Chapter 1

The apartment I shared with my fiancé, Ryan Carter, was supposed to become our home after the wedding.

But four years in, I was still nothing more than a temporary visitor.

Because every access card Ryan ever gave me was a temporary guest pass.

The thing deactivated every few days.

And whenever it failed at the elevator, I had no choice but to climb seventeen flights of stairs.

I'd complained more times than I could count.

Ryan's answer was always the same—impatient, dismissive.

"They only issue one permanent resident card. What's the big deal about climbing a few stairs?"

I put up with it for four years.

Until the day I twisted my ankle, standing in the stairwell with two heavy bags of groceries, shaking from the pain.

Ryan's phone rang and rang. No answer.

Then I heard it—his laugh, mixed with Sophie's, echoing from just outside the elevator.

Sophie swiped her card without hesitation. The screen lit up instantly:

Resident access verified.

She smiled. "I'm here every day. Might as well be my own place."

The motion-sensor lights clicked on, and that's when they spotted me—crumpled on the steps like something discarded.

A beat of awkward silence. Then Ryan jumped in with an explanation.

"Soph comes over a lot. Her guest pass probably just happened to work today."

I didn't argue.

I dragged my injured foot to the property management office.

The woman behind the desk pulled up the system, and her expression shifted—uncomfortable.

"Mr. Ryan Carter is the registered owner. The second permanent resident listed for this unit is Sophie Reed."

I froze.

"What do you mean?"

"Ms. Sophie Reed is registered as an authorized co-resident. Your name does not appear on the official resident list. You only have visitor-level access."

The stairwell had been suffocating in the summer heat.

But I was shaking from the cold.

Four years I'd lived here. And in the building's official records, I didn't exist.

I didn't go screaming to Ryan for an explanation.

Because that elevator? I was never riding it again.

…

When I got back to the apartment, Ryan was half-kneeling in front of Sophie, sliding a brand-new pair of soft house slippers onto her feet.

He saw me and frowned.

"Where'd you go? Where are the groceries?"

Sophie wiggled her toes and smiled sweetly.

"My heels were killing me, so Ryan picked these up for me. Claire, you're so lucky—your fiancé is the sweetest."

I looked down at my own ankle. Swollen. Purple.

Half an hour ago, I'd begged Ryan to come downstairs and help me.

His response: "Soph came all the way over. Stop dawdling and get back here to cook."

So my pain could be ignored.

But Sophie frowning slightly? That was something he couldn't bear.

I took a deep breath and tossed the dead guest card onto the coffee table.

"Ryan. Explain."

His eyes flickered.

"Card died again? I'll get you a new one."

"The property office says this apartment only has one permanent resident slot besides you."

I stared him down, every word deliberate.

"Why is Sophie listed as the authorized co-resident?"

The living room went dead silent.

Sophie stood up, eyes brimming red.

"Claire, there must be some mistake. I had no idea—"

Ryan cut her off sharply, stepping in front of her like a shield.

"It's just a housing registration. You really had to bring this up in front of her? You know how much Soph cares about you!"

I laughed. Bitterly.

"The co-resident registration requires the owner to submit it personally. Did the property office fill that out for you too?"

His face went dark.

"Yeah. I registered her. So what?"

"Soph works late sometimes and crashes here. Giving her the permanent card just made things easier."

"You already have a guest pass. It's not like you can't get in at all. You're my fiancée—you're family. Is this really worth making a scene over?"