Chapter 3

Five days left until my departure.

Julian’s parents flew in from their hometown, insisting on discussing the wedding details over dinner.

Richard and Eleanor had always been exceptionally fond of me, treating me like their own daughter from day one.

That evening, we gathered in a private dining room at an upscale restaurant.

Eleanor held my hand, beaming. "Chloe, darling, we've set aside six hundred thousand dollars for your wedding fund. And tomorrow, we'll have Julian add your name to the deed of the downtown condo."

With that, she took a velvet box from her purse and pulled out a flawless vintage emerald bracelet, sliding it toward my wrist.

"This belonged to Julian’s grandmother. She passed it to me, and now it's yours. You're officially family."

The cool metal sent a shiver through my skin, and I instinctively flinched, pulling back slightly.

Right at that moment, Julian’s phone chimed.

It was a custom ringtone reserved exclusively for Maya.

Julian glanced at the screen, his face blanching. He stood up abruptly. "Dad, Mom, excuse me. I need to take this."

He hurried out of the private room without even closing the door all the way.

From the hallway came his hushed, frantic voice: "Maya? What's wrong? Is your stomach acting up again?"

"Where are you? I'm on my way."

Two minutes later, Julian pushed the door open, panic etched across his features.

"Dad, Mom, Chloe... something critical came up at the office. I have to run. Go ahead and eat without me; I already settled the bill."

Richard slammed his hand on the table, furious. "What work emergency can't wait? Your fiancée and your parents are sitting right here! Whatever it is, you finish this dinner first!"

"It's a multi-million-dollar emergency, Dad! I have to be there!" Julian wouldn't even meet my eyes. He grabbed his coat and bolted.

Eleanor sighed heavily, clutching my hand in distress. "Chloe, sweetheart, please don't be mad. You know how demanding his career is. I'll give him a piece of my mind when he gets back."

Watching the empty doorway where Julian had vanished, I gave a quiet, serene smile.

"It's alright, Eleanor."

I slid the emerald bracelet off my wrist and set it gently back inside the velvet box in front of her.

"Eleanor, this is far too precious. I work on design sketches all day, and it might get scratched. Why don't you hold onto it for me?"

Eleanor was stunned. "How can I? This is your heirloom."

"There will be plenty of time to wear it once we're actually married," I insisted softly, pushing the box back.

Richard and Eleanor exchanged a puzzled look. They sensed something was off, but didn't push further.

Little did they know, I would never call them Mom and Dad again.

After dinner, I saw them back to their hotel.

The moment I stepped out of the lobby into the chilly night air, my phone vibrated.

It was a text from Maya.

An attached photo showed Julian sitting by a hospital bed, carefully peeling an orange for her.

Then came a voice note, sweet and dripping with calculated triumph.

"Chloe, I'm so, so sorry. My gastritis flared up, and I casually mentioned it to Julian... I had no idea he'd ditch his own parents' dinner just to rush to my side! Please don't be mad at him. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

Standing in the biting wind, listening to her pathetic provocation, I felt completely numb.

I didn't reply to her. Instead, I forwarded the picture and the audio clip directly to Julian.

Two minutes later, Julian’s call came through.

His voice was tight with humiliated rage and defensiveness.

"Chloe, what are you trying to pull?"

"Maya has an internal bleed! She's completely alone in the hospital, and she's terrified! Do you really have to be so petty and make a huge scene?"

"You never used to be this narrow-minded!"

Listening to his accusations, I let out a soft laugh.

"Julian, since you care about her so much, stay there and keep her company."

I hung up before he could respond and muted both of their contacts.