Chapter 2

On day one of our relationship, I warned Julian about Chloe.

"She's gorgeous," I said, "and she loves adding my boyfriends on WhatsApp. If you see a friend request from her, decline it."

Julian teased, "Are you afraid I'll fall for her?"

I gave him a faint smile. "I'm afraid she'll ruin you in bed. Every single ex of mine went completely limp after being with her."

He pulled me into his arms and spent half an hour reassuring me. "I would never touch her. You're the only girl I want to marry, Nora."

With my warning, Julian repeatedly rejected Chloe's requests.

He even laughed about it to me: "Your stepsister is relentless. She's tried adding me from ten different burn accounts."

I kissed his cheek as a reward. "Stay strong. Don't fall for her freaky games."

Without pausing, he swiped away another notification. "By the way, my parents want to have dinner with you. We've been dating for six months and they haven't met you. I talk about you so much they're already in love with you."

I paused, gently patting his head. "Let's wait a bit. Work is insane this quarter. Once it wraps up, dinner is on me."

"You don't need to pay! If you just show up, they'll be thrilled. We'll eat at my family's luxury hotel!"

Chloe grew impatient after failing to get his contact info, so she demanded to move in with me.

I naturally refused. But Mom was so eager to show off the upscale condo Julian had leased for me that she leaked my address without hesitation.

When I got home from work, Julian and Chloe were sitting on opposite ends of the living room sofa, scrolling through their phones.

Julian pulled me into the bedroom, looking annoyed. "I swear I didn't engage with her. Why the hell is she here?"

I shrugged casually. "Mom gave her the address. That's just how she is. Just ignore her."

He raised his hand to swear an oath, but an uneasy feeling stirred in my stomach. The image of them sitting on the sofa replayed in my mind.

Julian couldn't be that weak, could he? It took me six grueling months to reel him in—he couldn't possibly crumble in one night.

I felt a knot of anxiety. Part of it was my own insecurity; the other was knowing how frail a man's resolve really is.