A Liar's Vow of Eternity

My name is Sloane Adler, and I am the sole heiress to the Blackwood Group.

My arranged engagement to Steward, the heir of the Sterling Group, was supposed to make us partners in business and in life.

However, he kept postponing our wedding, always using the excuse that our companies' merger had to be finalized first.

I thought he was just being cautious. Then I overheard him proposing to another woman, telling her she was the one he truly loved.

He even scoffed at our engagement, calling it nothing more than a necessary business tool.

I finally understood. He never intended to marry me. He wanted the freedom to cheat without the legal or reputational fallout of a divorce.

He refused to make me his wife, yet he expected me to play the part of a devoted fiancée.

With no legal ties, no papers signed, he still trapped me in a meticulously woven web of lies.

So I decided to disappear. On the night of our engagement party, three days from now, when the world would be waiting for us to announce our wedding date.

I would show him that not everyone was a stepping stone for his empire.

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1

All of New York City expected my birthday party to be the prelude to my engagement to Steward, heir of the Sterling Group.

Under the spotlights, he fastened a multi-million-dollar diamond necklace around my neck—a symbol of our families' alliance, a promise of our future.

The guests erupted in thunderous applause, offering blessings as if they could already see the future chairman and his wife poised to take over the Sterling Group's empire.

Only I knew the necklace felt cold against my skin, and it wasn't just the diamonds.

After all, whatever spark we’d once had was long dead.

And not once had he ever discussed an actual wedding date.

"Sloane."

He held my hand, his voice carrying through the hall. "Sloane, once the merger is complete, we'll have the wedding of the century. All of Manhattan will witness our union."

Just then, his chief special assistant, Grant, approached and murmured something in a code only the two of them understood.

"Ava's been waiting for a while. She's getting impatient."

Steward handed me a glass of champagne, feigning adoration, but a flicker of impatience betrayed him.

He murmured back to Grant, "She always knows how to help me relax. Just be discreet. Sloane can't find out."

They were so sure they wouldn't be caught, but they had no idea I could hear every word through the listening device in my study.

Ava.

Relax.

The word was a needle of ice, piercing the warm bubble of illusion he had so carefully constructed around me.

So that was it. His constant delays, his empty promises—it was all to appease another woman.

My fingers tightened around the stem of the glass. I didn't feel the sting of betrayal, only an icy rage that flooded my veins.

We had no legal ties. He was free to do as he pleased.

Just then, Steward drew closer, his concerned gaze on me as he whispered in my ear, "What's wrong? Is the party too loud?"

"No." I set down my glass, pulling away from his touch. "It’s a little stuffy. I'd like to get some fresh air."

Even as I turned to leave, I could hear other business tycoons nodding in approval.

"Sloane is perfect—she already has the poise of the future Mrs. Sterling."

"Steward never leaves her side. Look how much he dotes on her."

Doting on me? He could hardly pretend to care. I had to bite back a bitter laugh.

I ignored them and strode into the garden, letting the cool night air soothe my fury.