In the third year of our relationship, Liam cheated. I watched the whole thing, calmly, on a video sent from his "best friend." Everyone thought I loved him. They thought that even after his betrayal, I’d be too weak to leave. They don't know that I'm not holding on to him. I'm using him as bait. I'm holding on to attract the attention of his older brother, Marcus. Marcus Walker has a habit of taking everything Liam owns. Especially the women Liam loves. 1 Liam Walker is wild. He burns through girlfriends, with his previous record being one month. With me, he lasted three years. His friends all said they’d never seen him so committed. In his orbit, only two women ever stick around. Me. And his "female bro," Chloe. Liam has a short attention span and a wide social circle. I hate networking. My presence at his parties was always a wet blanket. So, he started taking Chloe everywhere. "She knows how to have fun," he’d say. The subtext was clear. Chloe has been Liam's shadow since boarding school. He swears he "sees her as a brother." She’s loud, she can party, and she never lets the energy die. Because she knows how to "have fun," they eventually had "fun" in his bed. 2 I’m two years older than Liam. I was his T.A. in a graduate-level seminar he was only taking for an "easy A." He fell for me instantly and launched a full-scale campaign. He was a classic golden-boy heir: relentless, charming, and full of a manic energy I mistook for passion. Eventually, I fell for him. We had a routine: study sessions, dinners, movies, planning a future. Then, Chloe reappeared. She’d dropped out of college and crashed in New York, landing right in Liam's guest room. Our library dates turned into his "I'll be right back," which turned into a no-show. I knew he was a playboy taming himself for me. Chloe was the one who untied his leash. My love for him evaporated the moment she "accidentally" sent me that video two weeks ago. A 10-second clip of them in bed. His face, her face. Unmistakable. She recalled it instantly. "OMG, wrong chat!!!" she texted. I pretended I never saw it. From that day on, I buried my disgust and became the perfect, understanding girlfriend. I let Chloe’s petty provocations slide off me. Liam wanted a sweet, supportive, low-drama partner? I could play that. As long as I didn't break up with him, I was his official, family-approved girlfriend. That meant access to his world. Access to the resources I needed. Chloe could be the dirty little secret he kept in his guest room. On New Year's Eve, Liam went out. Chloe was with him. She spent the night "accidentally" sending me blurry, intimate photos from the party. A total clown show. Around midnight, I put on my "devoted girlfriend" mask and texted Liam. "Hey, is the party winding down? I can come pick you up." It took him half an hour to respond. "Sorry babe, they keep pouring me drinks. Just saw this. We're wrapping up." He sent a location pin and Venmo'd me $100. "Get a car. It's freezing out." I took the money. "Okay." I got to the club. They weren't out. It was 5°F. It really was freezing. I paid an Uber driver $40 to let me just sit in his car at the curb. After thirty minutes, I saw Liam’s friends stumbling out. Show time. I paid the driver, got out, and made a show of rubbing my hands together and shivering. Chloe came out first. She saw me, her eyes widened, and she immediately looked away, pretending not to notice. She waited for Liam, then grabbed his arm, standing on her toes to whisper something in his ear. Whatever she said made him laugh. He playfully pinched her nose. They looked every bit the couple. "Liam," I called out. He turned, saw me, and instantly ripped his arm away from Chloe. He ran over. Chloe was left standing alone, her fists clenched. 3 "Ava! How long have you been here? Why didn't you go inside?" "Oh, not long," I lied. "Maybe forty minutes?" "You've been standing here?" He looked horrified. "Mhm. It's not that cold." I let out a perfectly timed sneeze. He immediately unzipped his massive puffer jacket and wrapped me inside it, pulling me against his chest. "You should have texted me! Why would you wait out here?" "I didn't want to bother you," I murmured into his chest. "You were having fun with your friends. You deserved a night off." He looked at me, his eyes shining with guilt. "Ava, you're too good to me." Just then, Chloe walked over, grabbing Liam's other arm. "Well, damn, Walker," she said, her voice intentionally loud. "Who's this? You've got women lining up to drive you home?" "What are you talking about? This is Ava," Liam said, annoyed. "Oh, Ava! Sorry! I thought you were another one of Liam's side-pieces." She playfully bumped his shoulder. Liam shoved her. "Shut up, Chloe." I took off my mask. "It's okay." My lack of reaction clearly pissed her off. She tried again. "Hey, Liam," she said, "don't forget our bet. You won this round, but I will be kissing you back." I couldn't let that slide. It would be out of character. "Kissing him back? What does that mean?" I looked at Liam. He panicked. "Chloe, what the hell are you saying? It was just a game!" "Relax," Chloe said, turning to me. "You're so understanding, Ava. I'm sure you won't get the wrong idea." "So, what does it mean?" I pressed. Chloe got evasive. "God, it was nothing. Liam and I are just... bros. You know?" Liam was furious. "Chloe, stop talking! There's nothing to talk about!" She ignored him, grabbing my arm. "Ava, we've been best friends forever. You know our vibe. Don't be so paranoid." My face went cold. "I'm not being paranoid, Chloe. If it's nothing, just say what it was. Being this secretive just makes it look like you're hiding something." She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you girls are all the same. So uptight." "Are you not a girl, Chloe?" She scoffed. "Not like you." She hooked her arm through Liam's again. "I'm one of his bros." Liam didn't respond to her. He grabbed my shoulders, desperate. "Ava, I swear to God, we're just friends. I don't even see her as a woman." "I believe you," I said, cutting him off. I took his hand. "You and Chloe have known each other forever. If something was going to happen, it would have happened by now, right, Liam?" His eyes darted away for a millisecond. "Right. Nothing." I held his gaze. "And you wouldn't lie to me. Would you?" His eyes were wet with guilt. He swore he'd never lie. He swore on his life. Good. I hope he loses it. 4 I'd never cared about Liam's family, just that he was rich. After the video, I ran a full background check. Liam was the baby, the "golden child." He had two older sisters, both married off. And one older brother. Marcus. The illegitimate one. Marcus was the family pariah, treated like dirt, until the patriarch, Charles Walker, had a stroke five years ago. Marcus seized control of Walker Industries in a brutal, overnight coup. He is the real power. He spends a fortune cleaning up Liam's messes and indulging his every whim, keeping him a spoiled, useless brat. It looks like love. But I know it's a long-con. I can't be tied to a useless puppet. The Walker name, the Walker resources... that is my ladder. And Liam is the first rung. I just need a way to get to Marcus. Liam was a perfect, guilty boyfriend for weeks. He even sat in the library with me, bored out of his mind. Chloe's texts and calls made his phone vibrate off the table. He looked at me, sheepishly. "I'll turn it off." As if he didn't want me to see how "in-demand" he was. I played the part. "Oh, don't. It might be an emergency. You should take it." When he stepped out, Chloe texted me. "Hey, Ava. K-BBQ tonight? My treat." I didn't reply. When Liam came back, I asked, "Are you free tonight? I'm craving K-BBQ." He flinched. "Ah, shit. I have a team dinner. I can't." I knew it. Chloe was setting a trap. And I was walking right into it. This was my chance. 5 I got to the restaurant. Chloe greeted me, all smiles, and led me to a private room. Then she led Liam's friends to the room next to mine. "Ava, you know how these guys get," she said sweetly. "They're animals. I'll just put you here where it's quiet. You'll be more comfortable." The rooms were separated by a paper-thin divider. I could hear every word. "I believe you," I said, sitting down. As she turned to leave, she pulled down the collar of her sweater, flashing a necklace. A very specific, custom-designed diamond solitaire. Liam had given me an identical one. "Oh, this?" she said, "Liam's so bad at gifts. He asked me to pick something out for you, and I loved it so much, he just bought me one too. You don't mind, right? We're bros." "Why would I mind?" I said, not even looking up from the menu. "It's his money. He can buy as many as he wants." Her face tightened. "Right. I guess some women will put up with anything for a blank check." "Exactly," I said, finally looking at her. "And you're different. You're his bro. He doesn't even see you as a woman. You're the one person I never have to worry about." Her smile was a strained, ugly grimace.
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