1 When I was Eighteen, I fainted from a high fever right after washing my hair. Since that day, no matter how busy Reid Miller was, he always made time to blow-dry my hair. It was our ritual, a quiet constant in a decade of shared life. That was why, on the eve of our engagement gala, when I saw the twelve detailed memos in his phone about Tessa Marlowe, I still gave him one last chance to explain. He remembered everything for her: her stomach aches, her follow-up doctor appointments, her certification exams. He even had a recurring alert for when she needed to change her contact lenses. The last memo he’d written about me was from three years ago. Reid remained silent for a long time after I confronted him. Finally, he straightened his tie, his voice devoid of guilt. “Tessa is a regret, Sloane. But you… you’re the one I can actually build a life with.” He looked at me with those cool, grey eyes. “I promised the elders this engagement. I intend to take responsibility for you.” In that moment, the truth hit me with the force of a physical blow. Care isn’t the same as love. Responsibility isn’t the same as being chosen. That night, after my shower, I pulled away when he reached for the hairdryer. He unplugged it, stepping toward me to wrap both me and the towel in a heavy embrace from behind. “What are you hiding for?” he murmured, his breath warm against my neck. “You used to love this.” I pushed him back, my voice trembling but certain. “If you don’t actually want to marry me, Reid, stop making me believe you do.” The next morning, I cancelled the engagement. I couldn’t get a refund on the private dining hall I’d booked, so I turned it into a matchmaking lunch. My date, Gabriel Ashford, drove me home afterward. Seeing that I’d been caught in the drizzle, he naturally reached out to dry my damp hair with a soft cloth he kept in his car. Reid was standing in the shadows of my building’s hallway. He stared at Gabriel’s hand for a long time, his jaw tight, before he suddenly lunged forward and jerked me behind his back. “Are you really at the point where you’re replacing me for this, too?” “Sir, my fiancée’s hair is none of your concern,” Reid spat, his grip on my wrist painfully tight. Gabriel looked down at my reddening skin with a calm, predatory stillness. “Fiancée?” He offered a thin, sharp smile and turned to me. “Ms. Lane, when we were at lunch this morning, I believe you mentioned you were single.” Reid’s gaze snapped to mine, burning with a mix of shock and fury. “A matchmaking date?” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Sloane, are you so desperate to throw a tantrum that you’re hiring strangers to play a part?” I didn’t look at him. I simply nodded to Gabriel. “Thank you for the ride, Gabriel. I’ll treat you to dinner next time to make up for this.” “I’ll hold you to that,” Gabriel replied with effortless grace. “And about that project we discussed—call me anytime.” He gave a polite nod, ignored Reid entirely, and walked down the stairs. “Get inside,” Reid commanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. I stayed exactly where I was. “I’ve already notified both our families, Reid. The engagement is off. We’re done.” “Done?” In two strides, he was in front of me. Before I could protest, he hoisted me over his shoulder. “Put me down!” I hammered my fists against his broad back, but it was like hitting a brick wall. He hauled me into the apartment, marched straight into the bathroom, and slammed the door, locking it behind us. He ripped the hairdryer from its hook, his eyes dark and shimmering with an unstable energy. “Where did he touch you? Your hair? Your face?” He clicked the dryer to its highest setting. The roar of the motor filled the small space as he forced the scorching air against my scalp. “Reid, you’re insane!” I reached out to swat the dryer away, and the scalding metal nozzle grazed the back of my hand, leaving a bright red streak. He froze, immediately killing the power. He grabbed my hand, his expression softening into a fractured kind of worry. “Why did you jump? I was just trying to dry it for you. Why do you have to fight me on everything lately?” He took a jagged breath. “Tessa posted on social media about not being able to find a place to stay near her new job. I simply let her use the empty condo under my name. That’s it.” “You canceled our engagement and went out with another man over a spare key?” “Just a house?” I looked up, meeting his eyes. “And the hospital follow-up yesterday? You were there with her, weren’t you?” A flash of caught-out surprise crossed his face, followed by an irritable tug at his collar. “She has no one here, Sloane. She’s fragile. Is it a crime to look after an old classmate?” “Right. She has no one,” I whispered, a bitter laugh escaping me. “Which is why you have to track her medication, her contact lens schedule, and her therapy appointments next month.” He went silent. The steam in the bathroom had dissipated, leaving only a biting chill. He reached out to touch my head, but I flinched away. His hand hung in the air, trembling slightly. “Sloane, don’t be unreasonable. I told you, you’re the one I’m spending my life with. What I feel for her is just… guilt. Regret that we didn’t say goodbye properly back then. How many times do I have to explain that?” A “proper goodbye.” For the sake of that one lingering regret, he was willing to trample over ten years of my devotion and then have the audacity to blame me for not being “understanding.” “You don’t have to explain anything ever again.” I pushed past him, walked to the foyer, and grabbed my bag. “The apartment is yours. I’m moving out.” Reid didn’t chase me. He just leaned against the bathroom doorframe, watching me with a cold, detached mask. “Sloane, it’s a torrential downpour out there. If you walk out that door right now, don’t expect me to come begging for you to come back tomorrow.” He was too used to my ten years of compliance. He thought he’d built a cage I’d never dare to leave. I opened the front door. The wind and rain lashed at my face. I looked back at him one last time. “Don’t worry, Reid. I won’t be waiting for you to beg.” 2 I spent a restless night in a hotel, the unfamiliar silence keeping me awake. The next morning, I went straight to the office. I’d barely sat down when my manager called me into the conference room, mentioning a VIP client for a major project. I opened the door and saw Gabriel Ashford. He was in a charcoal-grey suit today, looking every bit the ruthless power player, a far cry from the casual man who’d dried my hair the day before. “Sloane, this is Mr. Ashford, CEO of Aegis Group,” my manager introduced us with a grin. Gabriel stood and extended a hand. “Ms. Lane. A pleasure. I hope you didn’t catch a cold in the rain yesterday?” My manager blinked. “You two know each other?” “I had the distinct honor of dining with her yesterday,” Gabriel said smoothly. I forced myself to focus. Throughout the meeting, Gabriel was sharp, pointing out flaws in my proposal that I’d missed, but offering elegant, brilliant solutions for each. When we finished, my manager pointedly left me to see our guest out. In the hallway, Gabriel slowed his pace. “What happened to your hand?” His eyes were fixed on the burn mark. “Nothing. Just an accident.” “Buy some ointment,” he said, his voice quiet. “Don’t let it scar.” As we reached the lobby, we ran into a commotion. Several delivery men were hauling in massive crates of roses—long-stemmed, premium reds, arranged until they filled an entire corner of the reception area. “Ms. Sloane Lane? These are from Mr. Reid Miller. Nine hundred and ninety-nine roses. Please sign here.” The delivery man held out a gold-trimmed card. My colleagues were already whispering. “Looks like Miller is marking his territory again.” “Those roses cost more than my monthly mortgage.” I looked at the card. It had two words scrawled in Reid’s messy, arrogant script: Good night. “Send them back,” I said coldly. The delivery man stammered. “Ma’am? We can’t… they’ve already been delivered.” “Then leave them here. Anyone who wants one can take them.” I turned to walk away, but a black Porsche screeched to a halt at the curb. Reid climbed out, looking disheveled but fierce. When he saw me standing next to Gabriel, his expression turned murderous. “You don’t like the flowers?” He strode toward me, reaching for my waist. I stepped back, practically bumping into Gabriel. Gabriel didn’t hesitate; he shifted, putting his arm out to create a barrier between me and Reid. “Mr. Miller,” Gabriel said, his voice like silk over steel. “Ms. Lane is on the clock. Please don’t disrupt her work.” Reid laughed, a harsh, jagged sound. “And who the hell are you? Didn’t I warn you to stay away from my woman?” “Your memory is failing you,” Gabriel replied, unruffled. “Ms. Lane made it quite clear yesterday that there is no ‘us’ anymore.” “No ‘us’?” Reid grabbed my right hand, his eyes searching for the engagement ring he’d placed there three months ago. All that remained was a faint, pale mark where the band used to be. His breathing hitched. “Where’s the ring?” “In the trash.” “Sloane!” he hissed, his eyes rimmed with red. “Enough of this. My parents are hosting a gala tonight. Don’t force me to make a scene in front of everyone.” “The only person making a scene is you.” I tried to pry his fingers off me. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a specific ringtone—the sound of waves crashing. I knew it well. It was the special alert he’d set only for Tessa. Reid’s grip loosened instinctively. He checked the screen, his forehead creasing with worry. “Be at the gala on time,” he said, already turning back toward his car. “I’ll have a driver pick you up.” As he sped away, I found myself laughing—a small, hollow sound. Gabriel handed me a sanitizing wipe. “Wipe your hand. He left marks.” He paused, looking at me with an intensity that made my heart skip. “Sloane, do you want to partner with me and really show him what he’s lost?” 3 The gala hosted by the Miller family was intended to be the official announcement of our wedding date. I didn’t wait for a driver. I took an Uber and arrived exactly on time. The moment I stepped inside, I saw Tessa. She was wearing a cream-colored silk gown that was a size too big, the neckline slipping slightly. Reid was at her side, whispering to a server. A moment later, the server handed Tessa a glass of warm honey-lemon water. “Reid, really, I’m fine,” Tessa murmured. “It was just a little dizzy spell.” “Drink it,” Reid said, his tone brokering no argument. He naturally took her clutch from her hand so she could hold the glass. It was a gesture I had seen for ten years. Every time I had my period or felt under the weather, he would carry my things. Now, the transition of that privilege was seamless. “Sloane, you’re here. Why are you standing over there?” He’d spotted me. He beckoned me over as if the last three days of war hadn’t happened. I walked over. Tessa immediately shrank back, hiding slightly behind Reid’s shoulder. “Sloane… I’m so sorry. Reid was coming to get you, and I… I just didn’t feel well and begged him to let me tag along. Please don’t be angry.” I looked at her feet. She was wearing a pair of six-thousand-dollar crystal-encrusted heels. You don’t dress like you’re heading to a royal wedding just to “tag along” for a ride. “I’m not angry,” I said calmly. “If someone wants to sit in the passenger seat of your life, Reid, they’re welcome to it.” Reid’s jaw tightened. “Why the attitude? If Tessa hadn’t come, you probably would have stayed home sulking.” He pulled a velvet box from his pocket and shoved it into my hand. “I had my assistant pick out a new one this afternoon. The other one is gone, fine. Wear this. We’re seeing my parents in ten minutes.” I opened the box. It was a pink diamond, massive and gaudy. It wasn’t my style at all. The truth was, Reid didn’t know what I liked. For ten years, I’d convinced myself that loving someone meant loving what they gave you, so I never complained. It wasn’t until I saw the niche books, the specific art prints, and the artisanal ointments he bought for Tessa that I realized he could be thoughtful. He just didn’t want to expend the effort on me. “This is too expensive,” I said, placing the box on a nearby champagne table. “Save it for someone who appreciates it.” “Sloane!” He snapped, grabbing my shoulder and leaning in close. “Do you have any idea how important tonight is? You’ve been acting out for three days because of a man you met once. You’re losing your mind!” “Let go.” “Reid, don’t, people are looking,” Tessa intervened, her pale fingers fluttering onto Reid’s sleeve. Her eyes filled with tears. “It’s my fault. I’m such a burden… I’ll just leave…” She turned to run, but her heel “slipped.” She tumbled directly into Reid’s arms. He instinctively let go of me to catch her, holding her steady against his chest. The murmurs from the crowd rose like a tide. “Wasn’t he supposed to be engaged to the Lane girl?” “Isn’t that his college sweetheart? I heard she moved back from London.” The whispers stung, but they didn’t break me. Reid scooped Tessa up, ignoring me entirely. “Call the family doctor!” he shouted to a steward. As he brushed past me, Tessa, tucked against his heart, tilted her head just enough to give me a small, victorious smile. I didn’t move. I just watched his back. My phone buzzed. A text from Gabriel: Ready for the show? I typed back: Start the music. 4 In the center of the ballroom, Reid’s father, Richard Miller, was clinking glasses with the board members. I didn’t approach him yet. I watched as Tessa, having “recovered” and changed into a fresh wrap, walked back into the hall. She went straight to a large Samoyed dog lounging near the buffet—Snowball, the dog Reid had owned for five years. Tessa knelt, patted his head, then took his leash and led him through the crowd toward me. “Sloane,” she said, stopping in front of me. “Snowball is being such a good boy today.” She pointed to the dog’s neck. I looked, and my heart stopped. Tied around Snowball’s neck was a vintage emerald pendant on a gold chain. It was my grandmother’s last heirloom, the only thing I had left of her. I’d kept it in the back of a drawer in Reid’s apartment. “Oh, don’t be mad,” Tessa said, feigning innocence as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Reid said the setting was so old-fashioned it was just gathering dust. He said Snowball needed a new ‘charm’ for the party, so we put it on him.” She looked up, her eyes wide. “The stone is a bit dull anyway, so it actually looks quite cute on a dog. You don’t mind, do you?” The whispers turned into sharp stabs. “Isn’t that her family’s heirloom?” “He gave his fiancée’s inheritance to a dog?” “Sloane is being humiliated in her own house.” Richard Miller stood nearby, his face purple with embarrassment, but he said nothing. I looked at Tessa’s smug face. I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I simply walked forward, knelt down, and unclipped the necklace from the dog’s collar. I pulled a silk handkerchief from my clutch and meticulously wiped the emerald clean before tucking it into my inner pocket. “You’re right, Tessa,” I said, standing up and smoothing my skirt. “When things are left in the wrong place, they tend to pick up a lot of filth.” I ignored her stunned expression and walked straight to Richard Miller. “Richard,” I said with a slight bow. “Sloane. Where is that idiot son of mine? It’s late.” “He’s in the back, tending to a Ms. Marlowe,” I said, my voice steady. “But I didn’t come to find him. I came to say goodbye.” I reached into my bag and pulled out the formal dissolution of the engagement, already signed. I placed it on the table next to the champagne tower. “Thank you for everything, Richard.” Just then, Reid burst back into the room. He saw the papers and lunged forward, tearing them into shreds. “I didn’t sign these! You aren’t going anywhere, Sloane. Not until I say so!” He grabbed my wrist, trying to pull me toward him. “In front of my father? You’re going to make a scene now? Do you even know who you are without me?” “She’s the woman the Ashford family is proud to welcome, and the sole partner of Aegis Group’s new venture. Who exactly do you think she is, Mr. Miller?” A cool, commanding voice echoed from the entrance. Gabriel Ashford, dressed in a bespoke black tuxedo, walked in, flanked by assistants and security. Behind him walked the patriarch of the Ashford empire himself—old Elias Ashford. Richard Miller’s glass hit the floor. “Aegis Group? The ones who just bought the downtown waterfront district?” Gabriel reached me and naturally tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The intimacy of the gesture made Reid look like he was about to lose his mind. “Don’t touch her!” Reid swung a fist at Gabriel. Two of Gabriel’s security guards stepped in instantly, catching Reid’s arm and pinning him back. Elias Ashford walked up to Richard, his expression frostier than the champagne. “Richard, you’ve got quite the temper in this house. Is this how you treat a woman my family has officially endorsed? As a backup for your son’s whims?”
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