Chapter 2

I didn't go back to the house Julian and I shared. I went to my apartment downtown instead.

The apartment was mine alone.

When I came out of the shower, my phone screen was lit up with texts from Julian.

"I'll sleep in the guest room tonight. We both need some space."

"Tomorrow I'll take you wedding dress shopping."

"Sweetheart, we'll go to that boutique you've always wanted to visit. Pick out as many as you want. I'll buy them all."

I didn't reply. I tossed the phone aside, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

The next morning, I went to the office as usual.

I was Hale Group's PR director. For seven years, I'd stood beside Julian, putting out one fire after another as he fought his way to the top.

The moment I walked into my office, my assistant, Lynn, knocked and came in with a strange look on her face.

"Ms. Shaw, Mr. Hale had this sent over."

She handed me a velvet jewelry box.

I opened it. Inside was a dazzling high jewelry necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels.

"Mr. Hale's secretary said he had it specially flown in from Paris as an apology." Lynn watched my reaction carefully.

I looked at the necklace and smiled. "Just leave it there."

During my lunch break, I opened Instagram out of habit.

The first post on my feed was from Summer.

In the photo, she wore a white nightgown and a bracelet on her wrist.

It was a limited-edition piece from the same collection as the necklace Julian had sent me.

Behind her, I recognized the floor-to-ceiling windows in Julian's guest room.

I stared at that photo for a full minute.

Then I enlarged the photo and zoomed in on the bracelet.

Two tiny initials were engraved on the clasp: H & L.

Hale. Lowe.

And the necklace on my desk was blank. Nothing engraved on it at all.

My stomach turned.

He'd offered me the title of Mrs. Hale, expensive jewelry, and all the prestige of a wedding for the ages.

But Summer was the one he broke all the rules for.

He thought he'd found the perfect balance. I gave him stability and made his life easier. Summer made him feel needed, like he was the only one who could save her.

He didn't even think he was doing anything wrong.

By the afternoon meeting, the dull ache in my stomach had turned sharp.

Years of drinking at business dinners with Julian had wrecked my stomach.

I pushed through the meeting, but by the time it ended, I'd gone pale.

"Ms. Shaw, are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" Lynn caught my arm, looking worried.

"I'm fine. Just call a car for me."

By the time I got into the car, the pain was so bad I could barely sit up straight.

Half-blind with pain, I pulled out my phone and called Julian on instinct.

He always used to drop everything whenever my stomach acted up.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up.

"Hello?"

But it was a woman's voice.

Soft and delicate.

It was Summer.

"Julian's cutting fruit for me. His hands are all sticky, so I picked up for him. Did you need him? I can pass on a message."

I listened to the sounds in the background.

Julian's gentle voice drifted over from somewhere in the room. "Sunny, who's on the phone? Don't move. You could cut yourself."

His tone was careful and tender, unlike anything I'd ever heard from him.

My stomach twisted in pain, but my heart hurt worse.

I didn't say anything. I just hung up.

At the hospital, they ran blood tests and did an endoscopy.

The doctor frowned at the results. "You have a severe bleeding ulcer. We need to admit you right away. Is there anyone we can call? You shouldn't be alone right now."

I lay back against the hospital bed and stared up at the glaring fluorescent lights. "I don't have anyone."

The doctor sighed and wrote up the admission form.

When the nurse came to start my IV, my phone buzzed.

It was a text from Julian.

"I was in a meeting. Didn't have my phone on me. What's up?"

I stared at the message, almost amused by the irony.

He couldn't even be bothered to come up with a better lie.

I didn't reply.

A little while later, he sent another one.

"Sunny's not doing well tonight, so I'm staying here with her. Get some sleep. I'll have the driver pick you up for your dress fitting tomorrow."

I stared at the cold message on the screen.

The nurse slipped the IV needle into my vein, and a chill slowly spread up my arm.

Suddenly, I let it all go.

For years, I'd thought that if I was patient enough, strong enough, and loved him enough, eventually he'd see how good I was for him.

But I was wrong.

To Julian, I'd always be the fiancée he never had to worry about.

Because I never used tears, tantrums, or threats to get my way.

And somehow, that made me the one he could always put last. The one he could always ignore.

I struggled to unlock my phone with one hand, then opened my chat with Julian.

No hysterical questions. No long, angry speech.

I sent just two words.

[No need.]

Then I opened my photos and deleted every photo of us from the past seven years.