La canción de la Luna

Six days before the engagement.

When we reached Serena's building, she stayed in the passenger seat.

"A pipe burst in my kitchen," she said. "The power's out too, and my medication is in the fridge. Will you come upstairs with me?"

Damian unfastened his seat belt. "I'll check the place."

Before getting out, Damian dropped his cashmere gloves onto my knees. "Put those on. Your hands are freezing."

He could remember the smallest detail about me, then leave me in the car while he went to take care of another woman.

Twelve minutes passed. No lights came on upstairs, and Damian didn't return.

An email appeared on my phone.

[Congratulations, Ms. Vale. The board has approved your appointment as Global Creative Director. Your flight to Milan departs next Saturday at 7:00 a.m. Please upload your passport to confirm.]

I uploaded it and tapped CONFIRM.

The driver's door opened. Damian got back in and handed me a cup of tea.

"No honey. Extra orange peel."

My usual.

I turned my phone facedown too quickly. His eyes narrowed. "What did you just close?"

"A work email."

He watched me for a beat. "You've barely said a word since dinner. Let me see it."

His hand moved toward the phone. I slipped it into my bag. "It's handled."

Before he could press me, the passenger door swung open. Serena climbed in, pale and shaking.

"The power's still out. My medication won't last overnight."

Damian's attention shifted to Serena. He called his doctor, and when he hung up, she looked over her shoulder at me.

"Evie, could I stay with you tonight?"

She asked me, but Damian answered. "You'll take our bedroom."

Then he looked at me.

He was waiting for the fight.

Every argument about Serena ended the same way: she was family, and I was expected to adjust.

"Sure," I said.

Silence filled the SUV.

Damian turned to study me, as though he wasn't certain he'd heard correctly. Then he reached back and ran his hand over my hair.

"That's my girl."

There was unmistakable satisfaction in his voice. "You're finally seeing Serena isn't your enemy. She's like a sister to me. I need you to start treating her like one."

I looked out the window and didn't argue.

In six days, whoever lived in that house would no longer be my problem.

At the townhouse, Serena stopped outside the primary suite.

"This is supposed to be your room after the engagement," she murmured. "Evelyn might not be comfortable with me sleeping here."

Damian looked at me. Before I could answer, his expression hardened.

"Evelyn, don't start. Serena is taking the primary suite."

"I'll use the guest room."

Serena blinked. Damian looked just as surprised.

After a pause, he added, "If you can't live peacefully with her for a few nights, then maybe we shouldn't get engaged at all."

Once, those words would've gutted me. I would've asked whether he could really throw me away that easily for Serena.

Now I picked up my bag. "That's fine."

The tension left his face. "I knew you'd come around."

He walked Serena into our bedroom, satisfied that I had finally come around.

I went to the guest room and crossed another day off the calendar.