Chapter 1 .
Chapter 1 To force me into breaking off our engagement , my fiancé orchestrated my fathers companys downfall , driving it to bankruptcy and leaving him drowning in millions of dollars of debt .
The shock made my father collapsed from a heart attack and was rushed into emergency care .
Desperate and out of options , I knelt before my fiancé , tears streaming down my face , begging him to help cover my fathers surgery costs .
But he only looked down at me with cold indifference .
Then , just as all hope seemed lost , Atlas Whitmore , my childhood best friend , returned from abroad .
Without hesitation , Atlas pulled every string necessary to get my father the best medical care .
He stayed with me through endless nights , never leaving my side , offering quiet reassurances when my .
world was crumbling .
But a week later , my father suffered another sudden attack .
As his life slipped away , Atlas knelt by his bedside , his voice trembling with emotion as he made a solemn vow he would marry me and take care of me for the rest of his life , so my father could leave this world without worry.
After the funeral , hollow and broken , I finally severed all ties with my fiancé .
Instead , I chose Atlas .
For five years , I thought I had found peace , that I had been saved from my grief .
Until one night , I stumbled upon a conversation that shattered everything .
You really outplayed me on this one .
Got Celeste to walk away willingly , like the clingy fool she is .
But tell me what do you think shed do if she found out it was you who destoryed her father ? Will shed want to kill you ? My fingers hesitated on the polished brass handle of the private lounge door .
Inside , laughter rang out , low and mocking .
You really had her fooled , my ex fiancé , Nathaniel , drawled , amusement dripping from his voice .
Celeste trusted you like a brother , loved you unconditionally .
I bet it never even crossed her mind that the man who destroyed her father was you.
17:59 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love ༢1.༡༠ % Chapter 1 .
My breath caught in my throat .
A second voice , hoarse with alcohol and anger , responded .
It was Atlas .
I took the blame for you because of Ivy , he bit out , his words laced with something bitter .
I never cared for Celeste even though , but Im not a monster .
Id never go as far as pushing her father to his death .
A sharp clink echoed as glass met wood , the sound edged with suppressed fury .
Then came Atlass voice again , low and seething .
I owe her .
Ill spend the rest of my life making it up to her .
The only reason I helped you back then was for Ivys sake .
But if you ever hurt her , if you ever so much as make her cry , I swear to God , Ill end you .
Nathaniel laughed , a slow , taunting sound .
Such devotion , he mused .
But its too bad she met me first .
You should focus on protecting your dear Celeste … after all , you killed her father .
Be careful , Atlas .
The dead have a way of coming back to haunt you .
* Crash .
* The unmistakable sound of glass shattering against the door jolted me back to my senses .
I turned on my heel and walked away , my heart pounding like a war drum .
Downstairs , the bar was dimly lit , the air thick with the scent of liquor and smoke .
My hands trembled as I reached for a glass , lifting it to my lips .
The moment the alcohol burned down my throat , tears welled in my eyes .
I never drank .
But tonight , I needed something anything to drown out the words replaying in my mind .
It wasnt Nathaniel who ruined my father .
It was Atlas the man I had spent five years sharing a bed with , waking up next to , trusting with the fragile remains of my heart .
And one week after my fathers first attack , he must have said something , done something , to trigger the second .
No wonder my fathers eyes had been locked onto him in those final moments .
The look I had thought was gratitude relief that I would be taken care of wasnt that at all .
It was rage .
17:59 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 31.5 % 1 .
Chapter 1 .
And I had been too blind , too trusting , to see it .
The love , the warmth , the marriage I thought was my salvation … It had never been love at all .
It was guilt .
A hollow , meaningless compensation .
A sharp laugh tore from my throat , but it sounded foreign to my own ears .
The taste of alcohol turned to ashes on my tongue , my stomach churning with something ugly and consuming .
I was still staring blankly at my empty glass when warm arms wrapped around me from behind .
Atlas .
His embrace was firm but uncharacteristically hesitant , as if sensing the shift in me .
His breath , tinged with whiskey , fanned against my neck as he murmured , voice thick with intoxication .
Celeste … youve been gone too long .
I missed you .
His lips ghosted over my hair , his arms tightening around my waist .
Lets go home , love .
I need you .
I love you .
So much … always … For five years , I had believed these words .
Atlas was never an expressive man , but every time he was drunk , he would whisper these confessions into my skin .
His friends always said a drunk mans words were his truest thoughts .
And I had believed him .
But now ? Now , all I could feel was how utterly ridiculous it all was .
My face betrayed nothing as I gently pried his arms away and helped him into the car .
He slumped against me , his head resting on my lap , his breathing slow and even .
His brows , always slightly furrowed , finally eased in sleep , as if he had found some fleeting peace .
Then , just as I reached to adjust his coat , his lips parted , and a name fell from them .
Ivy … Ivy … why didnt you choose me ? Ivy Monroe .
The woman who had stolen my fiancé .
The woman who had been Atlass first love .
31.8 % Chapter 2 .
Chapter 2
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