Chapter 1

Benedict and I had a weird deal. If we broke up, he'd pay me a breakup fee. If we got back together, I'd send the money right back to him. And if we split again, he'd transfer it to me all over again.

This year, we went through this cycle three times. The first time, it was 150 thousand dollars, the second time, 300 thousand, and the third time, a whopping 1.5 million.

Benedict was sure we'd never break up again. He truly believed it until his dream girl returned.

[Mer, let's break up.] Benedict texted. Then, my phone buzzed with a bank notification.

It was three million dollars.

My eyes sparkled as I stared at the amount. Benedict, you could forget about ever getting back together with me. There was no way I would send this money back!

*****

I was sprawled out on the couch in the break room, exhausted after a long day of filming, when my phone buzzed with a text. It was Benedict, saying, [Mer, let's break up.]

Was he losing it again? Just because I'd been swamped with work and barely texted him for three days?

Before I could even respond, another notification popped up. It was from the bank, telling Benedict had just transferred three million dollars to my account.

I squinted at the screen, and my jaw dropped. Did he just wire me three million dollars this time?

My hand trembled so much that I nearly dropped my phone. Right then, a news notification flashed across my screen.

The headline read, [Renowned Young Pianist Lilliana Mason Returns Home, National Tour Kicks Off in August.]

The photo showed Lilliana with long, silky brown hair cascading down to her waist, dressed in a white gown, her vibe serene and graceful. What stunned me, though, was how much Lilliana looked like me—we could have been sisters.

I stood there in shock, everything suddenly clicking into place.

So, that was it. It turned out Lilliana was Benedict's dream girl.

When Benedict didn't get a reply from me, he called. "Mer, did you get the money?" he asked.

I tried to sound chill. "Yeah, got it. Thanks, Mr. Fuller. Promise I'll vanish fast and never bother you and Miss Mason again!"

Benedict sighed. "Mer, we can still be friends."

I let out a soft laugh. "No need. Now that the real one's back, it's time for the stand-in to step aside."

Benedict hurried to explain, "Mer, you're not just a stand-in. I do care about you. It's just..."

"Just that your true love's back, and you can't help yourself, so you want to kick me out and make space for her, right?" I cut him off, my voice trembling with hurt.

"Wait, Mer, just let me explain..." Benedict pleaded.

I cut him off. "Let's just act like we never even met. Goodbye, Benedict."

I didn't give him a chance to say anything else. I hung up, blocked him everywhere, and deleted his contact for good.

I stuck by Benedict from the very beginning—from when he had nothing to building one of the top companies in showbiz. But he never made our relationship public, not even once.

He always said he'd only go public when he finally married me.

I bought it. Five years went by, and instead of a ring, all I got was a breakup message.

His business kept booming. As he got busier and busier, we barely saw each other, and the fights just kept piling up.

Benedict and I had this agreement that whenever we broke up, he'd pay me a breakup fee.

If we got back together, I'd transfer the money back to him. And if we split again, he'd send it back to me.

This year alone, we'd already broken up and gotten back together three times.

He forgot my birthday, so I broke up with him for the first time. He transferred 150 thousand dollars to my account.

But not even a week later, I missed him too much and got back together with him. So, I sent the money right back to him.

The second time, the production team started hyping up rumors between me and the male lead for more attention. Fake kissing pics of us were all over the internet.

Benedict was insanely jealous. He flipped and refused to hear me out. In a fit of jealousy, he broke up with me and sent 300 thousand dollars to my account.

The very next day, he regretted it and begged to get back together. I pretended to stay mad and ignored him, but he just tackled me onto the bed. Afterward, he put on that innocent face and said, "Sleeping together means we're back together, right?" Then he snatched my phone and transferred the 300 thousand right back to himself.

The third time, he got drunk, and I went to his place to take care of him. He hugged me, half-conscious, and said, "Lilly, please don't go abroad. I'll make something of myself and marry you. Please don't leave me..."

It felt like my heart was being sliced apart. I made up my mind to break up with him.

He agreed, didn't even try to stop me. He just transferred 1.5 million dollars straight into my account.

This time, we didn't talk for a whole month.

Then, on set, one young actor, Stefan Shaw, started pestering me every other day. When I turned him down, he teamed up with the rest of the crew to isolate me, made things difficult for me during scenes, and even got the director to cut my screen time.

Somehow, Benedict found out. He stormed onto the set, slapped Stefan hard across the face, and growled, "How dare you mess with my woman?"

That slap was seriously epic. I was so moved that I nearly cried, and before I knew it, I agreed to take him back.

Sending that 1.5 million dollars back to him felt like my heart was bleeding.

He pulled me into his arms and promised, "This is the last time. We're never breaking up again. If we ever do, I'll pull the moon down from the sky just for you."

And like a fool, I believed him all over again.

But just three months later, his dream girl came back to the country, and I got played all over again.

Men's sweet talk was all bullshit!

Three million dollars! No way I was ever taking him back this time!