Four days passed before Julian came home.
I was sitting at the kitchen island, going through trial data on my laptop. A key turned in the front lock.
Julian stepped inside. He took off his navy wool coat and hung it on the hook by the door. He moved casually, like he was just coming home from a normal day at the office.
"Hey," he said softly. He walked into the kitchen. "Marcus called me yesterday. The launch presentation went well. You handled the room."
He reached out to touch my shoulder.
I leaned away.
His hand stayed in the air for a second, then dropped. He let out a long, heavy sigh and rubbed his temples.
"Viviana, please. Let’s not do this."
"You married another woman, Julian," I said. My voice was very low. "Four days ago."
"It wasn't a real wedding," he said. He pulled out a stool across from me and sat down. He spoke slowly, the way someone talks to an upset child. "Scarlet has six months left, Viv. Maybe less. She was suicidal. If I hadn't given her that ceremony, she would be dead right now."
He leaned closer, resting his forearms on the marble counter.
"Once she passes, we file for an annulment. Then we have our real wedding. I just need you to be bigger than this."
*Be bigger than this.*
I stared at his face. I had loved that face for six years.
"Why was she wearing my dress?" I asked quietly.
His eyes twitched. Just for a fraction of a second, his smooth expression cracked.
Then his brows drew together, and his voice turned sharp and defensive.
"She's dying, Viviana. She wanted to feel beautiful one last time. Are you really going to make this about a dress?"
There it was.
The exact rhythm of the trap. Every time he crossed a line, he twisted it until I looked like the monster. If I objected, I was petty. If I asked for basic respect, I was heartless.
For six years, I had apologized for his bad behavior. I had shrunk myself down so he could feel like a good man.
I didn't answer him. I closed my laptop, slid off the stool, and picked up my notebook.
"I'm sleeping in the guest room," I said.
Julian scoffed behind me. "Think about what I said, Viv. Don't throw our future away over pride."
***
A week went by.
Julian stayed at a hotel near the hospital. He sent a few short texts about our patent filings, and I kept my answers strictly professional.
Then, on Friday morning, my phone rang.
"Viviana," Julian said the second I picked up. He sounded out of breath and strained. "The oncologists at Mount Sinai asked to speak with both of us. They want to go over Scarlet’s options."
I gripped the phone tightly. "Why me, Julian? I am not her family. I am not her doctor."
"They have questions about your research," he said quickly. "And about donor compatibility. Please. Room 412. It’s important, Viv. Just come."
He hung up before I could ask another question.
I sat at my desk for a long time.
A sharp voice inside told me to stay put. But another voice—an old, stubborn habit of duty—kept tugging at me. I had loved him for six years. You don't wipe out six years of devotion in a single week. A small, foolish part of me still wanted to believe he wasn't entirely evil.
I grabbed my bag and hailed a cab uptown.
The fourth floor of Mount Sinai smelled of harsh antiseptic and cold coffee.
I found Room 412 and pushed the heavy door open.
It was a private corner room. The blinds were drawn against the gray morning sky, keeping the space dim.
Scarlet was sitting in the middle of the bed. She wore an oversized pink knit sweater. Her face was bone white, and dark purple shadows circled her eyes.
Julian stood by the window with his back to the glass.
The moment the door clicked shut, Scarlet gasped.
She threw off the bedsheet. Before I could take a step back, she swung her legs over the railing and dropped straight to the linoleum floor.
"Viviana!" she cried out.
She crawled forward on her knees and grabbed my hands. Her fingers were clammy and freezing.
"I am so sorry," Scarlet sobbed, hot tears running down her cheeks. "I ruined your wedding. I took your dress. I know you hate me, but I was just so scared of dying alone..."
I stiffened, trying to pull my hands free, but her grip was desperate.
"The lab just got the panel back," Scarlet wept, tilting her head back to look up at me. Her bottom lip trembled. "None of the national registries have a bone marrow match for me. But you... Julian had them run your blood from our company database. You're an exact match, Viviana. You're the only person who can save my life."
The air left my chest.
*My blood from the company database.* He had taken my private medical records from the lab.
I slowly looked past Scarlet’s bowed head and met Julian’s eyes.
He didn't move to help her up. He stood tall by the bedside table, his arms folded across his chest. He looked down at me with absolute moral authority.
He reached out, picked up a blue paper folder, and tossed it onto the table between us.
The folder fell open. Inside were pre-operative surgical forms and a bone marrow donor agreement.
"Sign them, Viviana," Julian said coldly. "Her life is in your hands."
