That was the lie that offended me almost as much as the affair.

Before I met Damon, I’d spent years relentlessly building my design firm, saving every lucrative commission. When his commercial construction business was on the verge of total bankruptcy in its second year, he’d begged me for help.

I hadn’t just loaned him money; I’d restructured his entire operational model.

“You didn’t build your company without me, Damon,” I said, stepping closer, closing the distance until I could see the sweat beading on his forehead. “When you were going under, I didn’t just write you a check for a hundred and twenty thousand dollars.”

I reached into the pocket of my cardigan and pulled out a single folded sheet — the original incorporation-restructure document Elias Thorne had dug out of our archives.

“I bought equity,” I stated, unfolding the paper and holding it up. “You were so desperate for cash flow to save your ego that you signed over fifty-one percent of Apex Construction to my holding company.