Chapter 3

The business rep smiled enthusiastically. "Exactly! The brand said they want a 'destined for each other' vibe. With Julian and Evangeline blowing up right now, if we shoot a proposal, it's guaranteed to break the internet."

My fingers froze on the page.

When Julian and I first got together, he promised me that once our account hit ten million followers, he would propose.

After hitting ten million, he said he was too busy and told me to wait until fifty million.

Then, at fifty million, the channel was apparently in a crucial growth phase, and going public with our relationship would ruin our traction.

Now, the account had seventy million followers, and the proposal shoot was finally here. Yet the bride standing in front of the camera still wasn't me.

Julian walked over and glanced at the contract. "This looks good."

He turned to look at me. "Willow, you handle the script. Evangeline said she wants a snow-capped mountain, a ring, and a tear-jerking confession. You're the best at crafting that kind of romantic atmosphere."

His tone was completely natural.

It seemed he had completely forgotten that a snow-capped mountain proposal was the exact setting I had always dreamed of.

A long time ago, I showed him a photo of a mountain range covered in fresh snow. I had told him, "Julian, if you ever propose to me, I want it to be in the snow."

Back then, he held me close, laughing softly. "Alright. When the time comes, my Willow is going to be the most beautiful bride on that mountain."

I lowered my eyes, staring at the words "Marriage Proposal Theme" printed on the contract.

It felt as if something heavy was slowly crushing my heart. Not a sharp pain, but a suffocating, unending ache that made it impossible to breathe.

I looked up at him. "What about me?"

Julian paused at first, caught off guard. Quickly, he softened his voice.

"Willow, don't overthink this. It's just a commercial shoot. Once we wrap up this project, I'll make it up to you with a real proposal."

I stared at him, suddenly finding myself completely speechless.

So the snow-capped mountain proposal I had waited years for could be delayed for Evangeline, too.

She got to wear the wedding dress and the ring, hear his confession, and receive everyone's blessings first.

Only then would it be my turn to stand on the snow where Evangeline had already stood, leaving me with a rehearsed rerun of a moment that was supposed to be ours.

Just like everything else I’d received over the past few years, I was forever second to Evangeline, forever handed down whatever was left behind after she took her turn.

I looked down at the contract, a numb, bitter ache overflowing in my chest.

If the moment was something he could just recycle for another woman, he could keep it.

And as for Julian, I was done waiting for him.