Chapter 3

Back when Julian and I first got together, I paid for our house in full out of my own pocket to take some of the financial pressure off Julian.

I let out a bitter laugh and called a real estate agent to list the house.

Then I texted Julian to come pick up his things, but he never responded.

Seven years ago, Julian and I had opened a vintage shop together.

To avoid any ownership disputes down the line, I grabbed the paperwork and headed over to the store.

I stood outside and peered through the glass door. There was a name tag pinned to Anna's chest.

Julian had made her the assistant manager.

Laughter spilled out from inside, a mix of mockery and flattery.

"Nevaeh was always just a backup. She could never compare to you, the real deal."

"Everyone knows Mr. Carter named the shop 'Julianna' after you."

"He's obviously still hung up on you. Why else would he string Nevaeh along for seven years without ever putting a ring on it?"

"Once you become the boss' wife, you'd better give us all a raise."

Anna smiled smugly and said, "Of course. Julian and I came up with that name together ten years ago."

But Julian had told me the shop was named after "Nevaeh."

Now I finally understood. It had always been "Anna," not Nevaeh.

I looked more carefully, and even the décor had been redone to match Anna's taste.

I remembered the third year after the store opened. All I wanted was to give the place a fresh coat of paint and update the sign's font.

Julian exploded on the spot. He shouted, "Who gave you permission to touch that sign?"

I had never seen that kind of rage in his eyes before.

He threw his germaphobia aside, scrambling through the dumpster like a man possessed to dig the old sign out, and then ordered someone to clean and restore it with painstaking care.

He gave me the silent treatment for an entire week over it.

In the end, I was the one who caved. I apologized and swore I would never interfere with the store again.

Only then did he slowly let it go.

But without me, that store wouldn't even exist.

The year he graduated from college, Julian got into the vintage market and made a killing early on.

Then one careless deal brought in a massive shipment of counterfeits.

He lost everything and ended up drowning in debt.

That was when Anna left him.

Julian, the golden boy who had always had the world at his feet, hit rock bottom overnight. He nearly ended his own life.

I was the one who begged my parents to put up the money, and I stayed by his side through every painful step of his recovery.

He dropped to his knees and swore to me, "Nevaeh, how are you this good to me? I promise, once the business takes off, I'll give you the wedding you deserve."

But I waited seven years.

And now I finally understood. I was never the bride he wanted.

I shoved the door open.

The whole room froze, and every pair of eyes landed on me with that same awkward stare.

But I didn't care. I walked up to the counter, set down the equity transfer agreement, and smiled.

I kept my voice even. "Get Julian to sign this and wire the money over. The sooner, the better."

Then I walked right past them and headed into the storage room.

Trophies were sitting on the shelves, covered in dust. They were mine, and I was taking them with me.

I didn't expect Anna to follow me in.

She stood in the doorway, glaring at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "You heard everything out there, didn't you? Do yourself a favor and disappear from Julian's life."

She shoved her phone in my face, a photo of her and Julian filling the screen. "See for yourself. Julian was with me last night."

Her voice dropped lower, dripping with smugness. "You have no idea how wild he was. He couldn't get enough of me. My legs were still shaking when he was done."

My stomach turned, and a wave of nausea clawed its way up my throat. But I swallowed it down and slapped her hard across the face. "You're disgusting."

Julian's voice cut through from the doorway, cold as ice. "Nevaeh!"