Chapter 2

2.

Of course she could be gracious. She was the legal Mrs. Sterling, holding the purse strings, while I was just the clown about to be humiliated at my own wedding.

There was no point in arguing. A refined egoist like Julian only hears what he wants to hear.

I stayed silent until the sound of him slamming the door echoed through the apartment. My first thought was how I was going to explain to my grandfather back in Seattle that the wedding was off.

He picked up right away, his voice carrying that cheerful Pacific Northwest energy. "Hey, Summer. It's raining here, just like you'd expect."

"Grandpa, that branch of the company you wanted me to take over... is the offer still on the table?"

The line went quiet for a moment before his tone turned serious. "Summer, is the wedding off?"

"Yeah."

I was trying to figure out how to explain, but he just laughed, a deep, hearty sound. "Good! A Tate never dithers. Since you've made up your mind, you come right home. That boy was never good enough for you anyway. We'll show him what a real loss looks like."

After hanging up, I canceled my appointment at the bridal shop and started packing.

This luxury apartment near Newbury Street was Julian's. I'd moved in a year ago, right after he proposed.

It had been the happiest time of my life. He got down on one knee on a dock on the Charles River, with the Boston sunset as his backdrop. "Summer," he'd said, "I can charge forward without fear because I know you're always behind me. It's been a decade. I want to give you a home. Will you marry me?"

Of course, I said yes. I moved in the next day, nesting like a bird, pouring my heart into making this place our home.

Halfway through packing, the doorbell rang.

Two men in uniforms with HOA badges stood at the door, holding tablets.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Chloe Vance?"

A bitter smile touched my lips. "I'm not. If you're looking for her, you can try again in a few days."

"That's strange," one of them said, frowning as he scrolled through his tablet. "We contacted Ms. Vance through the homeowner's email group about today's routine fire sprinkler inspection. She said she'd be here."

"You contacted Chloe through the homeowner's email group?" I froze.