Chapter 1
Iwake suddenly, and Salem’s persistent purring ticks like a metronome against the anxiety already thrumming through me. He presses against my cheek, a rumbling bundle of black fur and bone.
I squint at the time on my phone’s lock screen.
Just past five. The morning of my first day.
The commotion of early traffic rises from the street below as I roll out of bed, shivering at the cold floor under my feet. I shuffle over to my closet.
My hand hovers over the suit I’ve already chosen, lingering on what-ifs, and drifts to my other options before finally landing on one.
Navy suit, white blouse, heels that won’t pinch.
Salem weaves around my ankles, reminding me he’s the most important thing in my life, as if I could forget. I crouch, giving him a brief, distracted scratch behind the ears, and watch his green eyes squint with satisfaction.
Gliding through my apartment, I part the curtains slightly, keeping the light dim. Steam curls from my coffee pot, tracing spirals in the cool morning air.
I find there’s a small comfort in these familiar steps, a dance I know by heart.
As I fill my favorite mug, my mind drifts where I don’t want it to go.
To Pierce.
I close my eyes, inhaling the coffee’s bitterness. It’s been months since the breakup. I try to shake the memory, but it’s too stubborn. His voice, jarring as ever, when he first told me he couldn’t see me in his future anymore in the middle of bar prep.
“I want a family,” he said. “Soon. And you’re just getting started in your career. We both are. You said it yourself that you don’t even know if you want kids. Well, I do, and I want a wife that wants those things too.”
As he rambled on with all the reasons our relationship wasn’t heading where I had been led to believe it was going over the past three years, I stood there mostly silent.
Stunned. Shocked. Utterly confused.
It wasn’t until weeks later that I learned from a mutual friend that his parents had planted the idea in his head that he should be with a woman who would prioritize him over her own goals and start popping out grandchildren for them.
And like the golden boy that Pierson Prescott III is, he did as he was told. He was too much of a coward to fight for us. To fight for me.
Salem nips at my heel, pulling me back. His food dish, waiting. He purrs so loudly, the vibration travels up my leg. My only desire is to fall back into bed and let him snuggle against me until the thoughts stop pressing in, but it’s warring with the need to continue my morning routine.
I cannot blow this opportunity.
I have a new place, a new job, a new life I’m building. This job is the perfect reset.
Not that I could’ve stayed at my previous law firm anyway.
Pierce and I had been working at his father’s firm as student associates throughout our time in law school. Everyone knew we were together, and once the details of our breakup made the rounds, I couldn’t escape the pitying looks.
Worse than the looks were the questions I faced when our colleagues found out that Pierce, heir to the Prescott Law Partners empire, had failed the bar exam.
Coffee in hand, I trudge back to my bedroom to get dressed. As I step into my suit, I hear their voices again, an unshakable echo.
“How is he doing? He must be so devastated, especially coming from such a long line of successful attorneys,” they said. “Bless his heart.”
Like he hadn’t just smashed my heart to pieces.
I sip my coffee and breathe in the steam, willing it to settle my nerves. Watching my reflection in the window, I practice my introduction.
“Avery Anders,” I say, strong and confident.
A name that I hope can stand on its own someday.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
I pace my apartment, not giving attention to the bare walls, not thinking about what else I need to make it feel like home. It already does, more than I expected.
More memories surface, and I brush them away, more confident this time. Tension seeps into excitement as I run through my morning like a checklist, one last time.
I savor my triumph in black and white, rereading my offer letter at the kitchen counter.
Junior Associate.
Avery Anders.
It’s a gentle nudge to my confidence, as satisfying as the purrs reverberating from Salem’s chest when I scratch behind his ear and whisper, “It’s just you and me, buddy.”
As he pads off, I drink in the apartment, the unclaimed spaces begging to be filled with something new.
My life, reassembled just for me.
My eyes wander to the minimalist furniture. Nothing extra. It reminds me how far I’ve come from the shared abundance that was Pierce’s. A furnished past I left with no guarantee of the future.
I glance again at the letter. Bishop, Hollis, & Sterling stamped across the top, legitimizing this chance I was too scared to even consider six months ago.
The memory of my interview plays like a highlight reel. The sleek glass building was modern and intimidating. Walking in, my fingers were tight around the handle of my leather briefcase, knuckles white.
The panel of partners nodded at my answers, expressionless in a way that only lawyers can manage. They watched me closely.
My nerves had convinced me they were noting how unfit I was, how thin the sheen of confidence really spread.
I could barely breathe until the elevator doors whooshed shut behind me, isolating me from their scrutiny. But I’d done it.
Even as I play it back now, I’m still amazed.
I check my watch.
Early.
I have time to spare.
I toast a piece of bread, quickly spread butter across while it’s still warm, and eat standing at the counter.
Salem leaps down from where he’s perched on the windowsill and finds his way back to me, insistent as always. The sun peeks through the window, brushing Salem’s dark fur with soft light. He winds around my legs, ticklish and light.
“Wish me luck,” I whisper, feeling silly. “It’s a new beginning.”
Salem blinks in response.
I check and recheck. Necessary items, counted and counted again. Multiple times.
Briefcase. Check. Laptop, pens, notebooks. Check. Phone, wallet, keys. Check.
I check my watch again, like I hadn’t just done it a moment ago.
Deep breath.
“Just you and me,” I remind him.
I fill his bowl and pet his head, then turn to go.