Chapter 2

Vivian didn’t reply.

The screen went dark, reflecting her pale, expressionless face.

After sitting there for who knew how long, she opened the notes app on her phone and began deleting every entry about Nathan.

'March 8. He secretly reserved an entire greenhouse filled with white roses and said it was a surprise for me.'

'May 20. He ran back to campus in the pouring rain to buy tiramisu from the place I loved when we were in college.'

'July 16. I had a fever. He came straight home after getting off a flight and stayed beside me all night, checking my temperature every hour.'

There were so many more.

Every entry was proof that he had once loved her with all his heart.

Now, Vivian deleted them one by one.

When she finished, the page was completely blank.

Just like her heart.

She lifted her gaze to the Swan Lake poster hanging on the wall.

It was a photograph from her first performance when she was eighteen.

The photographer had captured her in midair, her white tulle skirt blooming around her like a lily.

The Ashburn Opera Ballet had once invited her to join them as a principal dancer.

But back then, Vivian had turned them down without a second thought so she could stay and build the company with Nathan.

Now, she reopened the old email.

Her fingers moved lightly over the keyboard.

'I accept your offer. I can join the company in one month.'

Send.

One month from now, she would leave Riverton.

She would leave Nathan.

She would leave behind everyone and everything that had broken her heart.

Then he could be with Serena without feeling guilty.

Vivian would step aside and let them have each other.

She slept badly that night.

Nathan had always held her and coaxed her to sleep.

Now, she was alone in the enormous house.

The next morning, Vivian got up and ate breakfast.

She heard the front door open but didn’t look up.

She simply took another bite of her breakfast and chewed slowly.

In the past, she would have jumped up and thrown herself at Nathan like a koala the second he walked through the door.

Nathan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face against her neck.

“Baby, are you mad because I didn’t come home last night? Something really did come up at work.”

That used to work on her every time.

Today, Vivian merely swallowed her last bite.

“Okay.”

“You’re really not mad?”

Nathan tilted his head to study her face.

“No.”

She stood, picked up the jacket he had taken off, and went to hang it up.

As her fingers brushed the collar, she caught the scent of an unfamiliar perfume.

It wasn’t hers.

Vivian didn’t ask about it.

Nathan visibly relaxed, assuming the matter was over.

As he ate breakfast, he said casually,

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.

“Serena has been with us since we first started the company. Now that we’ve gone public, I want to give her some equity as an incentive.

“You own a larger stake, so I thought we could transfer a portion of your shares to her. Think of it as rewarding a longtime employee.”

Vivian’s hand paused over the toast she was spreading with jam.

She remembered the first year they started the company.

She had been a pampered heiress who had never wanted for anything.

Yet she had squeezed into a tiny rented apartment with Nathan, lived on cheap takeout, and stayed up night after night helping him revise proposals.

Back then, Nathan had held her in his arms and promised,

“Vivian, once we make it, I’ll give you every share in the company.”

She had believed him.

She had thought that promise of one hundred percent

was his way of telling her she would always come first.

Now he wanted to give part of that promise to Serena.

Vivian lowered her eyes and placed the toast back on her plate.

“Fine.”

Nathan looked pleased.

He reached over and took her hand.

“I knew you’d understand. Then it’s settled.”

Vivian looked down at the large hand wrapped around hers.

Slowly, she pulled away.

“Your coffee’s getting cold.”

That afternoon, the conference room was packed with shareholders and senior employees.

Nathan stood at the front and announced the company’s new ownership structure.

The moment the name Serena Lane appeared on the shareholder list, the room fell silent.

Then the whispers started.

“Mr. Hayes gave Ms. Grant’s shares to his secretary? Isn’t that basically humiliating her in front of everyone?”

“There’s no way Ms. Grant agreed to this, right?”

“I’ve always thought there was something strange about the way Mr. Hayes looks at Serena. Do you think the two of them already…”

“Keep your voice down!”