No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules

I stood at the Northwood University Alumni Gala, a successful architect, a wife, and a mother, years after I' d left everything behind.

Then, my ex, Ethan Hayes, stepped onto the stage, and the whole room hushed.

He finished his speech and, to my horror, dropped to one knee before me, publicly proposing marriage with the words, "Phoenix Rising."

Phoenix Rising.

The name ignited a searing pain, a brand from a past I' d buried years ago.

I remembered my senior year, my award-winning design stolen by Olivia Monroe, and Ethan, my then-boyfriend, standing by her side, calmly confirming her…