Chloe Vance's Reckoning

sitting at the dining table, nursing a cup of coffee. He looked like he hadn't slept. He d

for his company' s image. He usually took Sarah, a public declaration

night," he said, his voice

n't show it. "Why? You

oking at me. "And you are my wife

ny, treacherous spark of hope. Maybe this was a peace

nodded.

st to the flashy dresses Sarah usually wore. When I came downstairs, Ethan was waiting. He wa

tunning diamond necklace. It was beautiful, but it fel

d against my skin, a brief, warm touch that sent an unexpected shiver through me. For a second, our eyes met i

ing this, Ethan?

"My father will be there tonight. He wants to see us

w. The hope I' d felt flicker

We smiled, we mingled, we laughed at all the right times. Ethan kept his hand on the small of

full, in the way he steered me away from a particularly gossipy acquaint

a part of this lie. And yet, I wanted him to keep looking at me. I wanted him to hate me for who I was, not fo

ere a team, navigating the treacherous social

room, a glass of champagne in her hand, her eyes fixed on us. She wore a glitterin

a sweet smile on her face

noring me completely. "I thought

a deliberately intimate gesture. Then her eye

rupy sweet. "It looks just like the one Ethan gave me for my b

reminding me of my place. I was the copy. She was the original.