After Julian Vance's car accident left him blind, the flock of "it girls" who surrounded him vanished. I took care of him for three years. In the third year, miraculously, his sight returned. The Vance family proposed we get engaged. Julian agreed. Shortly after, his old flame, Chloe Vanderberg, moved back to New York. That night, the usually polished, arrogant Julian Vance lost control. He cornered her at a party, his voice a low growl. "Elara Shaw. What gives you the right to even be in the same room as me?" "You want me to call off my engagement? Fine. Get on your knees and beg." 1 Of course, Elara Shaw didn't kneel. She just stood there, looking fragile and perfect, tears welling in her eyes. A second later, Julian yanked her into his arms. They kissed. Hard. They looked like two lovers who had survived a war and were finally reunited. I had never seen that side of Julian. He clutched her, kissing her like he was trying to devour her—possessive, wild, and desperate. It was a kiss of deep, agonizing love and just as much hate. It was nothing like how he had been with me. Julian was always gentle with me. He would cup my face, his kisses feather-light, tracing from my chin to my forehead, my cheeks to my earlobes. He was so careful, so tender, as if he were afraid he’d break a priceless piece of art. But back then, his eyes were still dark. And Chloe was on another continent. Back then, it was just me and Julian in the Nantucket house, inseparable. I was his whole world. And he was mine. 2 The next day. "Sadie, you've been a godsend these past three years." Mrs. Vance smiled at me, that warm, professional smile of hers. "The family has decided to sign the deed to the Nantucket house over to you. As a thank you for taking care of Julian." I understood exactly what she meant. You can't let yourself get greedy. For a split second, I wondered what would have happened if Chloe had come back just a little bit later. If Julian and I had... It was a shame. We were so close. "You're a good girl. I've always wanted to thank you properly for what you did for Julian," she said, though she couldn't quite meet my eyes. Two weeks ago, she was the one who had asked me if I'd be willing to marry her son. Now, clearly, that plan was off the table. I shook my head, forcing my voice to be steady. "You don't need to thank me, Mrs. Vance. I was just doing my job." I'd seen this coming since last night. 3 After leaving Mrs. Vance, I went back to the staff annex. A moment later, my mother came into my room. She tapped my shoulder and signed, 'Are you hungry? Want me to make you something?' I shook my head. "I'm not hungry." She tilted her head, then signed again. 'What did Mrs. Vance say to you?' I debated for a moment, then told her. "She's giving me the Nantucket house. As a 'bonus' for taking care of Julian." My mother looked worried. 'That's too generous. We were just doing our jobs. You didn't accept, did you?' I nodded. Of course I accepted. If I refused, they'd think I was holding out for something else. Thankfully, the Vances had never mentioned the engagement to my mother. They'd only asked me. Suddenly, my mother's face lit up with a huge smile. 'Mr. Roberts said Ms. Chloe is coming for dinner tonight! I think she and Mr. Julian are getting back together. Oh, he must be so happy!' Three years ago, Chloe had broken up with Julian and left the country without a backward glance. He’d driven to a bar, gotten wasted, and wrapped his car around a pole, costing him his sight. Everyone in the Vance household knew how much he had suffered. A golden boy, the heir to the Vance fortune, struck down in his prime, living in darkness. Now, he finally had his miracle. Not only was his sight back, but the girl was back, too. For the Vance family, this was a celebration. No wonder my mom was so happy. 4 I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, helping my mom. Chloe was, as always, incredibly particular. The lobster had to be fresh from the tank. The asparagus had to be trimmed to only the tips. The filet mignon had to be cut to exactly 1.5 centimeters. My mom was always on high alert when Chloe came to visit. At dusk, Ms. Vanderberg finally arrived, on Julian's arm. They got out of his car, a perfectly matched set. He, the handsome heir; she, the stunning heiress. As they sat down for their romantic dinner, I tried to slip away. Chloe stopped me. "Sadie. Get me a glass of ice water." I went to the kitchen, filled a glass with ice and water, and brought it to her on a tray. She took it and frowned. "I asked for hot water." I was sure she'd said ice, but I just nodded. "My apologies. I'll get it now." I returned with a glass of warm water. She took it. Just as I was pulling the tray away, the glass "slipped" from her hand and shattered on the floor. "Ugh!" she yelped, then looked at me with a perfectly innocent, annoyed expression. "Sadie, if you didn't want to get it for me, you could have just said so. You didn't have to be so dramatic." I don't know why she always hated me. She’d been like this from the day we met. Her acting was terrible. I knelt to pick up the broken glass. A pair of white sneakers stopped in front of me. "Are you okay? Did you get burned?" Julian's voice was full of honeyed concern. He wasn't talking to me. "My hand," Chloe whimpered. "It's hot. Kiss it and make it better." I couldn't see Julian's face, but I knew his ears were turning red. They always did when I teased him. Back when he was mine, I'd thought it was so strange that this powerful, confident man could be so shy. Chloe's soft, victorious giggle brought me back. He must have kissed it. I finished cleaning up the glass and stood. "Sadie," Julian said, his voice hesitant. "Are... you okay?" I met his gaze. It was the first time he’d spoken to me directly in a week. I gave him my best customer-service smile. "I'm fine, Mr. Vance." A flicker of shock crossed his face. I hadn't called him that in years. I'd been eight when my mom and I came to the Vance estate. She'd told me to call him "Mr. Julian." I'd called him that until I was twenty-one. Until he lost his sight, and we fell in love. He'd made me promise to just call him "Julian." He said he loved the way his name sounded when I said it. 5 I went to my room and showered. I sat at my desk and opened a GMAT prep book. A little while later, my mom came in. She signed that she'd warmed up some milk and asked me to take it to the second floor. Chloe must have left. I didn't want to go. I told her I wasn't feeling well. She nodded and left. A minute later, my phone rang. It was Julian. "Are you hurt?" I was confused. "What?" "Your hand. Did you burn it?" I understood. He had a glass of warm milk every night. My mom has arthritis in her knee, so for the last three years, I was the one who brought it up. He must have been waiting. "No, I'm fine. Just... must be the change in the weather. I feel a cold coming on." Silence on his end. Then... "...I'm sorry." And... "...Thank you." It was abrupt, but I knew exactly what he meant. I'm sorry I can't marry you now that Chloe's back. Thank you for the last three years. After a long, heavy silence, I heard my own voice, sounding very far away. "It's okay, Mr. Vance. I've already forgotten all about it." He hung up.
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