Chapter 1: The Man Who Stole Her Future

The money was gone.

I refreshed it, hoping the numbers would change. They didn't.

Our savings account was almost empty.

Four years of saving for a better apartment and the future Daniel kept promising we'd have. I'd skipped lunches and worn old shoes because every sacrifice was supposed to bring us closer to that life.

Now there was barely enough left to cover my overdue rent.

My fingers shook as I opened the transactions. One name kept appearing.

Daniel.

He'd told me he was moving money around because his banking app was acting up. I'd believed him.

Of course I had. He was my boyfriend, the man I planned to marry.

A luxury hotel. A designer handbag. Flight tickets for two.

My throat tightened. Maybe the hotel was for work. Maybe the bag was for his mother. Maybe I was getting this all wrong.

Then I found a delivery confirmation with a woman's name on it.

Not his mother.

I stared until the words blurred. People laughed in the next room, carrying on like my life hadn't just fallen apart.

Daniel was home when I got back, stretched out on the couch with his phone in his hand.

He glanced up. "You're home early."

I held out my phone. "What's this?"

His eyes moved over the screen. His thumb stopped for a second, then he leaned back and sighed.

"You're checking my transactions now?"

"That's our savings, Daniel. Who's the woman?"

"They're my savings too."

"That doesn't answer me."

"Mia, don't start."

I almost laughed. "Most of our money is gone. You spent it on another woman, and I'm the one who's starting something?"

"It wasn't like that."

"Then what was it like?"

He looked away. That tiny movement told me more than any confession could.

"It was a mistake," he said. "It happened. I wasn't planning to leave you over it, so I don't see why you're acting like everything we've had means nothing."

I stared at him. "You weren't planning to leave me?"

"That's what I said."

Like I should be grateful he still wanted me.

"What about our money?"

"I was going to put it back."

"When?"

He didn't answer.

I thought about the dress I'd left in a shop, the dinners I'd skipped, the apartment listings we'd studied while he promised we were nearly there. Had he been laughing at me the whole time?

My eyes burned. I wanted him to look at me and act like he understood what he'd done. Instead, he picked up his phone again.

"You're making this bigger than it needs to be," he muttered.

Something inside me went quiet.

"I'm done."

He barely looked up. "Don't be childish, Mia."

"I'm leaving you."

"Over one mistake?"

"No. Over the way you keep acting like I'm the problem."

I packed a bag, stopping once to wipe my face. I still loved him. That was the worst part.

But loving him couldn't mean letting him do this to me.

I transferred what remained into my personal account and checked that it had gone through. Then I picked up my bag and returned to the living room.

Daniel was still on the couch.

For one foolish second, I waited. Maybe he'd stand up. Maybe he'd realize I was serious.

He didn't even put his phone down.

I left.

*** 

By Monday, I had problems I couldn't afford to ignore.

My rent was overdue, my savings nearly gone, and my future at Maison Luxe depended on one presentation. A promotion would help me catch up and find a cheaper place. If I didn't get it, I had no idea what I'd do.

I adjusted the layout on my laptop for the fourth time.

"Mia?"

My manager stood beside my desk with a folder. "How's the proposal coming?"

"Nearly ready. I'm checking the budget."

"It's a strong idea, but the client can be difficult. Senior designers have to defend their decisions under pressure. Make sure you're ready for questions."

His doubt stung.

"I will."

He walked away. I forced myself to focus. I couldn't lose this opportunity because Daniel had made a mess of my life.

My phone buzzed beside the laptop. His name lit up the screen.

I turned it facedown.

A takeaway coffee landed next to my hand.

"You look like you've been hit by a bus," Tessa said.

"Lovely greeting."

"I practiced." She pulled up a chair. "Have you eaten?"

"I had coffee."

"Coffee isn't food."

"It had milk."

She gave me a look, then noticed my phone. "Is he still messaging you?"

"I'm not answering."

"Good. You're not spending another night alone, staring at that screen and wondering what you did wrong."

"I have work."

"You always have work. You're allowed one evening where you're not saving a company, fixing a relationship, or worrying about rent." Her voice softened. "He took enough from you already. Don't give him every minute of your life, too."

I didn't want to watch happy couples while thinking about the future I'd lost. But going home alone sounded worse.

"One hour," I said.

Tessa grinned. "Deal."

That evening, I stood in front of my mirror in a black dress, wondering if I looked fine or like someone who'd cried at work.

My phone lit up again.

Daniel.

His message said he had something important to tell me. Something I needed to hear before I made a decision I couldn't take back.

My thumb hovered over the screen.

What if he was finally going to explain? What if he was sorry? What if… 

I stopped myself.

He'd watched me walk out and hadn't bothered to stand up. Whatever he wanted now, I didn't have to listen.

I switched off my phone and left with Tessa.

The party was loud. Tessa spotted someone she knew and disappeared, leaving me by the bar with a glass of juice.

I reached for a drink just as a man beside me spoke.

"You really should put a smile on that face huh?” 

I turned, ready to tell him to mind his own business.

Then I met his eyes.

He was devastatingly handsome, dressed simply, with the kind of confidence that made people notice him without knowing why. And he was looking at me like he'd been waiting for my reaction.

One corner of his mouth lifted.

Oh, great. I'd had the worst week of my life, and now a stranger was amused by me.

I raised my chin. "Do you always make comments about people you don't know?"

His smile widened.

And suddenly, going home didn't seem like the only way to make this night interesting.