Chapter 4

When the company launched its overseas expansion, I assumed I'd be by Evan's side the way I always had been. For six years, I was the one who traveled with him, sat in on every negotiation, and handled everything on the ground.

This time, he told his assistant, Tom Langley, something different. "From now on, Ms. Palmer will be accompanying me on all business trips."

When she couldn't read a foreign contract, he translated it for her line by line. When she attended her first international forum and was so nervous that her palms were sweating, he took her hand and whispered, "Don't worry. I'm right here."

Every spot that used to be mine quietly became hers.

At a get-together with friends, someone even teased him about it. "Evan, Ivy's with you on every trip, every dinner, taking care of your every need. Isn't she basically your wife at this point?"

The whole room burst out laughing. Ivy's face turned red, and she grabbed a throw pillow off the couch and hurled it at him. "Stop making things up!"

She said it like she was annoyed, but she never actually denied it. And Evan just smiled. He didn't correct anyone or shut it down.

I finally confronted him about it. "Don't you think Ivy has been crossing a few lines lately?"

He barely glanced up. His voice was so flat that it didn't carry even a ripple of concern.

"Winnie, don't you think you're reading too much into this? Ivy's still new to this industry. I'm just showing her the ropes, helping her get some experience.

"Besides, my parents are snobs. The only daughter-in-law they'll ever accept is one from a family like yours. Nobody's replacing you."

The moment he finished speaking, Ivy's voice came from outside the door. "Mr. Hartley, it's time to go."

Evan called back to her, and he was halfway out when he stopped in his tracks. He picked up a cream-colored coat and gave Ivy a helpless little smile. "You're still as forgetful as ever."

Ivy gave a sheepish grin. "I forgot again."

He draped the coat over her shoulders like it was something he'd done a thousand times. "It's getting cold out. Wear it so you don't catch anything."

The two of them walked out together, laughing about something as they went. The office went quiet again, and I felt something heavy lodge itself in my chest.

I had spent six years with him—from the early days of the startup, through every round of funding, and through countless sleepless nights. He'd never once been that thoughtful with me. He couldn't even remember that I was allergic to alcohol.

At every client dinner, he'd stand by while clients pushed drink after drink on me, and more than once it got bad enough to land me in the hospital with stomach bleeding.

At the company, I was the vice president, but the moment I made even the smallest mistake, he'd call me out in front of the entire executive team.

I used to tell myself that he was just someone who kept work and personal life separate. It took me until now to see the truth. He'd simply never cared about me.

A month passed quickly.

Mom's 60th birthday party was coming up. Her doctor said that her health was deteriorating and that she couldn't handle stress, so I didn't want her worrying about Evan and me. The day before the party, I called him, hoping he'd come with me, even if it was only for appearances.

The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up. But it wasn't Evan's voice on the other end.

"Ms. Ellison?"

I paused for a beat, then kept my voice even. "Put Evan on."

A soft laugh came through the line. "Ms. Ellison, Evan had too much to drink. He's already asleep, right here next to me. I'll take good care of him for you."

Ivy paused, then added, "After all, this is something I'm very good at."

It was a quiet little victory lap, and I could practically see the satisfied look on her face as she held his phone.

I let out a silent laugh. "Then I appreciate you looking after him."

I hung up after that.

Almost immediately, my screen lit up again. The hotel manager handling our wedding had sent a message.

"Ms. Ellison, the main stage for the wedding has started going up. Is there anything you'd like to change?"

I didn't hesitate. "Everything stays as planned—the flowers, the guest list, all of it. But the groom might need to be swapped out."