The Week Before Forever Novel

She was a financially struggling student sponsored by his mentor, assigned to intern at his studio.The first time I sensed something was wrong was on Julian’s birthday.I brought a gift to his apartment, hoping to surprise him, and saw him walk in with Emily.“Happy birthday, Julian. This is a sketch I drew for you… It can’t compare to the watch Jane gave you, but… I stayed up all night working on it.”“Thank you. Sincerity is what matters most,” Julian said.A surge of anger shot up inside me. I stepped forward.“What do you mean it can’t compare to what I gave? Give your gift, fine, but why step on mine? Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it isn’t sincere.”“I—I didn’t mean it that way!” She jumped when she saw me, her face flushing red.Julian walked her out.“What’s there to be mad about?” He smiled at me after closing the door.“I don’t like her.”“She comes from a really poor background. It took everything for her to make it here. My mentor asked me to look out for her.”He said it would only be for a year.But those years became the ones we fought the most.Emily always appeared whenever Julian and I were alone.Sometimes with blueprints to ask questions, sometimes because her computer rendering failed and she needed help.Whenever I showed displeasure, she would lower her head, eyes red, saying nothing.To others, it looked like I was bullying her.Even Julian thought I was making a big deal out of nothing.“It’s just a small favor. What’s wrong with helping? I don’t even like her. Why are you so jealous?”But she made my skin crawl.She would call when Julian and I had planned to celebrate my courtroom win, saying her landlord kicked her out and she was panicking, needing Julian to help her move.She would claim acute gastroenteritis, ask Julian to take her to the ER, while I waited alone at the reserved restaurant for over an hour.Everyone told me not to be so petty.She had it hard. It was just helping out.But I couldn’t get past that knot in my chest.I fought, went cold, broke up.And after breaking up, I’d lie awake all night, pathetically reaching out to make up.Chloe was right. I couldn’t let him go. I truly couldn’t.Ten years of love had carved itself into my bones; trying to peel it away felt like a dull knife cutting flesh.I was afraid of the pain, so I chose compromise again and again.Until two months ago, when my dad suddenly had a heart attack.I was frantic, waiting outside the ER for news, trying to reach Julian to talk, calling over a dozen times with no answer.I held it together alone until dawn, when my dad was finally out of danger.Later I found out Julian had been accompanying Emily to some design gala that night, helping her network.He didn’t even know what my dad had gone through.In that moment, I realized breaking up didn’t seem that hard after all.