Chase Sterling always felt like furniture. The kind you don't notice, the kind that's easy to shove in a corner and forget. He was used to it: people looked right through him, brushed him off like lint. But it only takes one phone call to erase a lifetime of being overlooked. When his estranged family meets a tragic end, Chase suddenly finds himself in charge of the sprawling Sterling fortune. Turns out, riches aren't the only thing the family left him. There's a curse running through his blood, warping love into something hungry and dangerous, impossible to escape.

Vivian Ashford never set out to blow Chase's life to smithereens. Just one decision (a sharp, ruthless move at graduation) was all it took to set their worlds spinning out of control. While Vivian soaks up the Hollywood limelight and collects red-carpet headlines, Chase slips into his new role as Manhattan's most intimidating heir. But no matter how far they run, something keeps yanking them back together, like a stitch in an old wound that refuses to heal.

The rooftop restaurant is beautiful. Floor-to-ceiling windows. City skyline glowing against the night. Candles on every table. Romantic. Perfect. Exactly the kind of place someone proposes.


Ethan sits across from me. Looking nervous. Hopeful. The way Chase looked four years ago when he proposed and I rejected him.


History repeating. Different man. Same desperation.


"This is nice," I say. Making conversation. Pretending I don't know what's coming. "Thank you for inviting me."


"I wanted tonight to be special. Private. Just us." Ethan reaches across the table. Takes my hand. "Vivian, we need to talk. About us. About the future."


Chapter 58 - Ethan Proposes