phone, my fingers hovering above the keyboard as I tried to type a proper reply.

How could he suddenly be busy when we had spent three weeks syncing our calendars for this exact moment?

“Are you leaning toward the platinum band, or would you like to see the vintage settings again?” the saleswoman’s polite voice snapped me back to reality.

She leaned over the velvet display, her arms neatly folded.

Although she wore a polite smile, I could tell she was running out of patience with my indecision.

“Oh… yeah. This one. It’s fine,” I said, pointing at a random solitaire ring. I didn’t even look at it properly, I  just needed the pressure of her gaze to stop.

Today was supposed to be our ring-picking day. My fiancé, Steven, and I had planned it for a whole month.

And now here I was, standing in a room full of promises and “forever,” realizing I was the only one who had actually shown up.

Seriously, who leaves their fiancée to choose her own wedding ring alone?

“That will be 20,995,” the saleswoman said again, her voice interrupting my thoughts.

I forced a quick smile and reached into my purse, pulling out my card before handing it over.

“Thank you, ma’am. Congratulations to you and the lucky groom,” she said warmly, passing the card back along with a small bag stamped with gold.

Lucky groom?

“Thanks,” I managed.

I didn’t look at her. I couldn’t. I just took the bag and walked out.

The walk to the parking lot felt unreal, like I was moving but not fully there.

I slid into the driver’s seat, the leather suddenly feeling too tight.

Without thinking, I threw the ring box on the passenger seat. It hit, then slid right off onto the floor.

I didn’t even move to pick it up.

What is actually wrong with you, Steven?

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t noticed it before. The distance. The weird excuses. The way he kept saying he was “busy with work.”

Was it because I had just handed him everything?

The CEO position. My father’s company. Even my shares, worth more than most people would see in a lifetime.

Maybe it was too much. Maybe the pressure was finally getting to him.

That would explain the change, right?

But still

How does “busy” become so busy that you can’t even show up to pick our rings together?

Just a few days ago, I went to choose my wedding dress, while the shop assistants gave me those pitying smiles because I was alone. Now, I was sitting in my car with twenty thousand dollars worth of gold and diamonds in a shopping bag, and he couldn't even be bothered to show up for thirty minutes.

“Get it together,” I muttered under my breath, holding the steering wheel.

I was just about to start the car when my phone chimed.

My heart jumped.

Steven?

I grabbed my phone almost instantly, hope rushing  in before I could stop it.

Maybe Steven had texted to apologize. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he’s on his way…

The screen lit up.

And just like that, the hope disappeared.

It wasn’t him..

It was an unknown number. No name. No contact info. Just a video file and a single, scary sentence:

“Watch this to find out what’s going on?”

I  couldn’t help the frown that suddenly appeared on my face.

“What is this?” I whispered, starting to feel weird .

For a second, I hesitated.

Common sense told me to delete it. To go home and have a glass of wine. But my fingers moved on their own, tapping the play button.

The screen flickered and suddenly, there he was.

The video was grainy, shot from a low angle like a camera had been hidden on a shelf. But there was no mistaking the man on the screen. It was Steven. He was in an office I didn’t recognize, leaning back in a chair with a look of arrogance I had  never seen on his face before..

“Who is he talking to?” I murmured, leaning closer.

I didn’t recognize the person with him.

I quickly turned up the volume, my pulse picking up as I focused, listening carefully to every word.

"You already have her property. You have  got the signatures," the man in the video said, his voice casual. "Don't you think it is  time to end the engagement? To finally be with the person you actually want?"

My breath stopped.

My chest began to hurt, and my grip on my phone grew stronger without me even realizing it.

Wait what?

What are they talking about? I stared at the screen, begging for it to be a misunderstanding. A joke. Anything but the truth.

Steven let out a small laugh.

“I would  love to,” he said casually, like this was nothing. “But there is  still something I need from her. And I can only get it if we get married.”

My heart dropped.

No… no, no

He reached out and tapped the man’s shoulder, almost like he was proud of himself.

“Just watch and learn, my friend. This woman is exactly what I need to get where I am  going. She made me a millionaire overnight with a single stroke of a pen, but I am  not satisfied yet. I am  going to make sure I take every single thing she has left."

Everything.

The word repeated  in my head.

And then the video cut off, just like that.

My fingers went numb.

The phone slipped from my hand, landing somewhere out of sight, but I didn’t even react.

I couldn’t.

My mind went completely blank.

I just sat there, staring ahead, unable to even blink, trying to process what I had just seen and heard.

Surely  that couldn’t be true.

There had to be a mistake. Something taken out of context. Something I wasn’t seeing clearly.

“I need answers,” I whispered.

Before I could even think twice, I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Steven said he was at work.

Good.

Then that’s exactly where I would  find him.

And he was going to explain everything. Every single word in that video.

The drive felt too long and too fast at the same time. My thoughts kept spinning, replaying his voice over and over again.

She already made me a millionaire

“Just wait till I see you,” I muttered under my breath.

I pulled up in front of his company, no, my father’s company the  one I had handed over to him because I believed in him.

I stepped out of the car and walked straight inside.

I went straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the top executive floor.

“Why is this thing so slow?” I muttered, tapping my foot impatiently as my heart pounded harder with every second.

Finally, the doors slid open with a ding.

I stepped out and headed straight for his office.

Before I could reach it, his secretary noticed me and quickly stood up, a polite smile already in place.

“Hello, ma’am. What brings you here today?” she asked.

I didn’t answer.

I just walked past her and threw open the double doors to his office, ready to scream, and demand the truth.

It was empty 

I froze for a second, scanning the room like he might suddenly appear but he didn’t 

“Where is he?" I spun around to face his secretary Sarah, who had hurried in behind me, looking breathless and confused.

“Mr. Reynolds left hours ago, Ma'am," she stammered, twisting her hands together. "He said he was coming down with a terrible cold. He told me he needed to go home and rest for the remainder of the day."

“What?” I muttered, my brows pulling together.

This didn’t add up.

My mind was spinning, trying to make the math work. Steven’s text was still sitting in my inbox, claiming he was "super busy" with meetings. Yet here was his secretary, telling me he had been gone for hours.

I looked back at the secretary. “Are you sure about that?”

The secretary gave me a look that was half-pity and half-annoyance. She gestured toward the empty desk. "Feel free to look around, Ma’am. He left before lunch. If you are worried, perhaps you should just give him a call to confirm?"

Call him?

And let him lie again?

I forced a small smile, even though it felt stiff on my face. “Oh... don’t worry about that. I am sure he just forgot to mention it to me. He has been so swamped lately. But thank you, Sarah. I appreciate it."

"Of course," she replied, already turning back to her computer.

I turned and walked out, keeping a calm expression

The moment I got back into my car, the calm expression dropped.

Something is very, very wrong.

I picked up my phone, ready to call him. But If I call, he will probably lie.

He will  come up with something smooth, something convincing just enough to make me doubt myself again.

I lowered the phone slowly.

“Let’s see how honest you really are,” I muttered.

If he wasn’t at the office then there was only one place left.

Home.

I started the car and drove straight there, my thoughts loud and restless the entire way.

When I arrived, I didn’t hesitate.

I walked up to the door and entered the passcode.

He never wanted me to know it.

But I did.

The lock clicked open, I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, my eyes scanning the place. 

Steven?" I whispered, but the house didn't answer.

I walked further into the living room, my eyes scanning for any sign of him. A coat? A briefcase? Nothing. If he was home "sick," the house should have felt alive. I should have heard a television or the sound of someone resting.

I pulled my phone out again, my finger shaking as I finally prepared to dial his number. 

Then I heard a voice from upstairs. 

“Steven? Is that you? You are back already?”

I froze.

My blood ran cold.

That wasn’t his voice. It  was a woman’s.

I turned my attention to the direction of the voice and saw a woman climbing down the stairs, a bright smile on her face. But as she reached the bottom and lifted her head to look at me, her smile immediately disappeared.

I felt my soul leave my body. Was I seeing right?

There was literally a woman in Steven’s house, wearing nothing but a shirt I knew fully well belonged to him.

I knew this because I bought it for him as a birthday gift last year.

"You, who are you?" I asked

The woman didn’t say a word. She just froze, a horrified look on her face, while I stood there looking confused.

Just then, I heard the sound of the door beeping, like someone was entering the code.

I turned toward it as the door opened.

Steven walked in, holding some bags in his hands, his head lowered as he said, "Katherine, I am home”

As he lifted his head and saw me, the small smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a shocked look. One of the bags in his hand slipped.

There was complete silence for a couple of seconds, all three of us in shock, before Steven finally spoke.

"Anna, you are here?"