Part 3Memory & Millions

In the States, Sebastian rented a quiet, one-bedroom apartment for me near the school. Whenever he visited, his questions were always the same, a gentle, protective mantra:

"Do you have enough money?"

"Are you keeping up with your classes?"

"Is anyone bothering you?"

"You have to tell me if you're in any trouble."

Sebastian was five years older than me. I was starting high school; he was finishing his university degree. He was like a perfect older brother, always maintaining a respectful distance, never crossing a line.

One evening, as he stood on my small balcony watching the sunset paint the sky in hues of orange and purple, he laid everything out on the table. His voice was soft, but clear.

"I brought you here to see a bigger world, Victoria. Not to chain you to some old promise. They called you a hick, so you should live a life so dazzling it blinds them. As for our family agreement... in my eyes, it's a responsibility I must handle with care, not a matter of the heart. Do you understand what I mean?"

I understood. He didn't love me. He would never marry me.

But I was still grateful. He was the one who had pulled me from the mud, given me a wider sky and the wings to fly in it. He was a gentleman, and my savior. I respected his decision.

I just never expected his brother, Julian, to come crashing into my life.

Julian was a hurricane, a force of nature that tore through the long, lonely quiet of my life abroad, leaving chaos and a strange, thrilling warmth in his wake.

We lived together for four years.