Chapter 1

The night after our final high school exams, Julian backed me into the shadows behind the stadium bleachers.

His ears were bright red as he pressed a delicate silver pinky ring into my palm.

He said:

"Chloe, the second we graduate college, I’m putting a real ring on your finger."

I laughed until tears welled up in my eyes.

But the exact second I slipped the ring onto my finger, my phone buzzed with a FaceTime call.

The caller ID showed Sienna.

My best friend.

When the video connected, she wasn't in her bedroom. She was wearing an opulent white wedding dress, sitting in an unfamiliar, lavish master suite.

She looked straight at the camera, her smile terrifyingly sweet.

"Chloe. Sitting there on the bleachers tonight... do you really think you've won?"

"Don't celebrate yet."

"Ten years from now, Julian will marry you."

"And on your wedding night, he’ll be in bed holding me."

I froze in place.

She slowly panned the camera.

On the nightstand rested a framed wedding portrait of Julian and me.

And at her bare feet lay Julian’s designer shirt, crumpled on the floor.

My voice shook.

"Sienna... what kind of sick joke is this?"

She chuckled softly.

"It’s not a joke."

"I just wanted to give you a little heads-up."

"Take off that ring on your finger right now. Look inside the band. The initials were never meant for you."

I pulled the ring off with trembling fingers.

Under the dim glow of the stadium floodlights, I squinted at the tiny engraving inside.

S&J.

Not C for Chloe.

S. For Sienna.

Before I could even draw breath, Sienna’s voice drifted through the speaker, cold as a razor.

"Chloe, it gets so much worse."

"Ten years from now, you'll have Julian's baby."

"And that baby will die. Because of me."

The call abruptly cut off. Around us, the field was loud with cheers.

Seniors were tossing their notebooks into the air, taking flash photos, screaming that high school was finally over.

Julian was still standing right in front of me.

Noticing my pale face, he reached out to steady me.

"Chloe? What’s wrong?"

I jerked my arm back, avoiding his touch.

He stopped, confused.

"Why are you crying?"

I clenched the ring in my fist, the metal digging painfully into my skin.

"Julian."

"When did you buy this?"

He exhaled, giving an easy smile.

"Last month. I was worried you’d take off the second exams ended, so I wanted to claim you first."

I stared directly into his eyes.

"What about the engraving?"

"What engraving?"

He genuinely seemed surprised.

"I told the jeweler to engrave C&J. Chloe and Julian. Why?"

I held the band right up to his face.

"Look for yourself."

Julian took it, turning on his phone’s flashlight.

A second later, all the color drained from his face.

"S&J? How... why is there an S?"

I stared at him.

"You're asking me?"

He instantly pulled out his phone.

"I'm calling the store right now."

I slapped his hand down.

"Don't."

"Chloe?"

"I'm exhausted."

I turned and walked away.

He rushed after me.

"Let me drive you home."

"No."

"You're misunderstanding something—"

I stopped and looked toward the school gate.

Sienna was standing under the streetlamp, clutching a bouquet of sunflowers.

Seeing us, she waved excitedly.

"Chloe! Julian!"

She jogged over, slightly out of breath, grinning ear to ear.

"Where were you guys? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!"

Julian glanced at her, his voice suddenly sharp.

"Sienna, did you ever touch my ring order?"

Her smile stiffened for a fraction of a second.

It was so brief that if I hadn't seen the video, I would have completely missed it.

"What ring?"

Julian locked his eyes on her.

"The promise ring I got for Chloe."

Sienna blinked innocently.

"You got Chloe a ring? Oh my god!"

"Did you guys finally make it official behind my back?"

She threw her arms around me.

"Chloe, why didn't you tell me?"

My entire body went rigid.

She squeezed me tight, whispering right against my ear.

"Congratulations, babe. You finally caught him."

I shoved her off me with all my strength.

Sienna stumbled back two steps, her eyes welling with immediate tears.

"Chloe? What did I do?"

Julian frowned.

"Chloe, stop. You're scaring me."

I looked at the two of them.

One was the boy I had loved for all four years of high school.

The other was the girl I had protected since middle school.

Sienna’s family was broke, and her stepmother treated her like garbage.

When she had no lunch money, I shared my meal card.

When girls cornered her in the locker room, I threw myself into the fight and took two slaps to the face for her.

When she couldn't afford portfolio supplies for her art auditions, I broke into my personal savings to buy her brushes and oils.

Never in my life did I imagine that one day, she would appear in a wedding dress from the future, telling me those venomous words.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

A text from an unlisted number popped up.

The avatar was Sienna.

The screen name had only two words:

Ten Years.

"Don't believe a single word coming out of their mouths right now."