Chapter 1

We were almost at the register when my best friend, Nina Thompson, said she'd forgotten something.

My boyfriend, Charles Foster, turned around and went with her without a second of hesitation. "Hold our place in line. We'll check out together when we get back."

My turn came, and they still weren't back.

I waved person after person ahead of me until I was the last one in line, and they still hadn't shown up.

Every message I sent went nowhere.

When I finally got home, hauling three full bags of Nina's favorite snacks, the two of them were in the living room laughing at the TV.

The bags hit the floor with a heavy thud, and Charles finally noticed me.

"You're back. What took you so long?"

My throat closed up.

"I was waiting for you at the store the whole time."

"Nina got her period out of nowhere, so I had to get her home." Charles said it like it was nothing and pointed at the dining table.

"I saved you some takeout."

I opened the container and found a few picked-over chicken nuggets and a cold burger.

My stomach turned over on itself.

I couldn't hold it in. "Then why didn't you tell me? You couldn't spare ten seconds to answer a message?"

Charles gave me a strange look.

He unlocked his phone.

Something moved across his face, and it wasn't guilt. It was impatience.

"It was on Do Not Disturb, so I didn't see it. Who stands in a checkout line for an hour? And I have to say it, when did you get this stubborn about everything?"

Fine.

I was stubborn.

So I'd stop waiting for the person who was never going to come.

*****

I pulled out my phone and messaged the CEO who was Charles' biggest rival: [You said once you'd hire me away with a real paycheck. Does that still stand, Mr. Carter?]

Lucas Carter replied in a heartbeat: [You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that.]

I put my phone back in my pocket.

I dumped the leftover takeout in the trash.

Then I turned and watched the two of them on the couch, laughing with their heads almost touching.

In that apartment, I was the one who felt like a guest.

Three years together, and Charles had held the line the whole time. He wouldn't sleep with me before marriage.

He wouldn't even set foot in the place I rented.

Back then, I really thought he was one of the good guys.

A man who kept his hands to himself before the wedding was close to extinct in those days.

Then came the third month after Nina moved in with me, and her second month at Foster Corp.

Charles did something he had never done before and came over on his own.

He said, "Your friend is fun, sweet, and kind of innocent. I've always wanted a little sister to spoil anyway.

"And her mother did your family a favor once. Don't worry about it, I'll treat her well."

She was like a little sister.

It was only because she was my best friend.

By now, it had turned into every single weekend.

Charles used to keep his phone on around the clock so he'd never miss a deal.

Now it stayed on Do Not Disturb.

I looked down, quietly removed Charles from my favorites and notification list, and went into the bedroom to pack.

Lucas had offered triple my salary and an apartment with an ocean view.

There were six months left on the lease for this two-bedroom.

I could let them have it.

Halfway through packing, my stomach got worse.

Years of client dinners and meals eaten standing up had turned it into a trip wire, and one wrong move set it off.

I'd meant to finish packing before I ate, but I wasn't going to make it.

I went out for a glass of warm water and dug through a pile of spicy snacks until I found the one thing I could handle, a package of bread.

Nina's voice came from the living room before I opened it.

"Hey, Sophia, could you not eat that?"

I looked at her, confused. "Why?"

Nina hesitated like she wanted to say something, then glanced at Charles. He caught it immediately and took the bread straight out of my hands.

He pointed at a cartoon character on the wrapper, one I'd never seen before.

"That's Nina's favorite collab. It was the last one on the shelf, and she's been saving it."

Nina's favorite collab. I lived with her and ate with her, and I hadn't known.

But Charles knew.

"Okay," I said.

I nodded and drank the water down in one go.

Charles frowned at how pale I'd gone and reached out to rub my stomach without thinking.

"Is your stomach acting up again?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Charles knew my stomach was fragile and easy to settle, and that a few bites of anything would have fixed it.

He put the bread back in the bag anyway and opened a delivery app.

"What do you want? I'll order it."

It was pouring outside, and the fastest driver would still take half an hour.

I shook my head. "No, thanks."

I went downstairs and out into the rain to the corner store, and the clerk was grinning when she handed me a hot sandwich.

"This one's on me. Do me a favor and ask your friend whether her boyfriend's company is recruiting at Riverdale University."

I was caught off guard for a moment.

"Her boyfriend?"

The clerk nodded, and her eyes were full of envy.

"Yeah, they came in the other day holding hands, and they were so cute. Your friend hit the jackpot. He's good-looking and he's loaded. You didn't know?"

"I didn't before. I do now."