His Billions Can't Buy Her Forgiveness Now
The scissors made a sickening crunch as I severed the long hair Marcus worshipped.
For three years, I had been his "silk anchor," the hidden woman who grounded him while he conquered New York.
But as the dark strands hit the porcelain sink, my phone lit up with a news alert that shattered my world.
*Thorne Enterprises CEO Marcus Thorne and Isabella Vance announce engagement.*
While I was waiting for his call, he was sliding a massive diamond onto another woman's finger.
At the gala that night, I was forced to watch them.
Izzy leaned across the table, her voice sweet enough to rot teeth.
"You look exhausted, Olivia. Especially now that you're... alone."
Marcus didn't defend me.
He didn't even look at me.
He just swirled his scotch and told me to focus on the merger data, dismissing me like an inconvenient employee rather than the woman he swore to protect.
He thought I was a pragmatist.
He thought I would stay in the shadows, accepting the scraps of his affection while he married for power.
He was wrong.
I went home and packed my life into a single suitcase.
I took the river rock he had carved for me—the one he called his anchor—and left it on the empty easel with a note in black marker.
*You were my rock. Now you’re just a stone.*
By the time he realized his mistake and came pounding on my door, I was already gone, flying toward a new life in Montana where he couldn't reach me.
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Chapter 6
Olivia POV
I stepped out of the gallery and onto the pavement.
It was raining again. Of course it was.
I remained on the sidewalk, letting the water soak through my clothes. I didn't bother looking for an umbrella.
I thought about Marcus and his attempt to offer me a job. The arrogance of it. He thought he could buy my presence. He thought I was merely a problem to be solved.
I raised my hand and hailed a cab.
"JFK," I repeated as I slid into the backseat.
The car sped through the wet streets. The city lights blurred into streaks of neon color against the glass.
I rolled down the window. The wind hit my face, cold and wet and smelling of ozone.
It felt like freedom.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the icy air.
"I am not a business asset," I whispered to the wind. "I am Olivia Hayes."
The skyline receded behind me. The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the tower where Marcus lived—they all shrank until they were just toys in the distance, insignificant and small.
I closed the window.
The rest was a blur of motion. I arrived at the terminal, checked my bag, and swept through security.
Finally, I sat at the gate.
Boarding Group 1.
I stood up.
I walked down the jet bridge, leaving New York behind with every step.
I found my seat. Window.
The plane taxied. The engines roared to life.
We lifted off.
I looked down at the black void below. The rain lashed against the plastic window, weeping for a city I no longer called home.
I pressed my hand against the cool surface.
*Goodbye.*
The plane punched through the cloud layer.
Suddenly, the turbulence stopped. The rain stopped.
Above the clouds, the moon was shining. It was bright and clear and blindingly beautiful.
I leaned my head back against the seat.
I closed my eyes.
I was flying toward a new world. No Marcus. No Izzy. Just me.
And for the first time in years, the silence in my head wasn't lonely. It was peaceful.
I smiled.
The nightmare was over. The dream was just beginning.