Chapter 4

After dinner, Vivian suggested taking a walk through the estate gardens.

The moonlight was breathtaking as we strolled down the paved stone path.

"So, your 'ordinary life experiment' includes driving an Uber?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"How did you know that?"

"Your dad mentioned it." She winked. "He also mentioned your girlfriend has no idea who you really are."

I gave a self-deprecating smile. "Something like that."

"Why hide it from her?"

"At first, I wanted to see if someone would love me when I had nothing to offer," I confessed. "And later on... I just didn't know how to break the illusion."

Vivian paused in her steps. "Does she love you, then? The Julian who drives an Uber?"

I had no answer for that.

"Julian, do you know what I’ve always admired about you?" She turned to face me. "You’ve never judged people by their net worth.”

“ When we were kids, you treated the staff and drivers with the exact same respect. But sometimes, when you test someone's heart too intensely, you end up breaking it."

"You think I made a mistake?"

"No," she said softly. "I just believe that three years is more than enough time for someone to show who they truly are.”

“If she still only cares about the car you drive, the place you live, and the expensive gifts you give... then she has probably never truly seen you."

Her brutal honesty left me speechless.

Right then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a SnapChat message from Chloe:

I’m staying at Lily’s tonight. I think we need a few days of space to seriously reconsider our future.

I showed the screen to Vivian. She sighed softly.

During the first day of our "break," Chloe went back to the apartment to pack.

She took most of her designer clothes and cosmetics, leaving behind an apartment in disarray and a handwritten note resting on the coffee table.

It was a list of demands she expected me to meet:

Secure a respectable corporate job with a minimum salary of $250,000.

Buy a three-bedroom luxury condo in Manhattan with at least a 35% down payment.

A wedding budget of no less than $100,000.

4. Two luxury European vacations every year after marriage.

Sitting on the couch, reading over that demands sheet, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over me.

Three years of love, reduced to a transaction checklist.

My phone rang. It was Lily.

"Julian, it’s Lily," she said, her voice dripping with hostility. "Chloe cried her eyes out at my place all night. What exactly are you planning to do?"

"I don't plan on doing anything. I respect her decision."

"What kind of pathetic attitude is that?" Lily’s voice turned shrill. "Chloe spent three of her prime years on you! Is this how you treat her?"

"And how does she expect me to treat her?"

"By giving her a secure, respectable future!" Lily barked.

"Do you realize how gorgeous Chloe is? Men are lining up to date her! She chose you, and you should be on your knees thanking your lucky stars! Don't be so ungrateful!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Lily, this is between Chloe and me."

"Let me tell you something: that hedge fund manager from last night was totally into her! He drives a Porsche and lives in a waterfront penthouse. If you don't step up right now, she’s going to leave you for him!"

"...Then I genuinely wish her the best," I said evenly.

Silence stretched over the line for several seconds, followed by Lily’s outraged gasp.

"What did you just say? Julian, have you lost your mind?"

"I’ve never been clearer," I replied. "If Chloe believes someone else can give her a better life, she has my blessing."

I hung up, tore the handwritten list into shreds, and dropped it into the trash can.