Chapter 1

To put Zach through college, I became Scarlet, the hottest lounge singer at the Neon Lounge.

Later, he graduated from the University of Chicago, only to announce he was marrying his professor's daughter.

After five years of chasing him like a shadow, I finally gave up and decided to let him go.

Once my contract with the club expired, I turned my back on the city and went to teach in the rural Midwest.

But Zach actually tracked me down to that tiny elementary school in the middle of nowhere.

"Sadie, I finally found you. Please, come back to me, okay?"

1

It was eight in the evening, and I was in the dressing room at the club, wiping off my heavy makeup.

Frank, the owner, walked in with a cigar in his mouth and two plates of steaming steak fries.

"Sadie, your contract is up soon. Are you really not going to renew with us?"

Frank was the majority shareholder and a decent guy who had looked out for me over the years.

He always joked that I was the club's star attraction and tried to convince me to stay.

I had covered for a sick coworker tonight, singing five sets in a row, and I was starving.

I didn't stand on ceremony, taking the plate and eating like I hadn't seen food in days.

The warm food finally calmed my stomach, and I felt a bit more human.

I shook my head, my voice a bit muffled as I spoke. "I'm not staying, Frank."

A coworker nearby chimed in with a smirk.

"Are you planning to go home and play housewife for your Professor Zach?"

I thought back to a few weeks ago when Zach successfully secured a teaching position at the university.

I had been so happy for him that I prepared a massive feast to celebrate.

Instead, he showed up with his mentor's daughter and announced their engagement.

That was when I realized he never had a shred of romantic feeling for me.

Realizing that, I had frantically buried my love deep inside where no one could see it.

The steam from the food made my eyes misty, and I swallowed the bitterness in my throat.

"Nothing like that. Don't start rumors. Zach is just like a brother to me."

"In a week, when my contract ends, I'm heading out to the rural plains to help build some schools."

Frank didn't push any further and headed off to his nightly poker game.

I packed my things, said goodbye to the girls, and stepped out.

The December wind in Chicago was bone-chilling, and I wrapped my heavy wool coat tighter.

It took me twenty minutes to walk back to the apartment.

Just as I reached the door, a taxi honked loudly behind me.

I stepped aside to let it pass, but the car pulled over right in front of the house.

Zach stepped out, holding hands with a girl wearing a designer cashmere coat.

It was his fiancée, Clarissa, a music major at the university.

Once inside, Zach immediately started a fire in the hearth to keep her warm.

He fussed over her for a while before he even seemed to notice I was there.

"Sadie, have you eaten? Clarissa brought some gourmet pastries for you."

"Yeah, Zach mentioned you never treat yourself, so I picked these up for you to try."

They were from that famous bakery downtown where you need a reservation just to get a box.

A single box cost half my weekly salary, so of course, I never bought them.

I took a bite, the sugar melting on my tongue. "Thanks. They're great."

Clarissa beamed at Zach, looking for a bit of praise.

"See? I told you Sadie would love them."

"By the way, Sadie, I heard you're moving out. Have you found a new place yet?"

"Moving out?"

I froze mid-chew and looked instinctively at Zach.

He looked away guiltily, but his words sounded like they had been rehearsed a thousand times.

"This is my dad's old place, Sadie. It's getting a bit crowded with you here…"

Clarissa leaned into his arm, her smile gentle but pointed.

"And once we're married, it'll be a bit awkward having a third party living in the house."

This two-bedroom house was the compensation I fought the factory for after Zach's dad died in a work accident.

I had spent two weeks screaming at HR until they gave us the deed.

Their logic was cold, but I couldn't argue with it.

Living here as a non-relative sister was indeed complicated now.

I understood perfectly and didn't bother questioning him.

"Fine. I get it. I'll be gone in a week."

That was the exact day I was scheduled to leave for the Northwest.