His Vows and My Silent Exit

I stood in the stairwell, shaking badly.Ethan Brooks and Lily Carter kept their voices low, but their conversation hit me like a sledgehammer."I owe you big for this," she said softly, taking his hand. "Anything you need, just holler. If Kelly flips out, pin it on me."Ethan blushed up to his ears, gazing at her with deep affection."I'd do anything for you," he murmured. "Kelly won't care. Every day with her makes me sick, but knowing you're happy? That's all I need."I froze, feeling my heart hallowed."How is Ryan treating you?" he asked.His concerned expression was something I had never seen before. I thought he was just cold. Turned out, I just wasn't his true love.Lily slid her hand free with a sweet smile. "He's great to me. I know it sucks being stuck with someone you don't love. If you're struggling, hit me up. I'll be there for you."He blushed and nodded, but my eyes narrowed as I saw through Lily's pretense.She was a master in the game of love, married to Rya

I stood there, totally thrown.It felt just like the day my family went down. I had begged Ryan in front of everyone, only to get humiliated.Ethan had swooped in, yanking me out of that hell. I had thought it was a lifeline. Turned out, it was a bigger hole.Lily sashayed over, grabbed my hand, and smiled all sweet. "Quit picking on her. I'm glad she's here."Even without her spelling it out, I got the jab. I used to be the golden girl, while she was just some new-money chick clawing her way in.Now the same jerks who had snubbed her back then were laughing at me. I sighed at the twist of life. I guessed every dog had its day.She played it like she was saving me. In fact, she was insinuating that I wasn't that dazzling heiress anymore.I clenched my fists, shaking with anger.Before knowing the truth, I had leaned on Ethan like he was my shield. Now he would just let her rip me apart. When push came to shove, Lily was always his choice.I forced a smile and dug up some nerve

The next morning, pounding on the door woke me up.I'd locked the bedroom to keep Ethan out.Grumpy, I yanked it open and met his bloodshot eyes."You're getting a visa? Where are you going?" he asked.I blanked for a second. Then he waved his phone. The notification of my visa appointment glowed on the screen.It hit me then that I had autopiloted his number into the form last night.Back when we were tight, he made me use his digits for everything. I thought it was possessive love. Now I knew that he just wanted tabs on me, scared I'd mess with Lily.As I remained silent, he grabbed my shoulders and pressed hard."You are trying to ditch me and go after Lily?" he asked sharply. "She took Ryan, sure, but your family was broke. You were useless to him. Don't you get it?"He sighed, "They're true love. How much longer are you gonna hold that grudge? You're married to me. Can't you just behave?"My heart sank at his words. It was hard to believe someone always so cool-headed wo

Ethan turned pale, and I added, "If you won't divorce, fine. We'll just wait it out. Separate for three years, and it's done anyway. I've got nothing but time."I shook off his hand and strode away.I hadn't expected him to dig in like that. I could have sued, but I wasn't wasting energy on his games.Men like him were laughable. When I was obsessed with him, he mooned over someone else. When I was over him, he talked about feelings.That was the last thing we had left to hash out.Soon, I boarded a plane to Paris. Their love triangle was not my concern.My focus was on building my strength. One day, I would come back to confront them....Days turned to nights, and seasons flipped. Three years zipped by like nothing.I worked my ass off on designing. I'd lost three years. Age wasn't on my side, so hustle was my edge.Good thing I had talent and ideas. I made a name in Paris quickly. Word spread back home before I even returned.Now I was the hottest jewelry designer. My stu