Chapter One
The Ring in Her Purse
The ring was still in her purse when Amara Bennett boarded the plane to New York.
She didn't throw it away.
Not because she wanted him back.
But because letting go felt heavier than betrayal.
The airport lights blurred as she stared out the window, her reflection faint against the glass. She barely recognized the woman staring back. The same brown eyes. The same soft lips. But something inside them had dimmed.
Four years.
Four years of loving Daniel with her whole heart. Four years of building plans. Pinterest wedding boards. Guest lists. Honeymoon destinations. House sketches.
Four years of believing she was chosen.
Until she wasn't.
The memory replayed whether she wanted it to or not.
The hotel lobby had smelled like expensive lilies. She had gone there to surprise him after his "late meeting." She even wore the blue dress he once said made her look like summer.
Summer.
She almost laughed at the irony now.
The elevator doors had opened slowly.
And there he was.
Not alone.
Not confused.
Not guilty.
Just caught.
The way his hands had been wrapped around another woman's waist would haunt her for a long time. But it wasn't the other woman's face that broke her.
It was his.
Calm.
Almost relieved.
"Amara," he had said, as if she had interrupted something trivial. "This isn't what you think."
But it was exactly what she thought.
The plane engine roared to life, pulling her out of the memory.
New York.
A new job. A new apartment. A new beginning.
She had accepted the marketing strategist position at Blackwood Technologies three weeks ago — before everything collapsed. At the time, she thought it was a step toward their future.
Now, it was her escape.
She shifted in her seat, her fingers brushing against the velvet box inside her purse. She hesitated before opening it.
The diamond still sparkled under the dim cabin light.
Beautiful.
Expensive.
Worthless.
A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. She wiped it away quickly, embarrassed even though no one was looking.
She hated crying.
She hated that he still had that power over her.
She closed the box and shoved it back into her bag.
"Not anymore," she whispered to herself.
New York greeted her with cold air and unforgiving noise.
It was late autumn. The wind bit through her coat as yellow taxis rushed past and strangers moved with purpose.
No one looked at her.
No one cared that her heart had been split open.
And somehow, she found comfort in that.
Her apartment was small. Smaller than the one she had shared with Daniel. The walls were bare, the kitchen narrow, the bedroom barely large enough for the bed and a single nightstand.
But it was hers.
No shared closets.
No memories in the corners.
No ghosts.
She dropped her suitcase near the door and stood in the middle of the living room, listening to the silence.
This was what starting over sounded like.
The first night was the hardest.
She lay awake staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying every moment she had ignored.
The late-night "work calls."
The sudden password changes.
The emotional distance she had convinced herself was stress.
She had trusted him blindly.
And that realization hurt more than the cheating itself.
Because it made her question her judgment.
Her worth.
Her intuition.
Maybe she wasn't enough.
Maybe she had loved too much.
Maybe—
Her phone buzzed.
Daniel.
She stared at the screen until it stopped ringing.
Then it buzzed again.
She turned it off.
She refused to be the woman who begged for explanations.
Monday morning arrived too quickly.
Blackwood Technologies stood tall in the heart of Manhattan — all glass and steel, intimidating in its perfection.
Amara paused across the street, looking up at the towering building. It felt symbolic.
Power.
Precision.
Control.
Everything her life currently lacked.
She inhaled deeply and crossed the street.
The lobby was sleek, modern, expensive without trying too hard. Employees moved efficiently, dressed sharply, speaking with quiet confidence.
She adjusted her blazer, reminding herself she had earned this job.
She wasn't fragile.
She wasn't broken.
She was just… healing.
"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely.
"Yes. Amara Bennett. I'm starting today."
The woman's smile widened slightly. "Welcome to Blackwood Technologies. The executive assistant will be down shortly."
Executive assistant.
That meant she would be working closely with senior leadership.
Her stomach tightened.
Focus.
This was about her career now. Not love.
Not betrayal.
Not heartbreak.
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime.
A tall man stepped out.
The air shifted.
She didn't know why she noticed him immediately. Maybe it was the way everyone around subtly straightened. Or the way silence followed him like a shadow.
He was dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, no tie, confidence woven into every step. His presence wasn't loud.
It was controlled.
Commanding.
Dangerously calm.
He spoke briefly to someone beside him before his gaze lifted.
And landed on her.
For half a second — maybe less — something unreadable flickered in his dark eyes.
Assessment.
Curiosity.
Recognition?
Her breath caught unexpectedly.
He looked away first.
And walked past her.
But not before she heard someone whisper behind the desk:
"That's Ethan Blackwood."
The founder.
The tech mogul.
The billionaire CEO.
Her new boss.
Amara swallowed slowly, her heart beating in a way that had nothing to do with Daniel.
For the first time in weeks, something unfamiliar stirred inside her chest.
Not pain.
Not grief.
Not longing.
Something else.
She didn't have a name for it yet.
But Ethan Blackwood would.