Chapter 3

We pulled up to the red light right before campus.

Chloe ducked away when Julian reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt. Made a whole show of it. Then turned around and gave me this soft, sweet little nod.

"Thanks for the ride. So nice meeting you, Willow. I'll just hop out here."

She shot Julian one quick look—pale, almost scared—and slipped out the door.

Julian's eyes locked onto her back. And then—I swear, like a switch flipped—he threw open his door and bolted after her.

I dug my nails into my palms until I tasted blood from biting the inside of my cheek.

He pulled a hand warmer and a packet of ginger tea out of his coat pocket and pressed them into her gloves like she was made of china.

His voice carried back through the wind.

"First day's always the worst, baby. Take care of yourself, okay?"

The tears came before I could stop them. I scrubbed them off fast.

He watched her walk in. Then turned around like he'd forgotten I existed.

He climbed back in the car. Sheepish.

"Chloe's an orphan, Will. It's a teacher-student thing. Don't read into it."

I nodded. Sure, Julian.

We barely got through the front gate before we ran straight into a pack of his students. Their eyes ping-ponged between us. Curious. Knowing.

One of them grinned. "Professor, is this your girlfriend?"

Before Julian could open his mouth, I dug a handful of holiday candies out of my purse and started passing them around.

"Not girlfriend," I said sweetly. "Fiancée."

Their faces lit up. "Oh my God, congrats!"

Julian's jaw locked. He grabbed my wrist.

"Willow. Let's go somewhere else. Now."

I waved at the students. Told them the wedding was coming up soon. Promised to send invites.

Around the corner, I saw exactly what I wanted to see—Chloe's silhouette, shoulders shaking, wiping her face, scurrying off.

Julian whirled on me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

I straightened my back. Met his eyes dead-on.

"Wrong with me? We saved enough to get married, didn't we?"

"Wasn't that the deal? Hit our number, we're done waiting?"

"Or are you backing out, Julian? Are you in love with someone else?"

The last one came out as a scream.

He flinched. Then his whole face went cold.

"Psycho."

He took off after Chloe. Left me there.

I couldn't hold the smile anymore. I slid down the wall and sobbed.

My phone exploded.

Mom.

I picked up. She was crying.

"Willow, baby—your dad had a stroke. He needs surgery tonight, and I—I didn't want to bother you, but the doctor says it's bad, sweetheart, I can't pull the money together fast enough—"

No time to fall apart. I opened our joint savings, ready to send everything.

Insufficient funds.

There was supposed to be seventy thousand dollars in there. Our wedding fund. I'd built it from nothing.

I typed the password again. Insufficient funds.

I pulled up the transaction history.

Three minutes ago. Julian had moved every cent.

Something inside me ripped wide open.

Julian came from money. Real money. People had whispered for years that I was a gold digger. To shut them up, I'd insisted on saving it myself. Every penny. Seventy grand and we marry. That was the deal.

He took it without telling me.

My fingers were shaking so hard I couldn't get the call to connect.

His ringtone floated toward me—he was already walking back, holding Chloe against him.

I lunged. Grabbed his arm. Chloe whimpered at the bump.

"Julian, where's the money? Where is it? Do you know what—"