Chapter 1

In our fourth year together, Simon Ford stood before me in a suit, holding a bouquet.

"Shannon, will you marry me?" Simon asked.

I knew Simon had rebuilt his life after bankruptcy, but seeing him like this still left me frozen. His friends gathered nearby, egging me on.

"Say yes," his friends chanted.

Their voices buzzed in my ears, but all I could think of was what his ex, Isabelle Young, had once told me.

"Even after Simon went bankrupt, he was willing to transfer nearly 3 million to me as a wedding gift," Isabelle had once taunted me. "What makes you think you can compete with me?"

That same day, with no money to spare, I'd chosen the cheapest medication for a medical abortion at the hospital. The phantom pain I'd long since stopped feeling came back, and cold sweat broke across my forehead.

"Simon, I don't want to," I said, each word deliberate.

Silence fell. The smile on Simon's face froze.

"Shannon," Simon began.

Before Simon could finish, Ryan Cole cut in angrily. "What's that supposed to mean, Shannon?"

I turned and stared at them without expression. Ryan met my gaze, then quickly looked away. He was the only one who knew I'd had an abortion three years ago. He'd even helped me keep it from Simon.

After that, Ryan had treated me better. I'd thought he'd finally understood that I truly loved Simon. The truth was, he felt guilty. He knew Simon had transferred 2.7 million to Isabelle that day.

2.7 million dollars. Every bit of liquid cash Simon had. If his investments had failed after that, he really wouldn't have been able to rebuild his life.

I wondered, 'Even if it meant gambling away his future, could he still not bear to let Isabelle suffer?'

Resentment and anger weighed on me, yet suddenly I felt hollow. I lowered my eyes to the bouquet in Simon's arms: pure white Vendela roses, edged with little sprays of baby's breath.

Maybe that was how Isabelle and I were in Simon's heart. She was the white rose, forever pure and elegant.

I was just the filler at the edges, a pretty accent for the hard times.

"Simon, do you really want to marry me?" I asked.

Asking that took everything I had. I couldn't spare the strength to wonder how much of Simon's nod was love and how much was repayment for the years we'd struggled together.

I took the flowers from him with a numb expression.

"You could've taken them earlier," Ryan scoffed. "Why did you have to..."

Before he could finish, I let go.

The smile that had just begun to return to Simon's lips froze again. "Shannon, what's wrong? I picked your favorite white roses especially for you."

I looked up at him. I'd never truly liked white roses. I liked them because they were the only flowers Simon ever gave me.

Life had been so consumed by making ends meet that I'd never had the time to figure out what I liked. I didn't know flowers and had no favorite.

If he gave them to me, I loved them.

But today, seeing Isabelle, I finally understood the kind of woman Simon associated with white roses: cultured, graceful, gentle, like a wash of moonlight. Even when she said something that felt like a taunt, her voice stayed soft.

The certainty in her eyes had cut straight into my heart.

Petals scattered across the floor, all of them a glaring white.

"But, Simon, the thing I hate most is... white," I said.

Shock crossed Simon's face.

"Shannon, Simon hurt his hands wrapping those flowers for you," Ryan said, holding back his temper. "He put work aside to plan this proposal and even postponed a deal..."

"Was that deal worth 2.7 million dollars?" I asked quietly.

Simon's brow furrowed. "What?"

Ryan looked just as confused.

"I asked if the deal Simon postponed for this proposal was worth 2.7 million dollars," I repeated.

"It was definitely worth more than that," Ryan said, lifting his chin. "So, Shannon, why haven't you said yes? With Simon's ability now, he could make 2.7 million dollars in a day."

I looked at Simon. He didn't contradict Ryan.

"Shannon, I don't know what's wrong, but if this is about money, don't worry," Simon said, then paused. "The company's stable now. I won't take risks as I did before or make the same bad decisions.

"We won't sign a prenup, either. Half of everything I have will be yours."

Simon paused to think. "Even half my assets would be worth more than 2.7 million dollars."

I knew it was. But Isabelle's words had become a hurdle I couldn't get over.

*****

The café had just opened that morning when Isabelle walked in. She took the window seat Simon liked best.

At noon, when I arrived, Mia, one of my staff, came over. "Shannon, look over there."

I followed her gaze. The light fell across Isabelle's face, making her look unreal.

"She's gorgeous. She's been sitting there all morning. Do you think she's waiting for someone?" Mia asked.

I paid no attention and went to help in the kitchen.

By closing time that afternoon, Isabelle still hadn't left. I took off my apron and had just walked up to her when she spoke.

"Ms. Miles, are you done with work?" Isabelle asked gently.

I paused.

"Hello, I'm Isabelle Young," she introduced herself, then added, "Simon's ex-girlfriend."