Chapter 4

I didn't waste any energy thinking about that phone call.

There were plenty of other things in life to worry about.

Through a friend's recommendation, I landed a job as a sales associate at a luxury boutique.

Having spent nearly six years around Julian, I actually knew quite a lot about high fashion.

But as fate would have it, bad luck always found me.

I looked up to see Chloe entering the store, her arm looped through Julian's.

The wealthy crowd trailing behind them noticed me immediately, their faces twisting into amused grins.

"Oh, look who it is! Sera Miller? Talk about falling from grace. You're actually working retail now?"

"Julian, she was your favorite for a while. How can you bear to watch this?"

In their eyes, there was a time when Julian treated me like his absolute prized possession.

Once, a difficult client Julian was trying to sign had tried to force me to drink. Julian had flipped the table and poured the whiskey directly over the man's head.

"I'm here. What are you afraid of?" he had told me. "If anyone bullies you, bully them right back."

But now, Julian just stood there, hands tucked casually into his pockets. He looked entirely indifferent as his thin lips parted.

"What does her life have to do with me?"

Seeing that Julian had no intention of standing up for me, one of the guys mockingly stuck his foot out.

"I got some dust on my loafers on the way in. Wipe it off."

"And do a good job, or I'm filing a complaint."

The laughter grew louder. "Hey, do mine next!"

My fingernails dug into my palms before I slowly let go.

I bowed my head. "I'm sorry, but my job description does not include shoe-shining."

Chloe looked at me with a sweet, pitying smile.

"Sera, these shoes aren't my size. Run to the back and find my size. That is your job, right?"

Ignoring their stares, I bowed slightly. "Of course, ma'am."

I brought the shoes out and placed them in front of Chloe.

She leaned her head against Julian's shoulder, sighing that she was too tired, and demanded that I put them on her.

I knelt on one knee on the floor and began to slip the shoe onto her foot.

She didn't like them. I had to go back to the stockroom to grab another pair, repeating the process of standing up, walking, and kneeling back down.

By the twelfth pair, she looked up at Julian.

"Are you even paying attention? You haven't said if they look good."

"What's wrong? Are you hurting because I'm making your ex-lover put shoes on me?"

Julian looked at her like she was a spoiled child he couldn't help but indulge.

"Why would I care? It's just her job."

He explained to Chloe, using the exact same words I had heard him say a hundred times before.

He told her that our past was nothing, that he had only kept me around to kill time and cure his loneliness.

I carefully zipped up Chloe's new boot, acting as if they weren't talking about me at all.

"How do these feel, Miss Bennett?"

Chloe hummed, then suddenly waved her hand in front of my face.

The diamond ring on her ring finger was breathtaking.

It was from the exact same luxury brand as the one I had mistakenly put on years ago.

"Actually, Julian already proposed to me."

"You can call me Mrs. Vance soon."

Chloe rested her chin on her hand, her eyes drilling into me, trying to catch any sign of heartbreak. She asked out of nowhere:

"Did Julian ever give you a ring?"

I only froze for a split second, amused by how threatened Chloe seemed by me.

She really overestimated my place in his life.

"No, he never did."

"Rings aren't something to be given away lightly. Mr. Vance would naturally only give one to you."

"It's beautiful. It suits you perfectly."

I paused, then added, "Actually, this ring goes perfectly with the boots you're trying on. Would you like to take a look in the mirror?"

It was like punching a cloud of cotton.

The mocking glints in the surrounding eyes faded into disappointment.

Julian gave me an unreadable look, a cold sneer escaping his throat.

"Wrap everything up," he told another sales associate standing nearby.

"The commission goes to you."

"Some people are so desperate to please, it's making me sick."

I didn't say a word. I just kept my head down, packing the shoes back into their boxes.

But I had been kneeling for too long. When I stood up, my vision went completely black.

As I fell forward, a strong arm shot out, catching me firmly by the waist.

Julian looked at me, a smug smile forming on his lips.

"Sera, if you want to throw yourself into my arms, you don't have to be this obvious."

I stumbled back two steps. Julian wanted to say something else, but his voice was fading.

The last thing I saw before blacking out completely was his cold, arrogant face cracking with panic.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

Julian was leaning against the wall, his expression unreadable.

The doctor walked in, frowning as he flipped through my chart. His tone was accusatory.

"She's three months pregnant. Didn't you two know?"

Julian snapped his head toward me.