Chapter 1

1.

They call Sebastian Sterling the cold-blooded shark of Wall Street, which explains why he postponed our wedding nine fucking times, always using some merger or acquisition as an excuse.

He didn't care that I was the laughingstock of every charity gala in the Hamptons.

Even when it was my mother's last wish from her hospice bed, his answer was always the same.

"Nora, the market's insane right now. I can't get away."

Only after my mother passed away, full of regret, did Sebastian finally show a sliver of guilt. He booked the entire ballroom at The Plaza Hotel to throw me a lavish wedding.

The irony? On my wedding day, I couldn't even get past security.

A guard in a black suit rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with impatience.

"Madam, who are you? Tonight is the wedding of Miss Mia Collins and Mr. Sterling. Did you go to the wrong place?"

I tried to rush past the security line, but Sebastian didn't hesitate. He had his lawyer call the cops on me.

I was dragged into a back alley, becoming a joke for the entire Manhattan social scene.

After the whole fiasco, Sebastian stared at the flickering numbers on his Bloomberg Terminal and tried to placate me.

"Don't overthink it, it was just for show. Mia's always dreamed of a fairy-tale wedding, and I was just giving her that. We didn't go to City Hall, so it's not legally binding. What's the big deal?"

But this time, I didn't have a breakdown like I always did.

Because the promise he could never give me, someone else already had.

…

Just yesterday, in a police station that reeked of disinfectant, I said yes to Caleb's proposal.

Once I finished with my mother's funeral arrangements, I planned to leave this city for good.

Sebastian had no idea. He was lazily leaning back on the leather sofa, lighting a cigar.

Through the smoke, he offered his condescending excuse for an "apology."

"Isn't that enough? Mia sees a therapist. She has severe anxiety. Do you really want to push her over the edge?"

Then, he turned on the 85-inch TV.

Fox News was replaying the drama from the wedding.

"Sebastian Sterling! Get out here! I waited eight years for you! How could you do this to me!"

On screen, I was screaming his name like a hysterical lunatic.

My hair and makeup, which had taken three hours, were a complete mess from struggling with security. I looked like something out of a horror movie.

Even his so-called buddies were shaking their heads at the camera.

"Oh my god, Nora. This is so embarrassing. Can't you just be mature?"

But I was past caring about dignity. I just kept trying to get inside.

Until the wail of police sirens cut through the night.

The moment those cold handcuffs snapped around my wrists, my heart died.

Humiliating photos of me were instantly all over the Upper East Side. Sebastian could have had them taken down with a single phone call, but he let them spread.

There was only one reason.

I had disobeyed him, and he was punishing me. Teaching me a lesson.

Mia walked over, biting her lip, looking like the world's biggest victim.

"Nora, you have to believe me. I really just wanted to know what it felt like to wear a wedding dress. I would never try to ruin your relationship with Sebastian. Can't you… can't you just try to understand?"

"Understand her."

I'd been hearing that excuse for eight years, and I was sick of it.

Because I had to "understand her," Sebastian ditched my birthday party to comfort Mia, who was threatening to overdose on sleeping pills.

Because I had to "understand her," our anniversary ski trip to Aspen had to include a third wheel.

Because I had to "understand her," I even had to give up my own wedding.

I was done.

I looked up, meeting Mia's gaze, and saw the challenge hidden in her eyes.

I smiled faintly. "You already had the wedding, so why are you still playing innocent? You two are a perfect match―a couple of scumbags. I hope you grow old and miserable together."

Mia's face flushed crimson, as if I had just exposed her darkest secret.

"Nora! What do you mean by that! Why do you have to insult me like this!"

She grabbed my hand, a flicker of malice in her eyes.

The next second, she flung my hand towards her own face.

"It's all my fault! Hit me, Nora! Just hit me if it'll make you feel better!"

But before my palm could even touch her, a powerful force threw me to the ground.

Pain shot through my entire body.

Yesterday at the station, I had been shoved against the hard marble floor multiple times by security.

My arms and knees were covered in bruises and scrapes that I hadn't even had time to treat. Now, there were new ones.

Seeing my face contorted in pain, a flash of pity crossed Sebastian's eyes, but Mia's soft sobs quickly erased that tiny bit of conscience.

"Nora Vance, stop the act! You think I can't see what you're doing? You brought this on yourself!"

He took Mia's hand and slammed the door on his way out.