Chapter 1

The deck fell silent, leaving only the sound of waves against the yacht.

Keith Sterling said nothing under my stare.

Anna Foster was the first to speak.

"Natalie, I'm sorry. I did have feelings for Keith."

I gave a short laugh.

"Then why didn't you get together with him?"

"They weren't a good match," my brother, Julian Quinn, cut in. "You know what kind of family Keith comes from, and you know Anna's background."

He was already making excuses for her.

"Back then, Anna didn't think she was good enough for him. Keith chased her for four years, and she never said yes."

My own brother had known about Anna all along.

When Keith was at his craziest trying to win her over, Julian had lent him his private jet and even arranged for a celebrity to perform a private concert just for her.

I was the only one who hadn't been part of that grand pursuit.

My gaze moved from my brother to the man I was supposed to marry, then to my close friend.

"Was that fun? Watching me spend four years guessing like an idiot?"

Julian opened his mouth, but under the weight of my stare, he thought better of it.

I turned to Keith.

"You tell me. Was it fun?"

He finally spoke.

"Natalie, nothing has happened between Anna and me since you and I got together."

He paused.

"Besides, Anna and I come from completely different backgrounds. We were never going to end up together. We just got carried away and kissed once."

His voice hardened.

"Do you really have to make a scene and leave everyone embarrassed?"

Julian nodded, then almost instinctively moved to stand beside Keith and Anna.

I'd always thought the four of us were close.

But now the three of them stood together, and I was the only one on the other side.

Footsteps sounded behind me. My parents and Keith's parents came down from the upper deck.

The yacht belonged to the Sterling family. Aside from the crew, only our two families were on board.

The moment Mom saw the red mark on Keith's face, she hurried over and pulled me behind her.

"Sweetheart, did he do something to you?"

"He just kissed Anna."

Mom froze. I waited for her to get angry.

Instead, she glanced back at Dad.

My stomach dropped.

"Mom? Don't tell me you knew too."

I pulled my hand out of hers.

"Natalie, don't get worked up." Mom reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Back in college, Keith came to us a few times asking what girls liked."

She hesitated when she saw my expression.

"Later, you and Anna became such good friends. Telling you would've only made things awkward for everyone.

"Besides, Keith ended up with you after college, didn't he? So there's no point dwelling on it now."

Dad spoke next.

"Our families have known each other for years, and we've done business together just as long.

"You and Keith grew up together. Don't make such a big deal out of something this small."

Keith's mother, Laura Sterling, came over and took my hand.

"Natalie, marriage isn't just about two people being in love. It's about two families coming together."

Keith's father, Charles Sterling, frowned.

"Natalie, it's normal for a man to have someone he couldn't forget when he was younger.

"Once he's married, he'll put all that behind him."

Then he added solemnly, "For families like ours, love can't be the only thing a marriage is built on."

I didn't say another word. I turned and went back inside.

The moment I reached my cabin, I locked the door. No matter how much they knocked, I didn't answer.

Eventually, the knocking stopped.

About half an hour later, Julian's voice drifted in from the hallway.

"Keith, you're really not going to check on Natalie?"

Then came Keith's voice.

"No. She's been like this since she was a kid. She has to win at everything.

"She lost the game today, then suddenly found out about everything from back then. It's just a lot for her to take in at once."