Chapter 5

The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, it started to rain.

The cool drizzle hit my face, instantly clearing my head.

As I stood under the awning waiting for my ride, my phone lit up with a text on Snapchat from Ethan.

"Are you done with the meeting? I can come pick you up."

I typed back: "No need, I’m almost home."

Before my ride could arrive, the restaurant doors behind me flew open.

Chloe stepped out in her high heels, her pace slow and deliberate. She wasn't carrying an umbrella, and Julian was following close behind her.

She stopped just two steps away from me, looking me up and down with a condescending smirk.

"Nora, does your new husband know you're out having private dinners with your ex-boyfriend?"

She dragged out the word "ex-boyfriend" slowly, dripping with malice.

I ignored her, looking down at my phone. The driver was two minutes away.

"I'm talking to you!"

Her voice got louder, her tone dripping with the spoiled attitude of someone who always got her way.

"You left so easily five years ago. Why are you back now pretending to negotiate contracts? Are you really here for business, or are you just looking for an excuse to see him?"

I looked up at her calmly.

"Your fiancé was the one who initiated this contract. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him."

Chloe laughed, glancing back at Julian, who was standing silently in the rain, before looking back at me.

"He reached out, but you could have said no. Or maybe, you just couldn't bear to cut the cord completely either."

She took a step closer. The rain clung to her eyelashes, but her arrogant smile didn't waver.

"Nora, I know girls like you. You claim you’ve moved on, but you leave a hundred doors wide open."

I slid my phone into my pocket and shifted my umbrella slightly.

"Are you finished?"

"No," she said, tilting her head. "I'm just curious. Does your husband know you're alone with Julian tonight? Or did you lie to him?"

Just as the words left her mouth, a sleek black sedan pulled up to the curb.

Ethan got out, holding a large umbrella. He walked straight over to me, took my umbrella from my hand, and naturally wrapped his other arm securely around my waist.

"Finished?"

"Yeah."

Only then did he turn to look at Julian and Chloe, giving them a polite nod.

"Mr. Sterling, Ms. Bennett. It's getting late. You should head inside."

Chloe’s eyes locked onto Ethan’s arm around my waist, her smirk faltering.

"Mr. Vance, you got here fast. Do you actually know who your wife was having dinner with tonight?"

"I do," Ethan replied, his tone perfectly calm. "Mr. Sterling invited her to discuss a business contract. I was the one who encouraged her to come."

Julian stepped out from behind Chloe. He stood fully in the rain, no umbrella, water dripping down his forehead and soaking his face.

He stared at Ethan’s hand resting on my waist, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Ethan, I need a few minutes alone with Nora."

"No," Ethan’s voice left absolutely no room for negotiation. "If you have anything to say, Mr. Sterling, you can schedule an appointment at our office during business hours. Right now, it's personal time, and my wife needs to rest."

Julian’s jaw clenched tight.

"Nora, can you please ask him to give us a second? I only need five minutes."

Before I could even open my mouth, Chloe let out a sharp laugh.

She turned to Julian, her voice finally losing its sweet, fake tone.

"Five minutes? You chased her to her wedding, you followed her on her honeymoon, you crashed her dinner, and now you’re asking for five minutes? Julian, do you even hear yourself?"

Julian didn't look at her.

His eyes were glued to me. Water dripped from his lashes, but he didn't even blink.

"Nora, I won't try to explain what happened on the yacht five years ago anymore. I just want to ask you one question. If I hadn't jumped into the water back then, would you still have left?"

The sound of the rain suddenly felt deafening.

I looked at Julian. His expensive suit was soaked and clinging to his shoulders, his hair plastered to his forehead. He stood there in the downpour, waiting for an answer that was five years too late.

"Yes."

My voice was quiet, but firm.

"Even if you hadn't jumped, I would have left. Because from start to finish, you never once asked me how I felt standing on that deck, watching you kiss another woman."

Julian’s shoulders slumped instantly.

The smirk on Chloe’s face vanished completely. For the first time, the cracks in her arrogant facade showed.

Ethan pulled me a little closer to his side and looked down at me.

"Ready to go home?"

"Let's go home."

We turned and walked toward the car. Behind us, Chloe’s voice erupted, screaming at Julian.

"Are you happy now?! Did you hear her?! She would have left you anyway! You wasted five years of your life waiting for nothing!"

Julian didn't reply.

I got into the passenger seat, and Ethan started the engine. The windshield wipers began to sweep back and forth.

My phone screen lit up. It was a text from Julian. Only one line.

"You're right. I never asked you. Is it too late to ask now?"

I stared at the text for a long time.

"Cold? I can turn up the heater," Ethan’s voice drifted over from the driver's seat.

I locked my phone, flipped it face down on my lap, and shook my head at him.

"No, I'm good."

The car turned the corner, and in the rearview mirror, the two figures under the rain grew smaller and smaller until they were completely swallowed by the storm.