13 Menu Seven months into my New Zealand life , a call came fr a friend back home .
Id built a comfortable life with the money from Liams shares .
I bought a building in Manhattan my private quarters on the upper floors , a flower shop on the ground floor , and a boutique on the second .
My days were spent tending my balcony garden , sipping coffee , and reading the news .
I took a sip of coffee , grimacing .
Even after all ..
? bitterness was hard to swallow .
I set down the cup and answered the phone .
My friends call was mostly about Liam and Chloe .
After Liam discovered my departure and the revelation of his affair , things had imploded .
Chloe had a miscarriage , and Liam was beaten up by my uncle and aunt .
The Sterling family tried to cover it up , but the story spread like wildfire .
The scandal was enormous .
Liam was stripped of his CEO title by the reclusive patriarch , Sterling Sr.
, and his assets were seized .
The family discovered that hed transferred all his shares to me , which Id sold to their competitors .
The Sterling family had to repurchase the shares at a hugely inflated price , suffering billions in losses and a significant blow to their reputation .
Liam would have been disowned if not for his mothers pleas .
She gave him a portion of her shares .
Liam , now idle and broken , drank heavily , clutchin photos and murmuring my name .
Chloe , ostracized by her family and fired from her magazine job , had nowhere to turn but Liam .
He was uninterested , and the Sterling family wouldnt accept her .
Desperate , she climbed onto a hospital rooftop , demanding money .
The Sterling family refused , so Liam paid her off .
She tried to drug him again , but this time he was alert and sent her to prison .
I felt nothing .
Liam and Chloe were strangers to me now .

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After a brief conversation , I hung up , stretched , and went to my room .
eyes .
But my own experiences The next day , I went to the opera with some new friends .
The tragic love story brought tears to the audiences had made me immune to such melodrama .
The lovers in the opera , despite war and family feuds , found each other in their old age .
My own happily ever after had ended in betrayal .
My trust in love was shattered .
Later , at a restaurant , a handsome man asked me out .
I reacted with the cold detachment of a robot .
Despite his charming advances , I refused .
He persisted , wanting to know why .
I paused , then smiled faintly .
I dont want a relationship , and Ill never marry again .
He left , dejected .
My friends , raised in New Zealand with more open minded views on relationships , were surprised .
Serenity , youre so heartless ! You turned down such a great guy ! They believed in trying things out and breaking up if it didnt work .
My eyes remained calm , but a small smile played on my lips .
Its not heartlessness , its a lack of interest .
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