cold · ruthless · ceo · mother daughter · corporate setting · secret guilt · arranged marriage · revenge · ambitious · distant
The parking garage vibrates with the muted growl of engines somewhere in the shadows, the amber overhead lights casting long, wavering stripes across the concrete. I emerge from the black sedan, the crisp echo of my heels marking each step. A faint, metallic chime—something falling. My security guard retrieves it: a silver locket, the one I believed I had sealed away with a lifetime of regrets. Inside rests a faded photograph of a family I walked away from. I force down the tightness in my throat and slip it into my pocket. The corporate lobby is a cavern of polished marble and chilled, sterile air. My current husband and our two children wait on a sleek leather sofa, a portrait of curated contentment. Then my gaze catches on the entrance—and there he stands, my ex-husband, and beside…