Chapter 3

The three of us — me, Alexander, and Chloe — had known each other for twelve years, since our days at Columbia.

When Alexander confessed his feelings to me at the freshman mixer, Chloe stepped in front of me, furious.

“Alexander Thorne! Bella is the princess of the Vance family. You’re some broke scholarship boy. What, do you think she shines too bright for you? Are you trying to drag her off that pedestal with some cheap move like this?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I pulled her back.

“Chloe, I only got the top score in design class because Alexander helped me build the model.”

“And you know I hurt my hand before. He helped me organize all my notes.”

Back then, seeing the troubled look on Chloe's face, I figured she just thought I'd fallen for the wrong guy.

During college, everyone knew how good Alexander was to me.

Every day, he drove that beat-up secondhand car to pick me up.

He remembered my period better than I did.

That old backpack of his, worn shiny from years of use, was always packed with my favorite snacks and every emergency item I could possibly need.

By junior year, Alexander was already planning our future.

On the back of a business proposal, he wrote out his entire life plan — every detail — trying to prove to me that he could become someone I could count on.

Over the years, he kept every promise he made.

The company he founded went public,

and he became the youngest CEO in Wall Street history.

He was steady, never volatile.

No matter how busy work got, he still came home and cooked for me himself.

He chose the diamond ring with me.

He was going to propose at my birthday party this year.

Then next year, we would have our wedding in the Hamptons.

After that, we would have children of our own.

Every part of his plan had me in it.

But outside that plan...

There was Chloe.