Chapter 1

Three days before our biggest product launch and our engagement gala, I was in a horrific multi-car pileup.

The driver’s side door was completely crushed. Shards of glass sliced deep into the back of my right hand, leaving me drenched in blood.

As the freezing rain poured down, I shook violently from the agonizing pain. I called Ashton Thorne twenty-three times.

When the line finally connected, it wasn’t Ashton’s voice. It was Serena Cole, sobbing hysterically.

"Ashton... Pudding ran into that abandoned construction site. It’s so dark, and I’m so scared..."

Ashton’s voice cut in, frantic yet incredibly tender.

"Don’t move, Serena. I’m coming right now."

Then, he addressed me, his tone turning instantly dismissive.

"Chloe, Serena’s cat is missing. She’s out in the middle of nowhere by herself, and she can't see in the dark. It’s just a fender bender. Call a tow truck and go to the ER yourself. Stop trying to compete with her right now."

Click.

He hung up.

Six years. For six years, the moment Serena so much as sneezed, he would drop me without a second thought.

I looked down at the engagement ring, now stained crimson with my own blood. With my left hand, I slowly pulled it off.

This engagement? I didn't want it anymore.