Chapter 4 He Gave My Future to Someone Else

Nora's POV

Adrian went through the Milan program's selection criteria with me again.

The university nomination was based on three things: portfolio, grades, and faculty evaluations.

My portfolio had ranked first in the preliminary review, and my grades were among the highest in my department.

Unless the committee had suddenly added some new criterion they'd never disclosed, Paige Whitmore shouldn't have been the one nominated.

Early the next morning, I took my transcript, preliminary selection email, and a printed copy of my portfolio to the university.

My faculty advisor's smile faltered when she saw me.

"Nora. You've received the email?"

"Yes. I'd like to see the final scores."

She didn't take the documents I offered her.

"After considering all the candidates, the committee decided Paige was better suited to represent the university."

"Based on what?"

"Grades aren't the only factor. We also consider how well a candidate fits the program, outside recommendations, and overall performance."

My fingers slowly tightened around the folder.

Outside recommendations.

That wasn't listed anywhere in the application guidelines.

And until yesterday, she'd been telling me that as long as I submitted everything required, my nomination was practically secure.

"Where does it say that on the scoring sheet?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she turned over the papers on her desk, covering the list on top.

"When did Paige have her final evaluation?"

My advisor looked away.

"This was the committee's decision."

"Then please send me our scores, the evaluation criteria, and the records showing when the nomination list was changed."

"Those are internal documents."

"The university accepted my application under its published rules. It should evaluate me under those same rules."

I placed my preliminary selection email on her desk.

"If the criteria changed, I need a written explanation."

She was quiet for a moment.

Then her voice turned cold.

"The final nomination has already been confirmed. Continuing to question it won't change anything. You'll only make this unpleasant."

I looked at the list beneath her hand.

Paige was Claire's cousin.

Mercer Real Estate had funded the college for years.

And I knew only one person with enough influence to make my advisor afraid to show me the scores.

The nomination hadn't changed because of the evaluation.

Someone had said the word, and my nomination had been taken away.

I walked out of the office and leaned against the hallway wall.

My injured leg throbbed.

I'd already found Julian's name in my contacts, but I couldn't bring myself to press Call.

Last night, I'd told Adrian I was going to get my nomination back.

Yet even now, when I was almost certain who'd taken it from me, some stupid part of me still wanted to believe Julian wouldn't have done this.

During my sophomore year, I'd brought my architectural drawings back to the apartment for the first time.

Julian had spent a long time looking through them.

He'd told me I was going to become a real architect someday.

That night, when I stayed up late revising my model, he'd even switched on my desk lamp for me.

He'd said that when my first building was finally constructed, he'd be standing right at the front to see it.

He knew how long I'd been preparing for Milan.

The phone rang several times before he answered.

"Finally decided to call me?" Julian's voice was cold. "Where did you move to?"

"Did you tell the university to change the Milan nomination?"

Silence.

Just for a second.

"Claire said Paige needed the opportunity. I only mentioned it to the dean."

Something heavy settled over my chest.

"My portfolio ranked first in the preliminary review."

"It's one university nomination, Nora. You can apply again next year."

He sounded impatient.

"Or I can get you into another school. I'll pay the tuition."

I'd spent two years telling Julian what this program meant to me.

And he still thought a dream could be swapped for another one as long as the price was high enough.

"Paige can apply next year, too."

"Her situation is different. Claire just got back to New York. I'm not going to make things difficult for her over something this small."

"So you're fine making things difficult for me?"

"Nora, don't make this into a bigger deal than it is."

He lowered his voice.

"Come back. We'll talk in person. I promise I'll arrange something better for you later."

I closed my eyes.

For four years, whenever Julian missed something important, broke a promise, or hurt me, it always ended the same way.

I'll make it up to you later.

I'd believed him so many times.

"Julian, I'm asking you one last time."

My voice shook.

"Tell the university you had no right to interfere with the evaluation. Have them restore the nomination list."

"I already promised Claire."

"What about me?"

He went silent.

Exactly as he had the night I'd asked whether he'd ever thought about marrying me.

Suddenly, I didn't need an answer anymore.

"You didn't just give Paige an opportunity," I said.

"You gave her my future."

I ended the call.

Then I blocked his number.

The tears came anyway.

I stood in the empty stairwell and let myself cry for a few minutes.

Not because I wanted Julian back.

But because I'd finally admitted something I'd been refusing to see.

The man who'd once encouraged me to become an architect had never really listened when I talked about my dreams.

Once I'd wiped away my tears, I went back to the program office.

I filed a formal appeal with the university, requesting that the original scores, evaluation emails, and records of changes to the nomination list be preserved.

I attached my preliminary selection email, transcript, and timestamps for all my portfolio submissions.

Before submitting, I backed up every document to my personal email.

I also took screenshots of the system timestamp and my application number.

I used to believe that if I explained myself clearly enough, someone would believe me.

Now, I trusted the evidence I could keep.

A staff member warned me that a formal review could take weeks.

The Milan program wouldn't extend its deadline just because I'd filed an appeal.

Even if the university eventually admitted something had gone wrong, I could still miss out this year.

"I know."

"Are you sure you want to submit it?"

I clicked Send.

"Yes."

By the time I walked out of the academic building, it was dark.

Adrian's car was waiting at the curb, just as we'd arranged.

I opened the back door.

Only then did I realize he was inside.

He closed his laptop, his eyes dropping to the documents in my arms.

"The driver said you hadn't come out."

His gaze moved over my red eyes, but he didn't ask why I'd been crying.

"I filed an appeal."

"Do you need me to contact the university's board?"

"No."

I tightened my grip on the folder.

"If you put pressure on them for me, I'll be no different from Paige. I just want the university to evaluate my application under the original rules."

Adrian studied me for a few seconds.

He didn't seem offended that I'd turned down his help.

"All right."

Just two words.

But the tension I'd carried in my shoulders all day finally began to ease.

When we got back to his place, I was about to put away my portfolio when Adrian rested his hand on the drawing at the top.

"Which project will the appeals committee look at first?"

"The abandoned train station renovation."

I unfolded the drawing.

I'd redesigned the old station as a community center, preserving the main structure and the original platforms.

Adrian took off his suit jacket and sat across from me.

I picked up a pencil and began explaining the design.

I kept talking until the pencil tip snapped against the paper.

Adrian glanced at it.

"You still seem angry."

"I'm not."

"Of course."

He slid another pencil toward me.

"That one was just unlucky."

I took it.

"Why not tear the whole station down and rebuild it?" he asked.

"Keeping the existing structure cuts the budget by almost a third."

I pointed to the old platform.

"The people in that neighborhood need a community center they can actually afford to use. Not some landmark that looks good in a brochure."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to convince me, or are you picking a fight?"

"If I convince you, it doesn't count as a fight."

He looked down and laughed.

It was brief, but it softened his usually reserved expression.

I watched him for two seconds before realizing what I was doing.

I quickly lowered my eyes.

Adrian opened my portfolio again.

He didn't challenge me this time. He simply went back to the page I'd pointed out and studied it.

"Did you argue with Julian like this when you talked about your designs?"

My fingers stopped against the edge of the paper.

"No."

I'd always been afraid of saying the wrong thing around Julian.

Afraid he'd think I was being difficult.

But the more directly Adrian questioned my work, the more I wanted him to understand exactly why I'd made each decision.

He didn't ask anything else about Julian.

Instead, he smoothed the folded corner of my drawing.

"Your design can stand up to scrutiny," he said.

"You're not on the review committee."

"Exactly. So I'm not saying it to make you feel better."

He looked up at me.

"You convinced me."

The tightness that had been sitting in my chest all day finally eased.

Julian had told me I'd become an architect someday.

Then he'd casually taken away my chance to prove myself.

Adrian hadn't promised to get my nomination back.

But he was willing to listen until I'd finished speaking.

He closed the portfolio.

"There's a dinner for architecture professionals tomorrow night."

I shook my head before he could say anything else.

"I don't need you to pull strings for me."

"I'm not asking you to come as my date."

Adrian pushed the portfolio back toward me.

"Nora, would you like to go with me as a designer?"