Julie Morgan graduated with her bachelor’s in journalism from the London School of Media. She’d gotten early acceptance into grad school, and she could barely wait to tell Cameron Taylor the good news.

His response? A cold, cutting glare. "Straight to grad school? Real smooth move to win everyone over, huh?"

"C’mon, spill," he pressed, leaning in so close she could taste the sarcasm dripping off every word. "What did you promise Silas Olson to pressure him into that spot? Let’s be real—you’ve always been a pro at wrapping men around your finger and cashing in favors."

That was all it took. Julie walked away from that hard-won early admission spot. She even quit the job she’d lined up. She moved into Cameron’s estate, The Grove, to be his little stay-at-home fiancée, waiting on his every whim.

She’d gotten used to those accusations of leeching off favors. After her parents died in the line of work, the Taylors took her in. Out of guilt, they didn’t just adopt her—they paired her off as Cameron’s fiancée. It was all arranged before she even got a say.

As a kid, she’d been naive enough to daydream about a happy future. But growing up slapped the rose-colored glasses right off her face. Cameron never had any intention of actually marrying her.

Just like Sophie Chavez once spat at her: "Miss Morgan, leaning on the memory of your parents’ friendship with the Taylors is one thing. Having them treat you like their own and hand you their son is another. You think you love Cameron, but really, you’re just in love with the idea of being part of this family. Do you have any idea how much you torture him?"

Was she really just selfish? Julie couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that she’d lost herself for that man. She’d bent over backwards, humbled herself again and again, just to please him. If this love hurt both of them this badly… maybe letting go sooner was better than later.

Julie shook herself back to the present. She’d already sent out half a dozen job applications. Breaking up with Cameron meant she’d have to stand on her own two feet from here on out. Laura Taylor still sent her a monthly allowance, and Cameron’s grandparents slipped her cash in envelopes whenever they saw her.

But Julie couldn’t keep taking it anymore. She wouldn’t touch the money in her account unless she had no other choice, and every time she did, she paid it back as fast as she could. Never again would she let anyone hold that over her head, use it as leverage to control her.

Yeah, right. If she went out to work, Cameron would accuse her of flirting with every guy she meets. If she stayed home, he’d mock her for leeching off his family and contributing nothing. Ha…

From now on, she’d be independent. She’d live life on her own terms, call all her own shots. No one got to tell her what to do ever again.

Clearing her head of the bitter memories, Julie headed for the hospital. Maryam had been critical overnight, but they’d stabilized her. She was still frail, but she lit up when she saw Julie, a bright smile tugging at her lips.

"Sister."

Maryam was Julie’s cousin—her aunt’s daughter. After her aunt died, Maryam’s dad remarried almost immediately and had a new son. Maryam might as well have been thrown out with the old moving boxes. Last year, Julie came back from a Taylor family gathering to find the skinny, shivering girl huddled by The Grove’s gate, clutching a tattered burlap sack, her cheeks bright red from the winter cold.

In her hand was a crumpled note with The Grove’s address scrawled on it. She wouldn’t meet anyone’s eye, just whispered, "Are you my sister? Mom said if anything ever went wrong, I should find you…"

That note was the last thing her mom left her—her only hope. It didn’t take Julie long to learn why Maryam’s family cast her off. She’d been born with liver dysfunction, and later got diagnosed with leukemia. She’d walked all the way to The Grove alone, and by the time Julie found her, she was sick enough to be admitted straight to the ER that same night.

Ever since, complication after complication kept her locked in the hospital bed almost nonstop. The medical bills vanished faster than water through a sieve…

And Cameron? He just got colder, more sarcastic. "Your Morgan family sure knows how to milk a crisis for all it’s worth, don’t they?"

Julie took a deep breath and lowered herself onto the edge of Maryam’s bed. "Sister!" Maryam froze, worry creasing her forehead. "Are you hurt? Where does it ache?"

Julie froze. She’d forgotten all about it. Last night, she’d rushed to the airport to catch the lead surgeon before he flew out. Traffic was gridlocked, so she jumped out of her cab and sprinted for the terminal. In her panic, she almost got hit head-on by a private car—only a last-second swerve kept it from being worse than a light scrape and a hard fall.

It was just a minor accident, but the fall left her covered in bruises and with nasty soft tissue damage. The pain had gotten worse overnight, making sitting or standing agonizing. Cameron, who’d mocked her openly just the night before, never even noticed. But Maryam, hooked up to tubes and barely strong enough to sit up, caught the awkward way Julie held herself and immediately knew something was wrong.

Scared by Julie’s silence, Maryam started crying soft, hitching sobs. "It’s okay, sis… Maryam will get better. Once I’m healthy, I’ll work and pay you back, I promise. I won’t make Cameron mad ever again…"

Even Maryam, stuck in the hospital and barely having met Cameron, could see how awful he treated her. How stupid was Julie, to stay blind for so long, to keep thinking sacrificing one more piece of herself would win his heart?

"It’s nothing, I just slept wrong," Julie promised, smiling gentle as she tapped the tip of Maryam’s nose. "Where’d you get the idea that you have to keep talking about paying me back? The best thing you can do to save me money is get healthy, got it?"

Her phone buzzed in her jeans pocket. Julie pulled it out quick— a reply to one of her job applications. The company name made her breath catch: Prominence Media.

She’d spammed applications to every media outlet in the city, desperate for any work, but she never expected her first interview invite to come from Prominence. The interview was scheduled for 1 PM that same day.

After she got Maryam settled, Julie hurried out for the interview. Prominence Media was one of the top global news corporations out there—every journalism grad’s dream job. Julie had been top of her class in college, her graduation project got special recognition, even won one of the rare special achievement awards.

Right after graduation, Prominence gave her an offer. But she’d thrown her entire future away just to be Cameron’s "perfect" waiting wife. And Cameron had taught her a brutal, ruthless lesson: a woman without money or a career has no dignity, no standing. Love is just a useless, broken promise—especially when you never had it to begin with.

"Miss Morgan, looking at your resume, your expertise is in social news, but this position is focused on entertainment. Will that be a problem for you?"

"Entertainment journalism is fine. I can do it."

"So, Miss Morgan, when can you start?"

"I can start today."

Julie needed the money. She needed a steady, respectable job. She needed the strength to walk away and never look back. But after she finished all her new hire paperwork, she rounded the corner outside HR and came face-to-face with a familiar man, that gentle, warm smile of his…

"Hey Julie, it’s been forever," Silas Olson greets her with that familiar, lazy grin.

Julie Morgan blinks, caught off guard for a beat. "Yeah, Silas. It really has."

She’d thought he was still overseas. After all, he’d made it clear he wasn’t sticking around to let Cameron Taylor keep misreading their relationship, that he’d stay out of both their lives. She never expected him to sneak back to New York and show up at Horizon Media out of nowhere. Wait a second… her last-minute interview, getting hired on the spot… that probably wasn’t just luck, was it?

He falls into step beside her. "Heading back to the desk? Did he even okay this?"

Julie grabs her finalized HR paperwork, hesitates for half a second, then answers steady and sure: "We’re not together anymore."

Silas stops short, surprise flaring in his dark eyes. "Did the Taylors agree to that?"

Julie shakes her head. "The Taylors don’t know. Cameron was the one who called it off. I’m not going to beg them to accept me."

Why drag everyone through the mess? Laura Taylor would probably just kick up a fuss anyway. Who wants to stay in a relationship out of threats and coercion, anyway?

Silas pauses, then shifts gears smoothly. "Sticking you on entertainment beat might not be the best move. If you don’t want it…"

"It’s fine. Being a reporter sounds great," Julie answers with a small smile.

He’d already done so much for her. She didn’t want to owe him any more than she already did.

The entertainment department is split into a handful of teams.

Julie gets assigned to a team run by Khloe Boyd, their middle-aged editor-in-chief. Sharp, slim, glasses perched on her nose, she’s sipping cold coffee and grumbling under her breath: "Sophie Chavez is going public with her relationship now? Does she even care if we ever get to clock out of here tonight?"

Julie’s heart skips a sickening beat.

That soon?

She’d just moved out of their old apartment that morning. By the afternoon, Cameron and Sophie were already announcing they were together. They really couldn’t even wait, could they?

"Hell yeah! The guy’s Cameron Taylor from Taylor Industries, and he’s just handed us our next front page… Hey, new girl! You take this announcement write-up, yeah?"

Speed is everything in entertainment news. Sophie Chavez is A-list — the second she drops the news, every outlet has to rush out a story before the competition beats them to it.

"Got some exclusive shots here for you. Can you knock out the copy?" A young coworker named Ryan Dunn asks, polite and warm. "Just need it in a couple minutes, that’s all."

Everyone knows Julie’s here because of Silas.

He’d moved back to the States earlier this year and stepped into the role of Horizon’s chief editor, and it sent the whole office into a tizzy. Once everyone dug around, they found out not only did he have a killer resume from his years abroad, he was also the actual heir to the whole company…

So anyone he brought in gets a little extra courtesy — especially Julie, who’s way more stunning than anyone expected. Even the entertainment crew, who see glamorous celebrities every single day, did a double-take when she walked in.

Julie glances over the photos quick, and has the draft done in under a minute.

Good, she thinks to herself. My skills haven’t gone rusty. My instincts are still sharp. I can even look at photos of Cameron and Sophie together and not break.

Not that long ago, just hearing they were together would’ve left her gasping for air.

She once thought she couldn’t survive without Cameron.

Funny enough, she’s handling the breakup better than she ever imagined.

Time and distance really do wear away even the deepest, most passionate love a woman can feel, she realizes. She once thought her feelings for him were as endless as the ocean. Thirteen years later, they’re completely dried up.

Letting go isn’t half as hard as she thought it’d be. She just never tried before.

...

The photos were taken in the early hours of that same morning.

Cameron and Sophie are standing side by side outside a fancy downtown club. Streetlight glows over them, night breeze tangling their hair, and Cameron is gently draping his coat over her shoulders.

That’s the exact same night Julie showed up at that club, desperate just to see him.

Because Cameron wouldn’t answer her calls, wouldn’t meet her, she’d driven all the way out to the airport just to catch him before he left…

She never guessed that the second she walked away, he went straight to Sophie.

A single extra second with her was a waste of his time, but he’d spend endless hours on the woman he actually wanted.

Sophie’s the oldest daughter of the Chavez family, a performing arts grad from Empire State University. Between her family’s money and Cameron’s backing, her career’s blowing up nonstop.

Yeah. They’re perfect for each other.

...

Julie’s buried neck-deep in work when Cameron’s call pops up on her screen, and her brain goes completely blank for a second. She answers before she can think better of it.

"You’re not home. Where are you?"

Cameron’s voice comes through cold, sharp, demanding.

"I…" Julie fumbles, no words coming out.

"I’m giving you half an hour to get back here."

Before Julie can even say a word, he hangs up.

Julie stares at her screen for a full thirty seconds, stunned.

Then she huffs a disbelieving laugh.

Right in front of her lies the half-finished draft of Cameron and Sophie’s big new relationship story.

If she hadn’t jumped back into journalism, she probably never would’ve stumbled on all these exclusive details. She never would’ve guessed their relationship started this early…

She glances at the clock. It’s 1:30 AM.

Cameron’s out all night every other night, rolling in at 4 AM, but he still expects her to follow all his stupid old-fashioned rules.

Well, from now on? Anybody else who wants to be his perfect little housewife can have the spot. She’s not playing that game anymore.

Julie turns back to her work and keeps drafting her article.

Sophie’s big announcement is just one vague, cryptic line: "From today, we officially belong to each other."

And a selfie of her hand, a huge diamond ring glinting on her finger.

It’s either a tease, or a full-on engagement announcement to her one true love.

And that true love, every single source says, is Cameron Taylor…

To get the full scoop before anyone else, the whole team’s probably pulling an all-nighter.

"Got it!" Ryan suddenly yells, excited out of his mind. "I got the security cam footage of Cameron and Sophie picking out that diamond ring!"

The whole team crowds around his screen in seconds.

"This afternoon, they went to Truelove Jewelry, spent the whole damn afternoon picking out the ring!" Ryan brags. "It’s internal store footage — I got a buddy who works there that hooked me up."

Amidst all the whooping and cheers, Julie leans in to get a good look at the clip.

Yep. That’s definitely Cameron, right there beside Sophie.

Their heads are almost touching as they lean in to look at the trays of jewelry spread out in front of them.

The whole time, staff keep bringing more and more pieces over for them to try.

What a… perfect, enviable little moment.

Cameron’s warning from that same morning echoes in her head: "I’ve got a huge important meeting later, don’t waste my time."

Turns out his "important meeting" was spending the whole afternoon picking out a diamond ring with Sophie.

TrueLove isn’t just any jewelry store—it’s the prestigious spot everyone knows for engagement rings and wedding pieces. Julie Morgan still remembered vividly when she’d visited its flagship downtown Manhattan store as a kid, right after she’d moved in with the Taylor family. Back then, she’d pressed her nose flat to the storefront glass, completely mesmerized by the glittering diamond sets glowing inside.

Cameron Taylor, who was a few years older than her, had wandered over, laced his fingers through hers, and tugged her away. “What’s so interesting about that anyway?” he’d asked, thick with impatience.

"You’re gonna buy all of it for me someday!" Back then, she’d been young, bold, and didn’t hold anything back.

"Fine." He never even turned to look at her, but the tips of his ears had flushed soft pink.

For years after that, every time Julie passed TrueLove’s flagship store, she couldn’t stop a smile from tugging at her lips. She’d think of his promise, and that faint pink blush on his ears. Even when Cameron grew colder and more distant, even when he barely acknowledged her anymore, she’d clung to that memory like a lifeline.

She never once imagined that the woman walking into the store with him wouldn’t be her.

The sharp trill of her phone cut through the quiet. Julie fumbled it out, mumbled a quick apology to anyone nearby, and answered.

"You’ve been gone half an hour," Cameron’s voice came out ice-cold.

"Oh," Julie answered, totally unbothered.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cameron nearly growled the words.

Julie stepped into a quiet, out-of-the-way corner to make sure no one could overhear. "Just reminiscing about your very sweet romantic history."

Dead silence stretched over the line. "Julie, do you even hear what you’re saying?"

Julie knew she’d gotten under his skin. A day ago, this would’ve had her scared, twisting with anxiety. But now her chest felt empty, like a snow-covered wilderness—frozen, but holding the quiet promise of sunshine once the snow melts.

"If that’s all, I’m hanging up. Oh… congratulations on finding your new love today, Cameron."

After she ended the call, Julie blocked his number. That still didn’t feel like enough, so she turned her phone completely off.

When she stepped out of Khloe Boyd’s office building, the sky stretched overhead pale and soft blue.

"Make sure you rest when you get home, but keep your phone on—we need to be able to reach you," Khloe Boyd advised. After pulling an all-nighter working side-by-side with Julie, the whole team had grown to respect how sharp she was.

Khloe leaned into that familiar mentoring tone she used. "Sophie Chavez’s position probably isn’t gonna shift much anytime soon, but we need to be ready for anything that pops up."

Julie doubted there would be any surprises. As long as the Taylor family gave their blessing, Cameron and Sophie could walk down the aisle tomorrow. She was actually grateful for everything she’d learned the night before—it had cut through the last frayed threads of attachment and resentment she’d still been holding onto.

A sleek silver-gray Maserati purred to a stop at the curb. The window rolled down, and Silas Olson’s handsome face came into view.

"Where you staying now?" he asked.

"I’m… at a hotel temporarily," Julie answered.

"Hop in. I’ll give you a ride," Silas said, his voice gentle but unarguable.

Julie hesitated for just a second. A stream of her colleagues poured out of the building, still buzzing from the all-nighter. Worried one of them would spot her, she slipped into the passenger seat fast.

"This job’s brutal, huh? Swapping days for nights nonstop," Silas remarked, handing her a warm paper cup.

To her surprise, it was hot coffee—her go-to. Julie smiled. "I’m used to it."

"You’re the most talented journalist I’ve ever worked with," Silas said, grinning. "Remember seven years ago, when we were stateside together…"

"Silas!" Julie cut him off quickly.

Silas’s expression dimmed a little, turning somber.

"He never found out, did he?" Silas’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. "All you gave up, everything you invested…"

"It’s all in the past," Julie said softly. "Thanks for keeping my secret."

From the time she was little, she’d told herself love wasn’t about favors, or charity, and it was never coercion. Pure feelings don’t need outside pressure to grow.

She couldn’t blame anyone for how things ended with Cameron.

The car fell quiet. Julie turned her phone back on, and was flooded with dozens of missed calls—all from numbers she’d already blocked. There was one unlabeled text, but Julie recognized the number instantly.

*Julie Morgan, you better never pick up that phone for me again.*

That was all Cameron wrote. Julie added his number to her blocked list for good measure.

Silas didn’t press her for her address, just dropped her off at a five-star hotel downtown.

Julie glanced up at the glittering facade and laughed softly. "Silas, this place is way too fancy. Can we go somewhere cheaper?"

She couldn’t afford a place like this right now, not after leaving the way she did.

"The firm’s covering it, just go on in," Silas assured her. He’d already checked her in, and handed her the key card. "I’ll leave you to rest. Take two days off, yeah?"

As he pulled away, his smile faded, his expression tightening just a little.

Julie didn’t have any luggage with her. She’d left the Taylor house completely empty-handed—didn’t even take any of her own money when she walked out.

Cameron certainly knew how to end things cold. No loose ends, no mercy.

Julie swiped into her room, and found Silas had booked her a deluxe river-view suite. Sunlight glinted off the water, pouring through the window and warming the toes of her shoes.

When she pressed the button to close the curtains, the last sliver of sunlight faded from view. Finally, she could let her guard down, and let the last of that old sadness melt away.

A few days back, Julie had gone to visit Maryam in the hospital. While she was gone, Sophie had snuck into Julie’s villa and swiped the most expensive butterfly brooch right out of her jewelry box, no permission asked.

Sophie had been too arrogant to cover her tracks, and Julie noticed the second she got home.

She heard Sophie was at Cameron’s office, so Julie hurried straight over.

Outside his office door, they’d screamed at each other. Julie slapped Sophie hard, sending her tumbling to the ground.

That was when Cameron walked out.

Sophie clung to him, sobbing hard. "Cameron, Julie says I stole her jewelry, but I didn’t. She won’t believe me… you saw it, she hit me for no reason…"

Julie bit her lip until it stung. "Cameron, it’s the butterfly brooch—she took it—"

"I don’t care about your stupid brooch," Cameron cut her off cooly, glowering at her. "Even if someone took your stuff, that’s no excuse to hit anyone. Julie Morgan, you’re far too spoiled."

Looking back, Julie guessed he was right. She had been spoiled. The Taylor family had spoiled her rotten, given her endless confidence that made her act like she could have anything she wanted. And that brooch mattered more to her than anything, so she’d lashed out.

In the heat of the moment, she’d shot back at him: "I already hit her. What are you gonna do about it?"

If Sophie didn’t give that brooch back, Julie would call her out every single time she saw her.

They stared each other down for a long moment, then Cameron’s face went frosty. "Apologize, and I’ll give you one last chance. If you don’t, you’ll never be a Taylor, never be my wife."

Suddenly, ice washed right through Julie’s veins. She heard herself ask him, calm as anything: "If I refuse to apologize, then what?"

"We call off the engagement," Cameron answered, his eyes completely empty of any warmth.

"Apologize, or we break up. Your choice."