Chapter 4

Nathan frowned. “What?”

“Since she’s so remarkably pure, have her write your pitch deck. Put her on stage for the investor showcase. Let her negotiate the term sheets.”

Evelyn picked up the beat, laughing without a trace of mercy.

“Here’s to ringing the opening bell on Wall Street with a high school essay!”

Chloe went pale.

“Evelyn, you can insult me all you want, but don't mess with Nathan’s future out of spite! I’ll learn! I’m willing to start from the absolute bottom!”

“Whether you learn or not is your business,” I said, looking straight at her. “Just stop inserting your future into my life.”

Nathan stepped in front of her, his tone going entirely cold.

“Nora, do you really have to burn every bridge tonight?”

“You were the one who forced someone I couldn't accept onto me.”

“I was only asking you to help her transition to city life!”

“And I said no.”

“Then there’s no point in discussing the co-founder position either.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the hallway fell dead silent.

I had spent countless sleepless nights building the foundation for that role.

Nathan knew better than anyone how much hope I had pinned on our shared venture.

So he treated it like leverage.

He believed that taking it away would force me to fold.

I pulled a tissue from my purse and wiped away the half-moon indentations my fingernails had pressed into my palm.

“Fine.”

Nathan’s eyes flickered with a sudden beat of uncertainty.

“Think this through.”

“I already have.”

As I turned to leave, his hand shot out and clamped around my wrist, only to let go almost immediately.

“I can pretend tonight never happened. Come find me before commencement, and your spot will still be waiting.”

I didn't turn back.

Evelyn caught up and took my arm.

Only when the heavy fire door at the end of the corridor clicked shut behind us did she let out a long, shuddering breath.

The stairwell was dim.

She reached into her purse, pulled out a mint, and handed it to me. It was the exact same brand she had brought to my hospital room in our previous life.

Her voice was raw.

“That call… I stayed on the line until the very end.”

The wrapper crinkled between my fingers.

“I’m sorry.”

“What the hell are you apologizing for?” Evelyn snapped, her eyes brimming with tears as she glared at me. “This time around, neither of us is digging his grave.”

I unwrapped the mint. The sharp burst of peppermint cut through the phantom ache in my throat.

When we reached the ground floor, I paused by the glass exit doors.

Outside, streetlights illuminated the city—a path I had never walked before.

“Evelyn.”

“Yeah?”

“Did your New Zealand visa clear?”

Three days before commencement, Nathan’s mother showed up at my dorm room.

She didn't mention the disaster at the graduation dinner. Instead, she set an apartment key and a debit card down on my desk.

“Nathan has pride. He doesn't know how to apologize. You’ve known him for four years; you know his bark is worse than his bite.”

I didn't touch either item.

Mrs. Miller studied me, her voice smooth and maternal.

“The apartment is close to the tech incubator you two are working out of. If you don't like the furniture, get whatever you want.”

“As for Chloe, I’ll deal with her. I won’t let her disrupt your wedding plans down the line.”

Evelyn looked up from her paperwork across the room.

“And how exactly do you plan to deal with her, Mrs. Miller?”

“That is Miller family business,” she said, giving Evelyn a dismissive glance before turning back to me. “Nora, Nathan asking you out publicly means he’s serious about you. Chloe’s father saved my husband’s life; Nathan can’t simply cast her aside.”

“Once you marry into the family, help guide him. Keep gratitude and marriage in their proper lanes, that’s all.”

An apartment, a bank card, offering to clear my obstacles—every sentence sounded like an elevation of my status.

Yet the person expected to swallow the moral debt and maintain the Miller family’s prestige was still me.

“Mrs. Miller, take these back.”

I pushed the key across the desk. Her smile faded instantly.

“Are you still throwing a tantrum over a girl who doesn't know any better?”

“No.” I placed the debit card on top of the key. “I’m not seeing Nathan anymore.”

“Relationships aren't a game, Nora.”

“Which is why I’m done playing.”