I arrived early at Bellucci's, an upscale Italian restaurant where I was supposed to meet Ryan for lunch. The maître d' led me to a window table with a view of the city skyline. I ordered sparkling water and checked my watch—Ryan was already fifteen minutes late.

My phone buzzed with a text: "Running behind. Start without me. Be there in 20. - R"


I sighed, setting my phone down. This was becoming a pattern. I unfolded my napkin and tried to ignore the hollow feeling in my stomach.

"Excuse me, are you Isabella?"

I looked up to find a striking woman standing beside my table. She was elegantly dressed in a tailored Chanel suit, blonde hair swept into a perfect chignon, diamond studs glittering at her ears.


"Yes, I am," I replied, confused. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The woman smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm Victoria. Victoria Sinclair." She paused, clearly expecting recognition. When I showed none, she added, "Ryan's childhood friend."


"Oh!" I brightened. "Please, join me. Ryan's running late, but he should be here soon."

Victoria slid gracefully into the chair opposite me. "So you're the woman who finally got Ryan to settle down. I've been dying to meet you."

There was something in her tone that made me uneasy. "Ryan's mentioned you a few times. You grew up together, right?"

"We did more than grow up together," Victoria said, signaling for wine. "Our families have been friends for generations. Everyone always assumed we'd end up together."

I shifted uncomfortably. "He never mentioned that."

"No?" Victoria raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "I suppose there are many things Ryan doesn't tell you."

The waiter brought Victoria's wine. She took a deliberate sip, her eyes never leaving my face.

"Ryan and I have no secrets," I said, trying to sound confident.

Victoria laughed, a tinkling sound like breaking glass. "Oh, darling. Everyone has secrets. Especially Ryan."

I felt my defenses rising. "I'm not sure what you're implying—"

"I'm not implying anything," Victoria interrupted smoothly. "I'm simply surprised that Ryan married someone so... different from his usual type."

"His type?"

"Well, yes. Ryan has always moved in certain circles. His family, education, career—all very... selective." Victoria's gaze swept over me, assessing my simple dress and minimal jewelry. "I was surprised when he married someone from such a different background."

I felt my cheeks flush. "I don't see why that matters."

"It doesn't, of course," Victoria said with false sweetness. "Love conquers all, doesn't it? Though I wonder if it was really love that made him propose so quickly after I announced my engagement to Charles."

My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

Victoria leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Ryan didn't tell you? We were practically engaged ourselves. Everyone expected it. Then I fell in love with Charles and broke things off with Ryan. A month later, he met you, and two months after that—" she snapped her fingers "—married."

I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my mind was racing. Ryan had told me he'd been single for over a year before we met.

"That's not how Ryan described your relationship," I said carefully.

"No? Let me guess—he told you we were just childhood friends? That he always thought of me as a sister?" Victoria's smile was predatory now. "Men like Ryan are so predictable when caught in a lie."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a slim gold bracelet, sliding it across the table. "He gave me this last week. Said it reminded him of the one he gave me for my sixteenth birthday." She tilted her head. "Has he ever bought you jewelry that expensive? Or does he save the best gifts for me?"

I stared at the bracelet, my throat tight. It was from Cartier's latest collection—I'd admired it in a magazine just last month, hinting to Ryan how much I loved it. He'd said it was overpriced.

"I don't believe you," I said, but my voice lacked conviction.

"You don't have to," Victoria replied, gathering her purse. "But you should know that Charles and I divorced three months ago. And Ryan has been very... attentive since then." She stood up, smoothing her skirt. "Oh, and you might want to ask him about his 'business trip' to the Hamptons last weekend. Funny coincidence—I was there too."

With that, Victoria glided away, leaving me frozen in my seat, the expensive bracelet gleaming accusingly on the white tablecloth.

Just as Victoria disappeared, my phone rang. It was my brother, Michael.

"Izzy, how are you?" His warm voice contrasted with the cold feeling spreading through my chest.

"I'm fine," I lied, eyes still fixed on the bracelet.

"You don't sound fine. Is everything okay?"

I hesitated. "Just... having a rough day."

"Dad's been asking about you," Michael said. "He's not doing well, Iz. The doctors say his heart condition is worsening."

Guilt washed over me. "I'm sorry. I should visit more often."

"You know he wouldn't ask you to come back. He respects your decision to make it on your own." Michael paused. "But the board is getting nervous without a clear succession plan. The Hamilton Group needs a Sinclair at the helm, and you're the one Dad's always wanted."

I closed my eyes. The Hamilton Group—my family's multi-billion-dollar corporation, the empire I'd walked away from three years ago to prove I could succeed without my family name or money.

"I can't just abandon the life I've built here," I said quietly.

"The life where you pretend to be a middle-class graphic designer married to a mid-level executive?" Michael's voice was gentle but pointed. "Izzy, you're the heiress to one of the largest private companies in the country. How long are you going to keep playing this game?"

"It's not a game to me, Michael."

"Does Ryan even know who you really are? That his 'ordinary' wife is actually Isabella Sinclair-Hamilton?"

I didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"I thought so," Michael sighed. "Look, I'm not judging you. But Dad's asking for you, and the board seat is still yours whenever you want it. Just... think about coming home, okay?"

After promising to consider it, I hung up, my mind reeling. I looked up to see Ryan finally entering the restaurant, his face lighting up when he spotted me. For a moment, I almost forgot my troubles—he was so handsome, so charming when he smiled like that.

Then my eyes fell on the bracelet Victoria had left behind, and the doubt came rushing back. As Ryan approached, I slipped the bracelet into my purse. I needed time to think, to figure out what was real and what wasn't in the carefully constructed life I'd built.

Because if there was one thing I understood, it was the power of secrets—and the destruction they could cause when finally revealed.