ly

al. Emily. Poor Emily. So trusting, so naive. The phrase echoed, mocking me. The New York I had once loved, the city that promised dreams, now felt cold and indifferent. Three years had pas

t to Blake's ambition, loomed against the night sky, its upper floors still ablaze with light. It used to be a symbol o

late hour. "Did you hear about Carly's new endorsement deal?" one woman chirped, her voice piercing the relative quiet of the late night. "Another award-winning fragran

formula, my stolen legacy. They were celebrating her success, built on my ruin. My blo

he streetlights. She looked more stunning, more confident than I had ever seen her. The woman who had once envied my every step now radiated an aura of unsh

ittle remained of my heart. His gaze swept across the street, and for a split seco

ession hardening into something unreadable. He detached himself from Carly and began wa

formance, a mixture of fake concern and feigned shock. "I

words of accusation lodging in my th

ked with a tall, silver-haired man I recognized as a prominent industry analyst

roducing me as if I were a distant acquaintance. "She used to

My position. My life's work. Stolen, repackaged, a

he threw her arms around me, a theatrical display of affection. Her breath was warm against my ear as she whispered, "Missing your old formulas, darling? They

y formula I had sent from Montana, supposedly to Blake, to help clear my name, had been fee

o acknowledge the truth. He looked away, his jaw tight, a flicker of unease cro

we should go." He turned to me, his voice dismissive. "Emily, it's good to

to scream. "You're l

slightly, her lips twisting into a triumphant, knowin

car, carrying my betrayers, blended into the evening traffic, leaving me desolate and alone. No, not alon

hared with the man I loved. I needed answers. I needed to confront them. Maybe, just maybe, there wa

the one we had chosen together on a whim after a romantic dinner. It was our anniversary. Or what I thought was our anniversary. Er

ny I had felt before, enveloped me. My