Chapter 1

Ryan Aldridge had one rule: he showed up for whoever needed him most.

The problem was, it was never me.

Throat swelling shut in the ER? He was unclogging Sloane Harrington's drain. Anniversary dinner? He left between courses because Sloane was "spiraling."

I forgave it every time. I was the cool girl. The understanding fiancée.

Then my studio caught fire, and a beam came down on my chest.

I lay there—bleeding, pinned, choking on smoke—and watched Ryan vault over me to carry out a woman with a sprained ankle.

"Jocelyn, come on. You can handle this. Look at her—she's shaking."

Something in me went still. Not broken. Finished.

I twisted off the ring with blood-slick fingers and let it disappear into the ash.

Then I disappeared too.

---

Jocelyn's POV

My fiancé ditched me in the ER for the hundredth time to unclog another woman's sink.

I was still hooked up to an IV when his phone buzzed. Three hours earlier, my throat had swollen shut from a hidden peanut in a salad. The nurses said another five minutes and I would've been dead.

Ryan showed up thirty minutes ago—expensive suit, concerned face, warm hand holding mine. The perfect fiancé.

Then Sloane called.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, already distracted, eyes on his phone.

I couldn't talk. My throat was too raw. I just shook my head.

"Doctor said you're fine now. Just rest." He tucked the blanket around me without looking. "I'll be right outside."

He walked to the corner of the room and answered. "Sloane, what's wrong?"

Even with my eyes closed, I could hear her crying through the speaker. High-pitched. Breathy. Dramatic.

"Hey, breathe. What happened?" His voice went soft. Gentle. The way it used to sound when he talked to me. "Your pipe burst? Don't touch anything. I'm coming right now."

I opened my eyes.

He was already grabbing his coat.

"Ryan."

He glanced back, surprised I was awake. "Sloane's apartment is flooding. She's freaking out. You heard the doctor—you're stable. I'll be back in an hour to pick you up."

"I almost died."

"But you didn't." He said it like I was being dramatic. "Sloane can't handle this alone. You know how she gets."

I stared at him. "And I can?"

"Jocelyn, come on." He sighed, annoyed now. "You're strong. You've always been strong. Sloane has anxiety—she's not like you."

"Right." My voice came out flat. Dead. "I'm strong. So I don't need you."

"Exactly." He smiled, missing the edge in my tone entirely. "I knew you'd understand. I'll see you soon."

The door clicked shut behind him.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the heart monitor beep. Slow. Steady. Still alive, apparently.

Ryan had a rule. He'd explained it a hundred times over five years: he didn't prioritize by love. He prioritized by need.

"You're independent, Jocelyn. You're a successful architect. Sloane has depression. She's fragile. If I don't help her, she could fall apart. It's not personal—it's just logic."

I used to believe him. Used to think I was lucky to be the strong one. The one he didn't have to worry about.

Now I saw it for what it was.

An excuse.

This wasn't the first time.

Last month, I landed my first major client. We had dinner reservations to celebrate. Sloane's cat ran away. Ryan left me at the restaurant and spent four hours helping her search.

Six months ago, my mother's death anniversary. He promised to drive me to the cemetery. Sloane's car broke down on the highway. He dropped me off at a gas station and went to pick her up instead.

Every single time, his logic was flawless. "Dinner can wait. You can visit your mom alone. Sloane is having a crisis right now."

Once, I'd tried to argue.

"When did you become so selfish?" he'd said, looking at me like I was a stranger. "Are you seriously jealous of a girl who has nothing?"

So I stopped arguing. Swallowed it. Told myself he loved me—he was just too kind.

But tonight, lying in a hospital bed after almost dying, I finally understood.

In Ryan's ranking system, Sloane's inconvenience would always matter more than my emergency.

I pressed the call button.

The nurse came in. "Need something, sweetie? Where'd your boyfriend go?"

"He left."

She frowned. "Left? But you're supposed to stay for observation—"

"I know." I sat up slowly, pulled the blanket off. "Can you take the IV out? I'm discharging myself."

"The doctor said—"

"I don't care what the doctor said." My voice was still hoarse, but steady. "I'm leaving."

She hesitated, then reached for the tape on my hand.

I twisted the engagement ring off my finger and dropped it on the bedside table.

It landed with a soft clink.

The nurse stared at it. Then at me.

"You okay, hon?"

I smiled. It felt strange on my face—like I'd forgotten how.

"Yeah," I said. "I think I finally am."