Chapter 2

Moments after the judge signed our divorce decree, Carter retrieved a pristine bespoke tuxedo from his garment bag. Chloe, giggling, pinned a delicate white veil into her hair. They even had a makeup artist booked in advance. The two of them sat under a ring light while she worked on their faces. It was entirely premeditated.

I sat rigidly on a velvet sofa, watching the spectacle.

Five years ago, on the day we got married at City Hall, Carter wore a faded T-shirt, ripped jeans, and flip-flops. When I asked him to at least put on a blazer, he had kissed me and said, “True love doesn't need packaging, Harper. Authenticity is all that matters.”

Now, adjusting his silk tie, he wrapped a tight, possessive arm around Chloe's waist, flashing a brilliant smile for the hired photographer.

Click. A picture-perfect couple.

Shortly after, Carter strolled over to me,waving a freshly signed marriage certificate."See, babe? I won again. We'll get remarried first thing tomorrow, so don't be mad. It's just a souvenir."

A violent wave of morning sickness hit me. The very sight of him drained the last ounce of strength from my legs.

"Take me home," I forced the words past the bile rising in my throat. "I need to pack my things."

I walked out to his Mercedes and opened the passenger door, but before I could step in, Chloe shoved past me.

"If you're going to play, play all the way, Harper," she chirped, sliding into the leather seat. "Since Carter and I are legally married now, the passenger seat belongs to the wife."

With a careless sweep of her hand, she knocked the embroidered pillows and stuffed animals I kept on the seat onto the floor mats. Carter stood by the hood, giving me a helpless, apologetic shrug.

Disgusted, I turned toward the street to hail a cab.

Carter rushed over, grabbed my waist, and practically shoved me into the back seat. "Stop throwing a tantrum. You'll never get a cab around here. Just sit down."

The car ride was suffocating. A cheesy pop song about getting married blasted through the speakers. Chloe hummed along, tugging affectionately at Carter's sleeve whenever the high notes hit.

She belted out the line about marrying him today. Carter sang the next line right on cue, and the two of them looked at each other and dissolved into laughter.

She unscrewed a bottle of Fiji water, took a sip, and brought it to Carter’s lips. He drank from her hand without taking his eyes off the road—the perfect picture of newlyweds.

"Your collar is crooked, Carter," Chloe purred, shifting her entire body to lean over the center console. Her fingertips grazed his Adam's apple.

Carter didn't pull away. Instead, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, his other hand slid over to caress the small of her back. "Stop distracting me while I'm driving," he murmured, his voice dripping with indulgence.

I pressed my forehead against the cold window as another wave of nausea rose in my stomach. I closed my eyes, and my hand instinctively moved to shield my lower abdomen.

Today, this sick joke ends.

When we pushed through the front doors of the Sterling estate, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Sterling, immediately bypassed me. She grabbed Chloe's hand and slipped an heirloom jade bangle onto her wrist.

"Carter told me everything. This is absolutely absurd," she scolded lightly, though her eyes gleamed. "But Chloe, sweetheart, I always knew you two were meant to be. If only things had been different back then..." She caught sight of me from the corner of her eye as I hung up my coat, and turned away. "You two are the perfect match."

Carter stepped between them. "Mom, it's just an April Fools' prank. We're messing around."

Mrs. Sterling patted Chloe's hand. "Well, I certainly wish it would stay this way."

I didn't say a word. I walked straight past them, straight into the master bedroom, and pulled my suitcase from the closet.

I had barely packed two sweaters when Carter pushed the door open.

"Harper, everyone is coming over tonight. Don't ruin the mood," he whispered harshly. "Just stay for dinner. We're celebrating."

I slapped his hand away from my suitcase.

"Tomorrow is the official launch of the final book in your Nightwalkers trilogy," he pressed on. "I invited the entire editorial team. Treat it as a victory dinner."

My hands paused. That trilogy held three years of my blood, sweat, and sleepless nights. If I blew up right now, the PR mess would ruin the launch tomorrow morning.

I zipped the suitcase shut. "Fine. After this dinner."

Carter broke into a grin and went out to the living room to make calls.

I would treat it as my farewell dinner with the team.

Not long after, Chloe leaned against the kitchen doorframe and lifted her chin at me. "Since you're divorced now, Harper, you should at least make yourself useful around here. Carter works himself to the bone running the company, and you sit at home all day. Shouldn't you be the one making dinner?"

Carter sat on the couch sipping tea, not saying a single word to defend me.

More than half of everything Sterling Publishing had ever printed, I had written word by word in this house. And now I was the frumpy housewife who did nothing.

My mother-in-law chimed in. "The housekeeper has the day off. Help out a little, Harper. People will be here any minute."

I didn't want my last dinner with the team to end badly. I rolled up my sleeves and went into the kitchen.

My stomach was still churning, and dull, throbbing cramps had begun to radiate from my lower abdomen. I stood over the stove anyway.

Chloe hovered beside me like the lady of the manor. "Extra ginger on the fish. Carter has hated anything fishy since he was a kid. And don't overcook the greens."

A few editors started to arrive. Liam Brooks, my editor, couldn't stand watching me sweat over the boiling pots. He came into the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves to help wash the vegetables.

Chloe shoved him back sharply. "Excuse me? Do you not know basic manners? Acting like you run the place while visiting my husband's house? You're completely disrespecting me as the hostess."

Red-faced and humiliated, Liam retreated to the living room.

I set down the last dish, a plate of glazed ribs. Six dishes and a soup filled the table. I had just untied my apron when the doorbell rang. Delivery drivers hauled in massive insulated boxes—lobster, king crab, sea cucumber, and abalone.

"I figured Harper's little home-cooked meals wouldn't be enough for everyone," Chloe announced loudly, directing the drivers as they unpacked the elegant containers. "So I took the liberty of ordering a real feast on my husband's black card."

Seeing there was no room on the table, Chloe grabbed the plate of sweet-and-sour ribs I had just made and carelessly dumped it, sauce and all, into the trash can to make room for her seafood.

Carter casually handed her a napkin. "You're always so thoughtful, Chloe."

My vision tunneled with pure rage. I was about to step forward when a hand yanked my sleeve.

It was Liam. He slid his phone silently toward me, his voice barely a whisper. "Harper, you need to see this."

It was the launch poster the press had sent him for approval. In the author line, right in front of "Harper Sterling," another name was plastered in massive, bold font:

CHLOE VANS.

I snatched the phone and shoved it right in front of Carter.

"Why?" I demanded, staring dead into his eyes.

Carter barely flinched. He walked over with a charming, practiced smile. "Oh, right. That's on me, I forgot to mention it. I want you to share the author credit with her. I already promised Chloe." He lowered his voice, acting like I was being unreasonable. "You love me, Harper. You wouldn't mind doing me this tiny favor, right?"

"That is three years of my life. My creation. Why should she get half the credit?"

"It's not just your effort!" Carter's voice spiked, though he kept his tone patronizingly even. "It's the team's effort! Chloe is the beautiful new author our company is going to build up. I've poured millions into her image, but she needs a credible stepping stone. She needs a massive hit to launch her career."

"So you're cannibalizing my masterpiece to use as her stepping stone?"

Carter scowled, his patience evaporating. "Harper, don't be so ungrateful. Which of your earlier books didn't I pay to turn into a hit? Without me, you'd be a nobody writing in a basement. I'm asking you to use one book to give a newcomer a boost. What's the big deal?"

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us until he had to look me in the eye. "I hold the sole copyright to those manuscripts. You have absolutely zero legal right to attach her name to my work."

Chloe immediately swooped in and slipped her arm through Carter's. "Carter, the food is getting cold. Everyone's waiting to eat."

Carter patted her hand to soothe her, then glanced at me. "Let's eat first. We will discuss this tomorrow."

I didn't spare the table a second glance. I grabbed my car keys and stormed out the door.