Prologue – Paper Rings & Poisoned Promises
She was wearing white when she walked back into his life.
Not the white of innocence, not of forgiveness.
This was the cold, calculated white of silk bought for a contract... not a fairytale.
Ava Sinclair looked beautiful in the dress her parents forced her into.
And Grayson Hale — her ex, her heartbreak, her new husband — looked like he couldn't wait to make her regret it.
"Smile for the cameras," he whispered at the altar, voice low and sharp like the diamonds around her neck. "They can't see you crack — but I can."
She didn't flinch.
Not this time.
"Then keep watching," she whispered back. "You'll finally see the woman you taught me to become."
A marriage built on business.
A love buried in betrayal.
A vow neither of them wanted...
And yet, neither could escape.