Chapter 1

Ronan Blackwell wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forced a smooth smile, and strolled over to me like nothing had happened.

"Peyton, hey. You didn't tell me you were flying back today. I would’ve picked you up at the airport."

Without waiting for me to speak, he casually pivoted to the girl beside him.

"This is Alexis Archer, my assistant. Alexis, meet my fiancée, Peyton West."

Alexis caught the quick warning in his eyes and offered a reluctant greeting. "Nice to meet you."

My eyes lingered on her a second too long, prompting Ronan to step forward and shield her from my view. He grabbed my hand, instantly shifting into devoted fiancé mode.

"You've been gone for two whole weeks, babe, you lost weight. How about I make your favorite dessert later?"

While talking, he flicked his hand behind his back, motioning for Alexis to beat it. She slipped away into the background, leaving me alone with this lying piece of trash.

I stared at Ronan’s face. He was still insanely attractive, maybe even a little hotter now with that subtle older-guy charm, and I just smiled and nodded.

The heartbreak phase was already over. Right now, I wasn't looking at a liar, I was looking at ten percent of company equity.

Ronan and I had been together for eight years. High school sweethearts, surviving long distance while I studied abroad, all the way through my first two years of working as an intern.

Eight solid years. God knew how many girls tried to throw themselves at him over the years, and he rejected every single one.

My mom had been sold on him forever because of that. Even my dad, who used to think Ronan’s family wasn't on our level financially, finally caved and gave us his blessing for us to get married.

They had both put five percent of their company stock into a legally binding trust. As long as Ronan stayed loyal and we got married, those shares were his. If he ever cheated, the full ten percent belonged to me.

I never expected an eight-year relationship to fall apart this easily.

Seeing me stay quiet, Ronan clearly thought he’d pulled off the lie. The color returned to his face, and his voice dropped back into its usual cozy tone.

"You just landed, you must be exhausted. Let's head home so you can take a nap while I prepare dessert. We still have to meet up with our parents tonight to finalize the wedding dates, and you can't be running on empty. Your mom and dad will kill me if they think I'm not taking care of you."

Just past his shoulder, a shadow slipped back toward the hotel elevators. I watched the reflection vanish into the doors and smiled.

"Oh, totally. I walk off a flight, and you hit me with a surprise like this. You're taking such good care of me."

Ronan picked up on the bite in my voice, and his fake smile vanished. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, his voice heavy with fake exhaustion.