Chapter 1
I had a secret. My kiss could make someone live longer—but only if we truly loved each other.
Countless kisses. That was all it took to pull the boy I loved back from death.
The day Samuel stood up from his wheelchair, he was shaking and crying.
He took my hand and swore he would love me forever.
However, on our fifth anniversary, he showed up with his precious ex, who had just come back, staring at me with disgust.
He said, "I only chose you because I had to. Now I'm done faking all that love.
"You should feel lucky you look a little like Janet. Otherwise, I'd never have kissed you."
His friends joked, "Damn, Mr. Watson, are her miracle kisses real? Mind if I get one too?"
They all burst into loud laughter.
It hurt like hell. Turned out all that "love" was a lie.
However, what Samuel didn't know was this—breaking a vow came with death.
And he only had one month left.
*****
Today was the welcome party Samuel Watson threw for Janet Gale, who had just gotten back from overseas.
As soon as I got home, I heard Samuel and his friends inside, cracking jokes about me.
When I walked through the door, they all shut up in an instant.
Samuel finally dropped the whole fake act. With Janet in his arms, he said those unbelievable words right in front of me—I was left completely stunned, unable to believe what I had just heard.
Before I could react, Janet stood there in a white dress, sizing me up like she owned the place, her gaze cold and critical. Then she purposely raised her voice.
She said, "Lily, those shoes on your feet—why do they look so much like the ones I threw away?"
Everyone immediately looked down at my feet.
I instinctively took a few steps back and looked up at Samuel, seated in the center. His gaze wavered, avoiding mine.
Those shoes were actually the very first birthday gift he had ever given me.
They were pink, which I never liked, and a size too small, but I was still over the moon—just because he had thought of me.
However, now I realized that the thing I had cherished so much was nothing but trash Janet had thrown away.
One of the guys, clearly trying to stir things up, sneered. "A stand-in for Ms. Gale shouldn't even be allowed to wear her cast-offs, right, Mr. Watson?"
The room went dead silent for a few seconds before Samuel said, "Take them off."
I fixed my gaze on Samuel. "Are you really going to do this?"
His silence spoke louder than words.
Everyone in the room was watching me like I was some kind of joke.
Once I realized these were Janet's old shoes, I didn't hesitate—I just slipped one off.
As soon as I took it off, pain shot through my foot, and I frowned.
I knew I was only hurting myself. Why did I insist on wearing shoes that weren't made for me?
"Lily, it's just a shoe. Are you really gonna act so dramatically about it? Or are you just putting on that poor-little-me routine, hoping Mr. Watson will take pity on you?" one of the guys snickered.
"Man, I could never figure out why Samuel got so into Lily after Janet went overseas. Now I see—she's just a sly little seductress who knows how to play the crowd," another said.
Their snide remarks kept piling on, taunting me from every side.
Samuel's expression just kept getting serious, his gaze like ice.
"Jenny, help her take them off," Samuel said indifferently.
Jenny yanked the other shoe off, ripping the raw skin from my heel. I clenched my jaw against the pain as blood slowly trickled onto the floor.
For a moment, I thought I saw a trace of softness flicker in Samuel's eyes—but when he spoke, his voice was cold as ever.
He said, "Lily, go back to your room. Don't block the way."
My bare feet met the icy floor, and at last, the relief set in—my bleeding feet could finally unfurl from those tormenting shoes.
Indeed, things that didn't belong to me hurt like hell when I tried to let them go—but releasing them brought relief.
I ignored Samuel and turned to walk away in the opposite direction.
"Mr. Watson, looks like Lily's so mad that she's about to leave for good," one of his friends joked.
"It's crazy hot today—if she walks out there barefoot, she'll get burned. Bet she doesn't have the guts," another chimed in.
"Even the stand-in simp is trying to play hard to get now, huh? What a joke," someone else said.
The guys kept cracking jokes at my expense.
Samuel looked pissed, his pride clearly taking a hit, but he just sat there, refusing to budge.
I limped out the front door, biting down on the pain. The moment my feet touched that sizzling hot pavement, I nearly gasped—it hurt so much.
"Lily, one more step and don't even think about coming back," Samuel said coldly.
Just then, a familiar voice called out right behind me. "Lily, turns out your eye for picking stand-ins is nowhere near as good as Mr. Watson's."