Chapter 1

This was the 100th time Sienna Ross had proposed to Julian Vance.

And just like the 99 times before, his answer was still no.

The reason was always the same.

They were still young.

He wasn't ready.

Sienna didn't overthink it, but when she returned from the restroom, she happened to hear him talking with his friends.

"Julian, man. Sienna’s a girl, and she’s proposed to you so many times. You’re still not saying yes?"

He leaned casually against the railing, a cocky smirk on his lips that didn't reach his eyes.

"She’s a freak in the sheets, but how could I ever marry that?"

The group erupted in laughter. "Then why've you been sleeping with her for so long? Doesn't that just prove you like the freaky type?"

His voice was cool, detached. "What man doesn't like a girl who’s wild in bed? But for a wife, you need a proper lady. Someone from the right family."

"Holy shit, you're talking about Quinn Taylor, aren't you? After all these years, you still haven't forgotten her!"

"How can you forget the one you fell for when you were just a kid? It's just a shame about Sienna. She still has no idea the only reason you even got close to her was because Quinn once said you were too handsome, that she didn't feel secure. Quinn told you if you could be in a long-term, committed relationship, she’d consider being with you. So you just picked Sienna at random, didn't you?"

"But I heard Quinn is coming back to the States soon. Julian, you better grab this chance."

Behind the door, Sienna felt like she’d been struck by lightning.

She stood frozen, struggling to breathe.

Back in school, she had developed early. Curvy, with a delicate face, she was stunningly beautiful, which led to her being ostracized by all the other girls.

The boys at school would whistle when she ran, their eyes raking over her with invasive stares.

It was Julian who had appeared in the middle of that humiliating chaos, smashing a basketball right into the guys who were gawking at her.

He was the princeling of their elite circle, the untouchable king of the school. No one dared to cross him.

From then on, he was her protector.

Even Sienna herself couldn't understand why he was so good to her.

He’d skip class, hopping the fence to buy her snacks.

He’d race through a snowstorm to bring a hot thermos of tea to her dorm when she was on her period.

On Christmas Eve, he bought every rose in the city and had them delivered to her.

For her birthday, he pulled the power on the entire campus and set off a universe of fireworks for her on the athletic field.

How could a girl's heart not flutter when the golden boy treated her like this?

She fell, completely and utterly.

After that, they naturally got together. The day she turned eighteen, he was eager to take her to bed.

It was her first time.

She was trembling with fear, and the pain was sharp, but she still held him close, whispering in his ear, "Julian, I love you."

His response, however, was, "Sienna, you're a fucking masterpiece. I'm about to come so hard…"

Over the years, the thing they did most wasn't going on dates.

It was fucking.

Everywhere. Every position. They had tried it all.

Her body had been trained, molded to fit his desires perfectly, yet he never, ever mentioned marriage.

She thought maybe he just didn't want the hassle of a complex proposal, so she swallowed her pride and proposed to him.

But she was rejected, time and time again.

Now, looking back, all the signs were there.

He had someone else in his heart.

He had never loved her.

She didn't push the door open and confront the ugly scene. Instead, she went home alone.

On her nightstand sat a glass jar, filled to the brim with folded paper wishing stars.

She took out the jar, folded one last star, and pushed it inside.

She had folded a star for every proposal. This was the 100th.

And the jar could hold no more.

She looked at the jar, a vessel overflowing with her own foolish wishes, and a bitter laugh escaped her lips as her eyes reddened.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, she tossed it into the trash.

She pulled a business card from her drawer and dialed the number on it.

"Director, I'll do it. I’ll be the lead actress in your new film."

The man on the other end was overjoyed but also stunned. "Are you sure? I remember bringing it up several times before, and you always refused."

"This film shoots overseas, a closed set, and it’ll take a few years. You told me your boyfriend was in a plane crash and has a psychological block, that he can't fly. If you go, you won't see him for years. You said you couldn't bear it. Besides, you two were about to get married."

Sienna let out a self-deprecating laugh and shook her head.

"I'm not getting married. And him… I'm never seeing him again."