A New Melody Without Him

For ten years, I stood beside Adrian Shaw while he clawed his way up from nothing to a nine-figure fortune. In all that time, he never once took me anywhere that cost more than twenty dollars a head. On the eve of our tenth anniversary, I sent him a link to the steakhouse I'd been saving for years. His expression darkened. "Just because we have money now doesn't mean we can forget how hard life can get. Thrift is a virtue, Nora. Don't lose it." I thought he had a point, so I nodded and agreed to cancel the reservation. Then, on the day I went to the restaurant to cancel it, I saw Adrian across the dining room, having dinner with a girl. He cut her steak for her, then reached over and gently wiped a streak of sauce from the corner of her mouth. I knew her. Chloe Foster, the company's newest intern. Twenty-one years old. "Mr. Shaw, I can't finish all this," Chloe said. "What a waste." "If it made you happy, it wasn't wasted." Adrian gazed at her with open tenderness. "We can box up the rest for Nora." "But those are my leftovers." He chuckled. "It's fine. Nora was with me when we had nothing. She isn't picky." Chloe smiled at that. "So she got the hard years, and I get the good ones?" Adrian said nothing for a long moment. Then he murmured, "Yes." I tightened my grip on the reservation slip, my nails digging into my palm, and I didn't feel a thing. The hostess beside me lowered her voice. "Ms. Wells, tables are in high demand right now. Are you sure you want to cancel?" I swallowed the bitterness burning in my throat. "No," I said. "Keep the table—and bring me the most expensive meal you serve.”