Chapter 3

"I wasn't kicked out. I'm moving into the Sterling Estate," I replied calmly.

Chloe didn't believe a word. She threw her head back and laughed until she nearly lost her balance.

"Give it a rest, Sienna. I don't have time to indulge your pathetic delusions."

"I’m leaving anyway. Unlike a worthless stray who got kicked to the curb, Julian is taking me to the Maldives for our honeymoon! Bye-bye, Mrs. Sterling!"

With a mocking snort, Chloe grabbed her designer luggage and strutted out without looking back.

Not long after she left, my phone rang. It was Julian.

"Did your parents kick you out?"

"I warned you not to pull that crazy stunt at our wedding, and now look at you. I found a place for you to stay. Just go there. I have an urgent business trip with the company, so I'll visit you when I get back."

Still lying straight to my face.

A cold numbness settled over my chest. I cut right through his bullshit.

"Is your company sending you to the Maldives for a honeymoon with Chloe?"

Julian went dead silent on the other end, clearly caught off guard.

Then, sounding slightly guilty, he mumbled, "You already know?"

"Chloe is pregnant, Sienna. I have to keep the mother of my child happy and stress-free. When I get back, I’ll take you on a honeymoon, too. We can... go take a walk around the downtown public park. Stop being so petty."

My jaw clenched.

Chloe got a luxury vacation to the Maldives; I got a stroll in a free public park.

Before I could even rip into him, Julian hung up.

A text notification popped up on my screen:

[I booked a room for you. Just stay here.]

I tapped the link to the address.

It was called "The Budget Motel." Not only was it a discounted hourly-rate dump, but the photos attached showed a cramped, damp box with mold blooming across the ceiling, stained sheets, and filthy floors. It wasn't fit for human habitation.

I didn't bother replying. I blocked his number on the spot.

Footsteps sounded behind me. Vincent's assistant stepped forward, holding a cardboard storage box.

"Ma'am, what should we do with these?"

I cast a glance into the box.

It was filled with every "gift" Julian had ever given me over the years.

Cheap, nauseatingly sweet knockoff perfume. Ten-dollar clearance-rack shirts.

A few promotional gift-with-purchase samples from luxury brands—the actual luxury products had no doubt been handed straight to Chloe.

In Julian's eyes, I was just like these items: cheap, low-maintenance, and easy to appease.

"Throw it all away."

"I'll go check my room to see if anything was missed. If not, I'm ready to head to the Sterling Estate tonight."

The assistant nodded respectfully and took the box away.

Shortly after I settled into the Sterling Estate, Vincent returned.

I hadn't felt awkward when I impulsively proposed to him at the wedding, but now that we were completely alone under one roof, a delayed wave of embarrassment washed over me. I stood there, tongue-tied.

Calling him "honey" or "darling" felt impossible, so all I could squeeze out was a stiff, formal greeting:

"Mr... Vincent, you're back."

Vincent seemed amused by my awkwardness. He reached out and gently ruffled my hair.

"Mr. Sterling? I'm only thirty-eight. I don't think I'm quite that old yet."

"It's fine. Just call me Vincent. We did have an impromptu wedding, after all, and it's completely natural that we need time to build our feelings. I understand. For now, I'll sleep in the guest suite so you can have the master bedroom all to yourself."

My cheeks burned. "No, I should be the one in the guest—"

Vincent gently pulled me into a brief, warm embrace, his voice laced with a smile. "No arguments. It's settled."

"I'm older than you. By marrying me, you're already getting the short end of the stick. Let me do what I can to spoil you."

Blushing furiously, I opened my mouth to protest, but he took my hand in a completely natural gesture.

"Come on, let's eat."

"Your old man is starving."

I couldn't help but burst into a laugh, and the lingering tension melted away.

Life at the Sterling Estate turned out to be remarkably easy to adapt to. Vincent was incredibly thoughtful, paying attention to the smallest details of my routine.

The food, the home scents, my daily habits, even the exact temperature of the central AC—everything was tuned precisely to my liking.

The only thing was, he was exceptionally busy.

Over the past few days, his schedule had grown especially hectic. I considered calling him, but worrying I’d interrupt an important meeting, I set my phone down.

I decided to head out to pick up a custom-made silk tie I had ordered for Vincent.

We had lived together for nearly three weeks now, and every single evening when he came home from work, he brought me a thoughtful gift. Yet, I hadn't given him anything decent in return.

The moment I entered the luxury boutique, before the sales associate could even hand me the gift box, a familiar voice called out from behind me.

"Sienna! So this is where you've been waiting for me!"