Chapter 1

After ten years together, Leo still hadn't proposed.

I finally had to ask him if he was ever going to marry me.

He was calm, dodging the question like it was a business negotiation.

I looked down at the photo on my phone.

His new secretary was wearing the famous "True Love" diamond, in a one-of-a-kind wedding dress.

She was smiling, nestled against his chest, and he was looking back at her with so much tenderness in his eyes.

Suddenly, I didn't want a future with him anymore.

……

The new secretary, Maya, was a really bubbly girl.

As we were leaving work, she struck up a conversation with a smile.

"Is your fiancé picking you up again today, Sierra? I'm so jealous of you guys. Ten years and you're still sweet like newlyweds."

My rival, Jenna, let out a sneer.

"Ten years and still no ring? It's pretty obvious he has no intention of marrying her. It's pathetic to still call that love."

My friend, Chloe, jumped to my defense.

"You must not have heard that Mr. Foster paid a fortune for that 'True Love' diamond at an auction last month. And I heard from people at his company that a year ago, he flew to France to have a world-famous designer custom-make a one-of-a-kind wedding dress."

Jenna's face instantly soured.

Trying to save face, she shot back as she walked away, "Yeah, right. Just you wait and see."

Chloe wanted to keep arguing, but I put a hand on her arm and quietly told her to let it go.

Jenna wasn't wrong, though.

It really did seem like Leo had no intention of marrying me.

Stepping out of the office building, I saw that it had started to snow.

The icy wind cut through my scarf and chilled my neck.

I scanned the street but didn't see his familiar black Range Rover.

I glanced at my phone.

His messages, which used to flood my screen with 99+ notifications, had long since dwindled to one or two perfunctory announcements.

[I'm working late tonight. Grab an Uber home.]

I took a deep breath and called him back.

It rang for what felt like a full minute before he slowly answered.

"Hello? What's up?"

His voice was unusually hoarse.

I also heard a sweet, feminine voice in the background, which was quickly hushed as if someone had been warned.

Pretending not to notice, I asked, "What are you doing?"

I could hear the rustle of fabric on the other end.

Leo's tone became impatient and agitated.

"Working. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Wait," I interrupted. "Do you remember that today is our tenth anniversary?"

There was a sudden silence on his end.

I didn't give him a chance to hesitate or refuse.

"Come pick me up," I said. "I'll wait for you at my office."

Then, I hung up the phone.