Left at the alter, married the enemy
Julian didn’t get cold feet. He got on a plane, back to Selene, back to the woman he swore was history, and left Mira to realize, in real time, in front of everyone she knew, that three years meant absolutely nothing to him.
Atherton doesn’t forget things like that. It doesn’t even try.
So when Sebastian Calloway offers his name, Mira takes it. She signs the contract, lifts her chin, and tells herself it’s just survival. A cold arrangement between two people who have never liked each other.
He tells her he wants it real.
She almost believes him. She hates herself a little for that.
Because Sebastian isn’t doing this out of kindness. Mira is useful, her name, her influence,