Julian shot down two roses that day — hers and mine, and I become his legal wife. Selene, the illegitimate daughter of the Archer family, was the woman he actually wanted — but my family’s name forced him to put a ring on my finger. So he gave her one as well. Called it “equal.” It was never equal. Because after the wedding, Julian gave Selene everything. His time. His attention. His love. “You got the title,” he told me once, not even looking up from his phone. “Selene’s the one who suffered. You have the name, Vivienne. Stop fighting her for the rest.” So I wore the family ring. I managed the house. I handled the books, the staff, the events. And I slept alone. Every single night. I wasted away in that house. By the time my body finally gave out, I barely had the strength to ask him one question. “If you never loved me — why did you marry me?” Julian looked at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. “I was aiming for the red rose that day. Yours wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near it. But you put your flower right next to hers so I’d hit both.” His jaw tightened. “Your family forced my hand. I had to marry you because of the Ashworth name. Selene paid the price for years. And you still weren’t satisfied?” He exhaled. Slow. Relieved. “Now that you’re gone — it’ll just be the two of us. Finally.” I died with those words ringing in my ears. And then I opened my eyes. The sun was blinding. The air smelled like gardenias. I was standing on the Crane estate lawn, surrounded by a hundred guests in summer whites, and Julian Crane was raising a pistol toward a row of roses strung across a wire. The Rose Ceremony. The Crane family tradition. The heir shoots. The rose that falls decides his bride. I’d lived this day before. Last time, my white rose hung right next to Selene’s red one. His bullet tore through both. Two roses fell. Two women married him. One was loved. One was buried. Not this time. I reached up, unclipped my white rose from the wire, and slipped it into my pocket. The gunshot cracked through the air. The red rose exploded off the wire and tumbled to the ground. One rose. One bride. The crowd erupted. “Beautiful shot.” “Whose rose was that?” “It has to be the Ashworth girl’s, right? She and Julian grew up together — their families have been planning this match for years. Who else would he choose?” “Jealous? Maybe you could ask the Cranes to take you on as a mistress.” “Oh, stop. Julian and the Ashworth girl are solid. He’d never do that to her.” A girl nudged my arm, grinning. “Vivienne, congratulations! You’re about to be Mrs. Crane.” Across the lawn, I could see Selene Archer’s face draining white. Her lower lip trembled. Her eyes glistened. I said nothing. Up on the terrace, Victoria — Julian’s mother — smiled and waved me over. “Vivienne, sweetheart. Come here.” The women around her laughed. “Don’t be shy, dear. He shot your rose — it’s fate.” I smiled. Took one step forward. But I didn’t go to them. Instead, I curtsied — just enough to be polite — and said, “Victoria, I’m flattered. But that red rose isn’t mine. I didn’t put one up. I wonder which lucky girl caught your son’s eye.” The lawn went dead silent. Then the whispers broke out everywhere. “It’s not hers? Then whose is it?” “Mrs. Crane —” A soft voice cut through the noise. “The red rose is mine.” Selene Archer stepped forward. White dress. Teary eyes. Fragile as glass — but stealing a glance at Julian like she’d already won. Victoria’s smile froze solid on her face.
Victoria stared at Selene for a long moment. “I don’t think we’ve met,” she said, her voice cool. “Whose daughter are you?” Mrs. Archer scrambled out of her seat. “Mrs. Crane, my husband just took a position at the city clerk’s office — we only recently moved to New York. Selene is our daughter. She doesn’t get out much, which is why you haven’t seen her before.” She didn’t say illegitimate. But she didn’t need to. Everyone in that garden already knew. A minor city clerk’s daughter — and not even his legitimate one. Victoria’s expression went dark. She said nothing. She turned to look at Julian. Julian had already put the gun down. He walked straight across the lawn, past every guest, past every daughter of every family that mattered in this city — and stopped in front of Selene. He took her hand. Led her to his mother. “Mom. Selene is kind, graceful, and everything I want. I choose her.” Victoria glanced at me. I could read her face like a headline: this is a disaster. “Julian,” she said carefully, “the ceremony can be unpredictable. One shot shouldn’t decide everything. Why don’t we have the girls do something else — a second round? Something to make sure.” A few girls nodded. They all knew what a “second round” meant. Victoria was handing me the win on a silver platter. Everyone turned to look at me. Before Julian or Selene could respond, I stepped forward. “Victoria, the rules of the Rose Ceremony are clear — the shot decides the bride. Julian chose Selene’s rose. If we change the rules now, it wouldn’t be fair to her.” Julian jumped in immediately. “Vivienne’s right. Mom, this is fate. Selene is the one I want. There’s no need for another round.” Victoria looked at me with open disappointment. “Vivienne, you know I’ve always adored you. You’re exactly the kind of woman this family needs.” Julian cut her off. “Mom, I’ve always seen Vivienne as a little sister. I never once thought of marrying her.” Selene squeezed Julian’s hand. She shot me a look — quick, satisfied — then put on her apologetic face. “Julian can be a little blunt. Please don’t take it to heart, Vivienne.” She paused, then smiled sweetly. “But if you really do have feelings for him… after the wedding, maybe I could talk him into finding a place for you. We could be like sisters under the same roof.” My mother shot to her feet. The entire garden held its breath. Asking an Ashworth to play second to a nobody’s bastard daughter? Mrs. Archer grabbed Selene’s arm. “Shut your mouth,” she hissed. Julian knew Selene had gone too far. He stepped in fast. “Vivienne, she didn’t mean it like that. Selene’s just — she’s new here, she doesn’t understand how things work. She’s young. She didn’t know what she was saying.” I smiled. “Julian, we grew up together, so I’ll give you this one for free — Selene is actually two years older than me.” “If she still ‘doesn’t understand how things work’ and ‘doesn’t know what she’s saying’ at her age, I’d be worried about bringing her into the Crane family.” I tilted my head. “The wives in the Five Families will eat her alive. And when they do, it won’t be the Ashworth name they laugh at — it’ll be yours.” Selene’s face flushed red. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She turned to Julian with trembling lips. “I just got to New York — I don’t know the rules yet. But Vivienne is supposed to be from a powerful family. Is this how powerful women talk? By being cruel?” I kept my smile. “You just got here, so I’ll give you a pass. But in this circle? What I just said is considered polite.” “Trust me — the other wives won’t be this gentle.” Before Selene could fire back, Victoria’s voice cut through like a blade. “Enough.” She looked at Julian, cold. “You’ve made your choice. Fine. But hear me clearly — the woman who walks into this family as your wife must know how to carry herself. If she can’t, I don’t care if she has a ring on her finger. I will never accept her.” The garden was silent. Selene’s tears kept falling. Julian held her close, jaw tight. And I felt nothing.
The party ended. I was heading for the car when Julian caught up to me. “Vivienne.” He stepped in front of me, blocking the door. “Are you upset about today?” He had the nerve to look guilty. Like he was a good man who’d done a hard thing. “You and I grew up together. Our families wanted us to end up together. I always thought I’d marry you too.” He paused. “But then I met Selene.” “The moment I saw her, I knew. Everything I felt before — for you, for anyone — that wasn’t love. She’s the one, Vivienne. She’s the one I’m supposed to be with.” He said it like a confession. Like I should be moved. All I felt was cold. Because I’d heard this speech before. In another life. Right before years of empty rooms and slow death. I buried the chill crawling up my spine and stepped back. “Julian, I don’t know what you’re talking about. My parents never discussed a match with the Cranes. And actually — my family’s already working out a deal for me. The engagement will be announced soon.” I kept my voice light. “If I ever gave you the wrong impression, I apologize.” Julian didn’t even blink. Like he hadn’t heard a word. “Vivienne, don’t be stupid. You’re an Ashworth — you know what that’s worth. I’ll marry Selene. She’ll have the title. But I’ll set you up too.” He took a step closer. “Your own place. Your own account. A ring on your finger. You’ll run the household — Selene wouldn’t know where to start. Everyone will still call you Mrs. Crane. No one will disrespect you.” “The three of us — we can make this work.” He reached for my hand. I pulled back. Hard. “Watch yourself, Julian.” My voice came out sharp enough to make him flinch. “I have an engagement coming. You and I are done. Keep your distance.” Julian sighed like I was being difficult. “I know you’re embarrassed about what happened today. I’ll stop by your house and apologize in person. I’ll make it right.” He tilted his head, almost amused. “Vivienne — you know how this world works. Every man in the Five Families has a wife and a mistress. That’s just how it is.” “Even an Ashworth woman can’t expect her husband to have no one else.” “I know today wasn’t ideal. But the deal I’m offering you? It’s more than fair. The wedding, the terms — I’ll match everything Selene gets. Dollar for dollar.” I didn’t answer. I turned and got in the car. He followed. He was still talking when my mother came out of the house. She saw Julian standing by our car and her face turned to stone. “Julian. You have a fiancee now. It’s not appropriate for you to be seen with my daughter. Your reputation is your business — but Vivienne’s? I won’t let anyone put a scratch on it.” Julian straightened up. He always behaved around my mother. “Mrs. Ashworth, I just wanted to talk to Vivienne. Today was my fault.” He lowered his voice. “When I work out the terms, I’ll make sure Vivienne is taken care of. A proper wedding. The full thing — cathedral, reception, the whole nine yards.” My mother stared at him. “An Ashworth woman does not share a husband. Not as a wife. Not as a mistress. Not as anything.” Julian opened his mouth. “Drive,” my mother told the chauffeur. The car pulled away. Julian shrank in the rearview mirror. I didn’t understand what he was doing. In our past life, he’d been so obsessed with Selene that I was invisible to him. This time, he was just as obsessed — so why was he clinging to me? It didn’t matter. His engagement to Selene was all over New York within days. The Archers couldn’t contain themselves. Mrs. Archer threw party after party, telling anyone who’d listen that her daughter was marrying into the Crane family. Victoria was disgusted. Her son had lost his mind over an illegitimate girl from a nobody family, and now the whole city knew. Every time she saw another Five Families wedding announcement, she wanted to scream. When it came time to discuss the terms of the marriage, Victoria barely put anything on the table. Her assistant asked if it wasn’t enough. Victoria smiled coldly. “If we offer too much, it’ll look like we’re buying the girl. And what would the Archers put up in return? A walk-up in Queens and a used Honda?” She waved her hand. “The terms should match what her family can bring to the table. Anything more would just embarrass them.”
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