Chapter 9

Sylvia's POV I purged every last trace of Zane from my life. The bedroom was a battlefield of discarded memories—cheap perfume bottles, novelty mugs from gas stations, and painfully generic jewelry boxes. Three years' worth of performative affection dumped onto the floor like clearance bin leftovers. My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen—and blinked. A new bank notification. $500,000. Deposited. Into my account. From Caesar. "Throw all that garbage away," Caesar said, his voice rolling in like distant thunder. I looked up. He was standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets, gaze sweeping over the clutter like it offended him on a molecular level. That cool detachment in his eyes only made the heat crawling up my spine more confusing. "Don't worry," I said with a smirk, nudging a cracked snow globe with my foot. "Trash goes where it belongs." I raised my hand, letting the diamond on my finger catch the light—brilliant, flawless, and undeniably real. "Besides," I added, arching a br