Chapter 1

 Piper’s POV

The sound of clinking champagne glasses echoed through the grand ballroom, mixing with the subtle jazz music humming in the background. Glittering chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting soft golden light on perfectly polished floors and people dressed in designer tuxedos and dresses worth more than my monthly allowance and I stood there, like a mannequin in a glass case—beautiful, untouchable, and completely hollow inside.

Everyone looked at me like I had it all….. Ethan Miller’s wife, the queen of this castle but what they didn’t know was that my crown was made of thorns and my throne, cold marble.

I adjusted the thin strap of my silver dress, the sequins scratching against my skin. I hated this dress. Ethan picked it out, he said it made me look “presentable.” That was the word he used for me these days. Presentable, like a vase or an antique or something expensive, dusted occasionally, and placed on display when needed.

A waiter passed by with a tray of flutes. I grabbed one and downed the champagne in two swallows. It was not elegant, not proper but I didn’t care anymore.

I scanned the room looking for Ethan. He was somewhere, mingling with the elite, flashing that polite, cold smile he reserved for the public. He wore it well—the mask of the perfect billionaire but I knew better. I knew what lay beneath……. A heart frozen by betrayal and a mind so consumed with control that it strangled everything in its reach—including me.

I turned toward the hallway, suddenly needing air more than anything. My heels clicked on the marble as I walked, each step echoing my resentment. I wasn’t even supposed to be here tonight. Ethan only invited me because it would have looked bad if I didn’t show and not because he wanted me here.

As I passed by a group of guests standing near the bar, their conversation reached my ears—soft, hushed, but enough.

“Isn’t that her? Ethan Miller’s wife?” The first lady said, her voice barely in a whisper

“She doesn’t look happy… not that I blame her. I heard Selena Hart is back in town.” The second lady said.

“Selena? His ex? You’re kidding!”

“No. Apparently, he made her head of PR last week. It was a bold move, right? Especially with his wife still around.”

I stopped breathing.

Selena Hart? She is back and working with Ethan?

My heart slammed against my ribcage as I turned away quickly, fingers tightening around my empty champagne glass. I needed answers and I needed Ethan.

I found him laughing—actually laughing—with two board members by the open bar, his back straight and posture easy. His eyes flicked to me as I approached, but his smile didn’t falter. That cold bastard. I stopped inches from him, ignoring the looks from the people around us.

“Can we talk?” I asked tightly.

He gave me a once-over. “Now?”

“Yes, now.”

He gave a dismissive nod to the board members and followed me into one of the side lounges. As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, I spun to face him.

“Selena?” I asked.

He didn’t even flinch. “Yes, what about her?”

“I heard that she is back and you hired her and made her as the head of PR? Are you serious, Ethan?”

He exhaled slowly, like I was a child throwing a tantrum. “It’s business, Piper. She’s good at what she does.”

I stared at him, mouth dry. “You hired your ex-girlfriend—the woman who broke you— Without even telling me.”

His eyes narrowed. “It’s not your company, It’s mine and I don’t need to run hiring decisions past you.”

My breath caught in my throat. “Right,” I whispered. “Of course, silly me. I’m just the wife, the mannequin you keep in the background.”

He looked away, jaw tightening. “You’re being emotional.”

“Damn right, I’m emotional!” I snapped. “You bring back the woman who ruined you, your family and is trying to run us—and expect me to just smile and wave?”

He gave a humorless chuckle. “There is no us, Piper. There never was.”

I felt like the ground shifted beneath me. The words hit harder than a slap. My throat ached, but I refused to cry, not here and not in front of him.

“I’m done,” I whispered. “I’m done pretending. Done fighting for scraps of your attention.”

He didn’t stop me when I walked out, he didn’t call my name, he didn’t follow.

He just let me go.

***********************

A week passed. An entire week without a word from Ethan. Not a text, not a call…….Nothing.

I moved like a ghost in that cold, glass house we called home. I ate in silence, I slept alone, I couldn’t even bring myself to cry anymore. What was the point? Tears hadn’t moved him in three years. Why would they start now?

But tonight… tonight I was done playing the fool.

I dressed simply—no makeup, no heels. Just a black blouse, fitted jeans, and my dignity.

I was going to his office.

I didn’t call ahead. I didn’t text. I was just going to walk in like I used to back when I thought love was enough to bridge the space between us.

The receptionist blinked when she saw me but said nothing as I passed her desk. I knew the layout like the back of my hand. I used to bring him lunch here and would wait hours just to ride home with him.

Now I was here for something else.

His office door was slightly ajar, and as I approached, I heard voices. It was Low.

It was a woman’s soft laugh.

My stomach twisted.

“…You shouldn’t tease me like that,” Ethan’s voice murmured.

“I missed you,” Selena’s voice purred back. “I hated every second we were apart.”

I froze. My fingers curled into fists as heat rose in my chest. My feet moved before my brain did. I pushed the door open. They were close—too close. Selena was perched on his desk, legs crossed, her hand resting on his chest like she belonged there.

Ethan looked up slowly, his face unreadable.

Selena smirked.

“Piper,” Ethan said, tone flat. “You should’ve knocked.”

I stepped inside, heart thundering. “I shouldn’t have had to.”

He moved away from her slowly, like nothing was wrong, Like I was the one intruding.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” he said.

“Really?” I asked, voice trembling. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks a hell of a lot like my husband is about to cheat on me with his ex.”

Selena laughed softly. “Oh, honey. You still think he’s your husband?”

Ethan turned to her. “Selena, don’t—” Ethan walked towards me and grabbed me by the hand. His grip firm.

“You need to leave,” he said with a cold voice. Before I could respond, he dragged me and pushed me out of the office as he slammed the door on my face. 

I stood there surprised at what had happened.