Chapter 2

Nora's POV

The cold wind carried fine rain against my face, and only then did I realize how violently I was trembling.

I stood downstairs from the studio and looked back once.

Rowan hadn't come after me.

The rain grew heavier. I hadn't brought an umbrella.

My phone remained dead silent. Not even a halfhearted message appeared on the screen.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, mocking myself for being so foolish.

Nora Bennett, stop dreaming. He's never going to come after you.

I climbed into a taxi. When I gave the driver my address, my voice sounded so hoarse that I barely recognized it.

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror, then quietly turned up the heat.

"Here, wipe your face."

He handed me a box of tissues.

I murmured my thanks and lowered my head, scrolling through Instagram until I came across an old photo recently posted by our alumni association.

In the picture, Rowan and Vivian stood side by side on a lawn, each holding a bouquet of flowers. They were at the happiest point in their relationship, their eyes filled with nothing but love for each other.

That had been the best year of their lives together.

Then Vivian went to London for graduate school and dumped him without looking back.

Rowan had been devastated. I was the one who stayed by his side and helped him through it. I spent two whole years pursuing him before he finally agreed to be with me.

Looking back now, I realized they had never truly lost contact during those two years. They had even met up occasionally to "catch up."

He had given everything to Vivian, while I had mistaken the scraps falling through his fingers for the whole world.

"Here, wipe your face, miss."

The driver held out another tissue box from the front seat.

Only then did I realize I had been crying the entire time.

After returning to my apartment and taking a hot shower, I sat on the edge of my bed and sent a text to Professor Arthur Finch.

"Professor, I want to start painting again."

He called me immediately. His voice was full of barely concealed excitement.

"Nora, I've been waiting three whole years to hear those words! I always knew your talent deserved better than being buried by someone else."

The moment I heard him say that, the tears I'd been holding back all the way home finally spilled over.

Back then, Rowan had told me that a household didn't need two artists. Because his photography career was just beginning to take off, I had willingly put away my paintbrushes and become the person who took care of his daily needs.

He had probably long forgotten that I, too, had once been a rising star whose paintings attracted attention in art galleries.

"I'll book you a flight to San Francisco for next week."

"Three days from now," I said softly.

I would never put down my paintbrush again just to make his light shine brighter.

That evening, I went to the bar for my last shift, as usual.

Rowan had indeed given me an additional credit card with a generous spending limit, but I wanted to earn my own money.

The moment I walked through the door, I heard a burst of familiar laughter.

Vivian was sitting in a VIP booth, holding a long, slender cigarette between her fingers. Rowan leaned toward her with practiced ease and lit it for her.

Their effortless familiarity made it seem as though they had repeated the same little ritual hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

His friend Marcus lounged against the sofa and teased them.

"Honestly, you two have always been the perfect match. When the golden couple of our circle broke up, everyone thought it was such a shame."

Vivian smiled but said nothing.

Rowan lowered his eyes, looking distracted.

"Give it a rest."

Someone else laughed and steered the conversation toward me.

"Rowan, you were a complete wreck when you and Vivian broke up. You swore you'd never get married. How did you end up with Nora instead?"

"Seriously, guys, we still can't figure it out. What does she have that Vivian doesn't?"

The air suddenly went still.

Vivian tapped the ash from her cigarette and put on an air of magnanimity.

"That's all in the past. Why keep bringing it up?"

Yet her gaze kept drifting toward Rowan, subtly inviting his attention.

Rowan answered casually, his tone dripping with contempt.

"She wouldn't leave me alone, so I let her stick around for something to pass the time. That's all."

Vivian's lips curved into a smug smile, and the booth erupted in laughter.

I stood by the bar, feeling as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

Amid the laughter, Vivian tilted her head toward Rowan.

"What if I told you I regretted letting you go?"

"Would you break up with her for me?"

Rowan fell silent.

He didn't say yes.

But he didn't say no, either.

"I agree."

My voice cut through the silence.

The laughter stopped instantly.

Every pair of eyes in the booth turned toward me.