Chapter 5

I put on my shoes by the door, my voice incredibly calm. "You don't need to clean the guest room. You two can have this whole place to yourselves. Julian, we’re done."

Melody's eyes instantly welled with tears. "Stella, this is my fault. I'll leave right now. Please don't ruin your wedding over this."

But Julian held her back, his eyes turning dangerous. "Let her go."

He leaned against the doorframe, his voice tight with anger. "If you walk out that door today, don't expect me to chase you. You have three days to come back and apologize. If you do, I’ll pretend this never happened."

I opened the door.

Julian added, "Stella, I won't cover for you with your parents. When they start asking questions, you deal with them yourself."

My steps paused for half a second.

For the past three years, my mother had bragged to everyone about how well I was marrying. My father had paraded the expensive whiskey and cigars Julian sent him in front of all our relatives.

Julian knew how much I dreaded disappointing them. He always knew exactly where to stab.

Melody chimed in softly, "Stella, your parents love Julian so much. You’re being so selfish."

I turned back to look at Julian. "Changing the bride's name on the invites, taking her to meet your family, letting her sleep in my bed... and I'm the one being selfish?"

Julian went silent for a second, but his arrogance quickly returned. "We can talk about all of that later. Get back inside. Who are you trying to put a show on for?"

I placed the keys on the shoe rack.

Julian’s eyes locked onto them, and his brow twitched. "You’re leaving the keys?"

I replied, "Like you said, you bought this place. Now that someone else is sleeping in the master bedroom, it’s not appropriate for me to keep these."

His face completely darkened. "Stella, do you have to be this dramatic?"

I didn't answer. I pulled my suitcase into the elevator.

Before the doors slid shut, Julian’s voice echoed down the hall: "Stella! If you walk out now, don't you dare come crawling back!"

As the elevator went down, I tossed the spare keycard straight into the trash chute.

My phone buzzed. It was Claire, the shelter director: [Stella, a National Geographic documentary crew is coming tomorrow to film some conservation footage. Can you help us out for one last day before you officially leave? They're looking for a veterinary consultant, and I think you’d be perfect for it.]

I typed back: [Sure.]

The moment my screen went dark, Melody’s Instagram popped up with an update.

She was standing in front of the master bedroom's floor-to-ceiling window. Her caption read: [After all the detours, I'm finally back where I feel safest.]

The next morning, I arrived at the shelter with my suitcase.

I changed into my scrubs, the familiar scent of disinfectant washing over me.

As I was bending down to adjust the heating lamp for a puppy that had just come out of surgery, the courtyard outside suddenly erupted into chaos.

Claire walked into the clinic room, wiping her hands, her face incredibly tense. "Stella, the National Geographic crew was filming, but Melody's PR team suddenly barged in with their own cameras."

My hands paused. "Who authorized that?"

Claire lowered her voice. "The shelter's main donor called and said Melody needs a 'charity angel' shoot. Julian is out there with her too. The documentary director, Zach Thorne, looks absolutely furious. He’s just standing there with his crew, mocking them."

I walked out to the courtyard. Melody was standing by the cages in a pristine white dress, surrounded by cameras.

She bent down, attempting to lift a golden puppy that had been neutered just yesterday. I immediately blocked the cage door. "He’s not even twenty-four hours post-op. You cannot hold him."

Melody looked up at me, her smile dripping with sweet innocence. "Stella, I just want to show everyone how cute he is. People will only donate if they see how sweet he is."

Julian stood just outside the camera frame, frowning. "Stella, don't make a scene here."

I stared right into his eyes. "His incisions haven't healed yet. If something happens, who takes the blame?"