Big things, like getting Julian to pretend to be her boyfriend to make an ex jealous.

Small things, like picking a piece of cilantro out of her food and putting it in Julian's bowl for him to eat.

We fought countless times because of his "childhood friend."

At first, Julian would patiently explain things to me. But later, his heart always leaned towards Aurora.

Finally, one night, Aurora called Julian late. Again. I broke down.

I cried, begging him not to go. I clung to his shirt, my fingers digging in.

Julian's face was cold. He pried my fingers off, one by one.

"Aurora is timid," he said. "If I don't go, what will she do all alone?"

What about me?

Wasn't I scared?

Just as he was about to walk out the door, I stumbled forward and wrapped my arms around him from behind.

"Julian," I said urgently. "Let's get married, okay?"

Years of insecurity had chipped away at my sense of safety. I desperately needed a guarantee.

I thought if we just got married, Aurora Reed would disappear forever. Our lives would go back to normal.

I was so desperate then that I didn't even notice the obvious hesitation and reluctance in Julian's voice when he said yes.

After he agreed, I was overjoyed.

But he still left.

He said he would marry me, then walked out the door to another woman's house.

My thoughts cleared. I closed my eyes. The pain in my body left me with no energy to argue with him.

My silence must have looked like proof that I was just making a fuss because of Aurora.

He softened his voice and stroked my hair. "Alright," he said. "Just come apologize to Aurora, and I'll still marry you."

His tone was condescending. Marrying me was a favor, a charity case.

Why did our marriage depend on another woman's mood?

A wave of intense humiliation washed over me. I shoved him away hard and shouted, "Are you deaf? I said I want to call off the engagement!"

Julian stumbled back a few steps. His face was livid.

"Don't push me, Olivia! Even if you want to call off the engagement, you're still going to apologize to Aurora!"

He reached out and grabbed my arm again. I flinched violently and bit down hard on his hand.

While he was in pain, I stumbled back to the balcony and grabbed the railing.

Julian clutched his bleeding arm, his brows furrowed. "Olivia, are you crazy? Do you really think threatening suicide will scare me?"

He pulled out his phone and showed me a video.

"April," I heard him say in the video. "Are you giving up on her too?"

My heart seized in my chest.

"Come down and apologize to Aurora," he said, his voice cold. "And I'll give her back to you."

The video showed April, our four-month-old kitten, meowing pathetically.

My eyes widened. I stared at him in disbelief.

We found April as a stray kitten together. The day we brought her home, Julian said she was our first baby.