CHAPTER 1

CATHERINE’S POV

At ten years old, my world fell apart. My parents’ divorce wasn’t just the end of their marriage—it was the first crack in a fragile life I had barely started to understand. The court decided I would live with my mother. I had no say in the matter. From that day on, we became strangers to stability. We moved constantly, fleeing from one place to the next, always living out of suitcases, never finding a home to truly call our own.

Some nights, we went to bed hungry. The cold of the apartment didn’t help, and my stomach would growl, but it wasn’t the hunger that hurt the most. It was the helplessness that clung to me like a second skin. No matter how hard my mother tried to keep us afloat, the weight of our circumstances always seemed to pull us under. I watched her struggle, unable to help, feeling useless, like a bystander in my own life.

At sixteen, my mother remarried. Uncle William. He wasn’t perfect—he had his flaws, but to me, he represented the first real chance at stability in years. We moved to a small town far from the city, a place where the air felt cleaner, the pace slower. I thought it would be different. I thought maybe this time, we could build something real.

But even in this quiet town, the past wouldn’t let me go. It was like a shadow I couldn’t outrun, always lurking just behind me. And then, I met him.

Liam Claude. He was nothing like anyone I had ever known. He was older, charismatic, full of ambition. The way he spoke, the fire in his eyes—it captivated me. He had this dream, a dream to be a famous singer, and for the first time in my life, I felt like maybe there was something bigger waiting for me. Something beyond the small, forgotten town we now called home.

He told me his dream. I believed in it—believed in us. I was going to help him make it real. And, foolishly, I believed that in helping him, I could finally make something of my own life. I told my mother I was leaving.

“I’m going to help Liam,” I told her. “I’m going to make his dream come true, and in return, I’ll have mine. We’ll build a life together.”

It sounded so simple. So hopeful. I packed up my things and left, determined to support him in every way. I became his manager, his right-hand. I did everything—tried to make him a star. I pushed aside my own dreams, my own ambitions, focusing only on his.

For ten years, I gave him everything—my love, my loyalty, my soul. I believed it was enough. I thought we were partners in every sense of the word. He was my dream, and I was his.

But I was wrong.

Liam Claude betrayed me. It wasn’t sudden, but it wasn’t slow either. It happened in bits and pieces, each one cutting deeper than the last. He cheated. With her. Annie. The woman I had brushed off as nothing, a passing acquaintance. She was nothing to me. Just a model. Just a neighbor. But to him, she was something else. Someone he’d kept in his heart all along.

I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t expect that the man I loved, the man I had given everything for, would throw it all away for someone like her.

And then, it happened. Right in front of me.

The crowd was deafening, their cheers rising up like a wave, filling the air with excitement. Liam was perfect, standing on stage under the bright lights, his voice carrying through the stadium. The band played, and the fans screamed, their adoration hanging in the air like an electric current.

But in that moment, everything else faded. All I could see was Liam—his eyes, the way he looked at Annie.

She stepped onto the stage, a vision in white, and he reached for her without hesitation. Their lips met, and the crowd went wild, completely oblivious to the storm that was raging inside of me. The cameras flashed, capturing every moment of their kiss. It wasn’t part of the show. It wasn’t staged. This was real.

And it was happening right in front of me.

I stood frozen, my body stiff, my heart pounding in my chest. The world blurred around me as I watched them—Liam, my Liam—kissing her. The man I had helped build, the man I had sacrificed everything for, was kissing another woman.

It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out. I wanted to scream, to fight, but my voice was gone. My body didn’t obey. All I could do was stand there and watch as my world unraveled.

I stumbled backstage, tears blurring my vision. My chest tightened with every breath, and the ache in my heart felt like it was going to swallow me whole.

And then, I saw him.

Liam stood in the doorway, guilt written all over his face. He stepped toward me, his mouth opening but no words coming out at first. He wasn’t sure where to begin.

“Catherine,” he said softly, his voice strained.

I couldn’t look at him. “You kissed her,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips. “That wasn’t part of the show, was it?”

Liam looked down, unable to meet my eyes. “No,” he admitted quietly. “But you know how it is. I still love you. You’re still the one in my heart. But Annie… she’s part of the image. Part of the show.”

I shook my head, feeling the anger surge through me. “Claude, I’m not blind. I’ve given up my dreams for you. I’ve spent years helping you, but this? This is beyond anything I can ignore. What do I get in return for all that I’ve sacrificed?”

I felt my hands trembling as I reached into my bag, pulling out the photos. I didn’t even look at him as I threw them in front of him.

“When did it start, Liam?” I asked coldly. “How long have you been seeing her?”

Liam grabbed the photos, tearing them apart in desperation. “Catherine, how did you find out?”

“I’ve known for a while,” I said, my voice icy. “I knew from the beginning. But I loved you so much, I ignored the signs.”

And just like that, the man I had spent my life building dreams with became a stranger. A liar.

I collapsed to the floor, my chest tight with pain. Was it my fault? Had I not been enough? How had I let myself believe in him for so long, only to be left with nothing?

A few moments later, Liam returned, holding a bank card in his hand. His face was pale, his eyes dull.

“Take whatever you need,” he said flatly.

I looked up at him, my heart still breaking. Without thinking, I slapped him across the face. “You think money can fix this?” I yelled, my voice shaking with fury. “Will it buy back the years I gave you? The sacrifices I made for you?”

Liam stared at me, stunned.

“I’ve supported you for so long,” I spat. “But no more. You’ve forgotten everything. Your success today, all of it, is because of me. Without me, you wouldn’t even be a star.”

I turned away from him, no longer caring about the life we had built. The love that once seemed eternal was now just a bitter memory.

***