Chapter 1 - The Weight of a Broken MirrorVanessa turned sharply, her designer heels clicking against the sidewalk, her jaw tightening in that familiar way Ethan had started to dread.
“So? Ethan, it’s a hundred and twenty thousand dollars. For you, that’s rounding error on a Tuesday morning. If you loved me, you wouldn't even have to think about it.”
Ethan had stopped walking.
He didn't think about the money. He thought about the tone.
It was the exact same tone she used when ordering wine, or firing an interior decorator, or complaining about the wait time at a private club. To Vanessa, everything had a price tag, and everyone in her orbit was either an accessory or an ATM.
Three days later, he had hired a private investigator to look into her bank statements. What he found wasn't surprising, but it was damning: Vanessa had made a wager with two of her closest friends that she could lock down the "most eligible bachelor in Charlotte" within six months, boasting that she would have him sign a prenuptial agreement guaranteeing her a multi-million-dollar payout even if the marriage lasted less than a year.
Ethan didn't shout. He didn't make a scene.
He simply cancelled the wedding, changed the locks on his penthouse, and disappeared.
And then, he started the experiment.
May you like
He wanted to know if anyone in the world could look at Ethan Caldwell—stripped of his suits, his watches, his corporate empire, and his last name—and see a human being instead of a walking wallet.
Which brought him right back to the corner of 4th Street, eating a grilled chicken sandwich handed to him by a woman with flour on her sleeve.
