My Fiancé Replaced Me, His Alpha Rival Chose Me

Thirty minutes later, the front door banged open.

Noah stood in the hallway, chest heaving. His tie hung loose. His shirt collar was undone at the top.

"Isa." He dropped to his knees in front of the couch. "Isa, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I didn't answer. I just looked at him.

"I didn't leave you here alone on purpose." His eyes were red at the rims. "Every time I walked into this house, I saw you on that floor. All that blood. I'd stand in the kitchen and hear the frame coming down."

"So you left."

"I moved into an apartment near the office." He pressed his palms against his eyes. "I wasn't strong enough, Isa. Five years, and I was never strong enough."

The anger in my chest wobbled. Then it cracked down the middle.

This was Noah. The boy who cried at the end of *Toy Story 3* and swore it was allergies.

"You should've told me," I said quietly.

"I know." He reached up and pulled me into his arms. "Tomorrow I'll take you back to Harrington Capital. We'll find our way back."

It was the first real hug since I'd woken up. I closed my eyes and leaned into him.

Then I breathed in.

Vanilla. And something floral.

Ava's perfume, sweet and warm, was soaked right into his collar.

I didn't pull away. I didn't say anything at all.

---

The next morning, Noah parked in front of a forty-story glass tower downtown.

HARRINGTON CAPITAL, the steel letters read. Twelve feet tall.

I stood on the sidewalk and tipped my head back.

"You remember?" Noah slid his hand into mine. "The night the power went out in our old apartment?"

"We fixed the business plan with phone flashlights." My throat went tight. "You burned your thumb on the candle."

"And I said one day we'd have our names on a building." He grinned. "Well. Here it is."

Inside, people stopped walking when they saw him.

"Morning, Mr. Harrington."

"Good morning, sir."

"Mr. Harrington, the Fenwick file is on your desk."

Noah nodded at each of them. Nobody glanced at me.

At the front desk, a young receptionist slid a clipboard across the counter.

"Visitor? Please sign in with your ID and the purpose of your visit."

I blinked. "I'm Isabella Reed. I'm a co-founder."

She gave me a polite, blank smile. "I'll still need your ID, ma'am."

"She's with me, Jenna," Noah said, and the clipboard disappeared.

My face burned all the way up to the top floor.

---

"I saved this one for you," Noah said, steering me down a long hallway. "When we moved in, I told everyone this office was off limits. Corner unit. Best view in the building."

He pushed the door open.

Two men in work gloves were carrying in a box. A pink velvet chair sat by the window.

A woman with a sleek blonde bob and a tablet looked up and froze.

"Noah?" She stared at him. "You told Ava she could move in here last week."

Behind her, Ava stood clutching a stack of folders to her chest. Her eyes filled up fast.

"Noah…" Her voice wobbled. "Did you change your mind?"

His jaw went hard.

"Kelly, this office was always Isabella's." His voice carried down the whole hallway. "Everyone, get these things out. Now."

The movers set the box down. Nobody breathed.

A tear slid down Ava's cheek.

"But you promised me…"

"Ava, stop making a scene."

She pressed her hands over her face and ran.

Kelly Brooks shot me a look so sharp it could have cut glass. Then she hurried after Ava, heels thudding down the carpet.

I turned to Noah, ready to thank him.

He had already taken one step toward the door. His whole body leaned after her.

Then he stopped. He forced his foot back down. His hand curled into a fist at his side.

I said nothing. I walked into my office.

A pink ceramic cat sat on the desk. The computer screen glowed with a login page: *Welcome back, Ava M.* The bookshelf was lined with framed certificates. *Rising Star in Investor Relations. Young Leader of the Year.* Her name on every single one.

Through the glass wall, three employees were watching me. One whispered something to another. They both looked away when I caught them.

Like I was the thief.

Noah came in a minute later, clearing his throat. He leaned over the keyboard and logged Ava out.

"There. Fresh start." He smiled, too bright. "We've got a few big acquisitions coming up. Once you get your feet back under you, I want you on them."

"Okay."

I opened the old risk model folder. An error box popped up. *File format not supported.*

I tried again. Same thing.

"We switched platforms two years ago," Noah said. "IT can walk you through it."

Everything I built was gone. Replaced.

"Noah, where are Stella and Ethan?" I asked. "I want to call them."

His face changed. Just for a second.

"Stella Collins and Ethan Hayes left three years ago. They started their own consulting firm."

"Left? Why?"

"Different visions for the company." He straightened up and fixed his cuffs. "It happens."

"Stella would never just walk away from—"

"Isa." He kissed the top of my head. "I'll set up dinner with them tonight. Okay? You can ask them yourself."

---

After lunch, I sat alone and read five years of annual reports.

Page after page, one name kept showing up.

*Ava Morales, Head of Brand and Investor Relations.*

No finance degree. No business background. Yet there she was, cutting ribbons, shaking hands at galas, standing beside Noah on stage while he held up a trophy.

A soft knock made me look up.

Ava walked in with two cups of coffee. Her makeup was fixed. Not a trace of tears left.

"Isabella." She set one cup down in front of me and smiled. "I know everything must feel so different. Noah's been through a lot. I've tried to be there for him."

I didn't touch the coffee.

"Thank you," I said. "But Noah can speak for himself."

Her smile froze at the corners.

Then she tilted her head, all big innocent eyes. "I hope you don't think I ever wanted to replace you. I'd never do that."

"I didn't say you did."

She blinked twice. Then she walked out without her own cup.

---

At six, Noah's phone buzzed. I watched him read the screen.

"It's Ava," he said. "People have been talking about her all day. Because of the office. She's falling apart."

"We have dinner with Stella and Ethan."

"Ten minutes." He was already grabbing his jacket. "I swear, Isa. Ten minutes."

The door swung shut behind him.

I went to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down.

In the plaza below, Ava ran across the stones and threw herself into his arms.

Noah went stiff. He pushed her back by the shoulders.

I let out a breath.

Then he lifted his hand and wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

Ava tipped her face up and said something I would never hear.

And Noah smiled.

Not the polite CEO smile. Not the guilty smile he'd given me all day. It was soft and crooked and warm, the one he used to save for me at two in the morning over cold pizza.

I hadn't seen that smile in five years.

I turned from the glass and picked up the only thing on the desk that was mine. Our graduation photo. Me in a lopsided cap, Noah kissing my cheek, both of us laughing so hard our eyes were shut.

I hadn't just lost five years.

I'd lost the only man who had ever been completely mine.

On the desk, my phone lit up with a text from an unknown number.

*Dinner's off. Noah doesn't want you talking to Stella. Ask him why.*