Chapter 2: Heartbreak and High Society

I sat there in a daze.

The ice in my glass melted as I replayed it all in my mind. The buzz of people around me faded. For a moment, I was just floating, untethered.

I thought back to this morning, when I woke up and Luke kissed my forehead.

He brushed a stray hair from my face and whispered, "Morning, beautiful." The smell of his aftershave still lingered in the sheets.

At the time, I blushed and pushed him away.

I ducked my head under the covers. "What you did last night... I didn’t like it."

Luke helped me brush my hair.

He smoothed it back and said, "It won’t happen again."

"You said that last time."

Luke wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he smiled.

He winked, mischief in his voice. "Then what should I do? How about next time, I do it the way Rachel likes?"

I was so embarrassed my neck turned red.

I hid my face in the pillow. "Shut up. Aren’t you going to be late for overtime? Why aren’t you gone yet?"

Luke pretended to check his watch.

He put on a show, making a big deal out of it. "Hmm, I really have to go, or I won’t get this month’s attendance bonus."

He pecked my cheek. "I still need to save up to buy Rachel a bigger place—one with lots of light and those huge floor-to-ceiling windows."

Part of me wanted to believe him. The other part remembered every time he’d said the same thing before, and how I’d always let it slide.

For the hundredth time, I told him I really liked our current place. It was old, but cozy.

I wrapped myself tighter in my robe. "Actually, you didn’t have to put only my name on the deed, since you paid for it."

I lowered my voice. "If your parents found out, they’d be upset."

Luke dressed neatly and gave me a goodbye kiss.

He straightened his tie, looking suddenly serious. "How could it be unnecessary?"

He paused. "If something ever happens to me, at least you’ll have a roof over your head."

I swatted his arm, rolling my eyes. "Don’t jinx it!"

But I never thought his words would come true.

The prince would eventually return to his castle to marry the princess.

Cinderella was still foolishly working part-time, saving up for a decent home.