hite rose I' d bought for Sophia Chen sat in a slim vase on the table, its petals still perfect. In my pocke

ght, then eight-thirty. I had been w

on your way? G

rep

ng started to creep into my chest. This wasn't like her. She

er company' s marketing director had just posted a story. It was a video, loud and flashy, from the new

e to her new assistant, Leo Davis. The caption read: "Happy birthday to our genius intern Leo! Sophia Chen really know

sn't stuck in traffic. She wasn't in a meeting that ran late. She had forgotten

just that she forgot. It was the scale of it. She rented an e

ld. I walked to the nearest trash can and, without a second thought, took the velvet box out of my pocket. I opened it one last time, looking at the

hing else was hardening: resolve. This wasn't a mistake.

olled to a number I hadn't ca

ring. "Ethan. I was sur

raying none of the chaos inside me.

e other end. "The one c

The arranged mar

is voice came back, firm. "I'll make the call. A

cold. "I've never been more

walking, not caring where I was going. My mind replayed the

eks. "He' s a genius, Ethan. He has this

er eyes bright with an admiration she hadn't shown me in years. He was the son of a tech mogul, the r

dinners at home. More late nights at the offic

phase, Ethan. You, of all pe

tup. I' d poured my savings into it. But this felt different. This fe

sented status and power over the man who had loved her