Chapter 1Worth Less Than a Coupon

Adrian Vale was in his study on a video call when our internet cut out because the phone account had run out of credit.

I panicked and reloaded it with $50.

When he came out, he frowned the moment he realized I'd forgotten to use the promo code again.

"Leaving a coupon unused isn't generosity. It's stupidity."

Embarrassed, I tried to explain.

"I was afraid the connection would ruin your call, so I rushed.

"And it was only a dollar, so I thought..."

He'd already turned away in irritation.

Whenever I tried to defend myself, he answered me with silence.

And every single time, I was the one who apologized first.

I pressed my lips together and gave up.

"I'm sorry. I'll remember next time."

* * *

Nora's POV

Only then did Adrian hand me a smile, like he was doing me a favor.

"That's better. I'm thinking about our future too."

He rubbed my hair and went into the bedroom to change.

Then, under my puzzled stare, he said, "Celeste just finished Milan Fashion Week. Her team is having a celebration dinner tonight."

He placed the newest unopened iPhone he'd bought that morning into a gift box.

I tightened my grip around the phone I'd been using for five years, its screen visibly cracked.

My own phone had frozen the week before.

When I said I wanted a new one, Adrian told me to wait until the holiday sales.

But when my best friend Celeste Monroe wanted something, he never made her wait.

Before leaving, Adrian bent and kissed my cheek.

"Go to bed early. Don't wait up."

I looked at the plate of ribs I'd spent the entire afternoon making.

My throat tightened.

"Okay. I won't wait."

Not tonight.

Not anymore.

I sat alone at the dining table and forced myself to finish the ribs.

My stomach was painfully full when my phone started vibrating again and again.

It took nearly half a minute for the dying device to load my messages.

Celeste had sent me a voice note.

"Nora, thank you both for the gift. I love it.

"Especially Adrian. I only mentioned yesterday that I was tired of the orange color, and tonight he replaced it with the classic silver one. He's so thoughtful.

"If he treats a friend this well, he must spoil you even more in private. I really misjudged him when I used to think he was cold.

"I'm so happy for you. I really am."

I didn't even reach the end of the message before I grabbed the trash can and threw up.

Celeste sounded tipsy, but completely sincere.

Last week, when I asked for a new phone for my birthday, she'd been standing right there when Adrian refused.

She praised him for being practical.

She teased me for spending too freely.

I rinsed my mouth mechanically and tried to settle my stomach.

This wasn't the first time.

The month before, I worked late and missed the supermarket's evening discount window.

Adrian barely spoke to me for a week.

Then Celeste landed a Milan runway booking.

To celebrate, Adrian took her to a new high-end restaurant downtown.

Whenever he and I ate out, he planned around coupons.

That night, he tipped nearly a thousand dollars.

Two months earlier, we were at a tourist attraction when my period came early.

I asked him to buy me pads.

He looked annoyed.

"Didn't you stock up for a year during the last sale? Why would you buy them here at tourist prices?"

I was in pain and too humiliated to argue.

A woman nearby noticed and quietly gave me a spare pack.

Later, Adrian spent more than twelve thousand dollars at auction on an overpriced painting by an obscure foreign artist for Celeste.

That time, I finally confronted him.

He wiped my tears as if he truly didn't understand.

"Nora, groceries and household supplies only keep us alive. No matter how good they are, they're consumables. So we save where we can.

"But art and the things that feed the spirit are different. Some things are worth any price.

"Celeste and I came from the same kind of scarcity. When I give her something she once couldn't have, it's almost like I'm healing the younger version of myself too.

"You grew up never lacking anything. You've never really had some grand spiritual pursuit either. It's normal that you don't understand."

I no longer knew when it had happened.

But whenever Adrian talked about Celeste now, warmth softened his entire face.

It hadn't always been like this.