Chapter 1

Felipe had two things he could never get rid of. One was his Alaskan malamute.

The other was me, Estella—a total simp who thought I'd scored when I became his fiancée.

The day before our wedding, Felipe landed in the hospital after street racing for Jaida, the girl he could never let go of.

I rushed in, freaking out, only to realize there wasn't a single scar on his chest where I swore one should have been.

That was when it hit me—three years, and I'd been in love with the wrong man all along.

When he was discharged, Felipe dumped me for Jaida.

Everyone expected me to lose my mind, to throw a scene.

Instead, I just said fine. What they didn't know was that I had never loved him.

The man I truly loved had been gone for years.

*****

When I said yes, Felipe froze, his face going dark. He said, "I know you're dying to marry me. It's not totally off the table. If you put Jaida's name on the artwork, I can still consider marrying you."

I just looked at him. "No need to bargain. Answer one question and I'll help you."

Felipe's gloom eased, a crooked, mocking smile pulling at his mouth. "You want to ask if I ever loved you? Estella, aren't you a little childish?"

I didn't care who Felipe loved or who he wanted to marry. I had loved only one man, and he died in a car crash saving me.

After he died, they donated his heart. That was the only reason I ever ended up next to Felipe.

From the Ortega family's golden girl, I became the despised simp at Felipe's side.

But to me, if I could hear my lover's heartbeat again, I would walk through fire for it. It would be worth it.

"It's not that question," I replied.

This was my last check. I steadied myself and asked, one word at a time, "Felipe, have you ever had a heart transplant?"

Felipe frowned. "What are you talking about? My heart's perfectly fine. Why would I ever get a transplant?"

So I had the wrong man. Disappointment flooded me.

I lowered my eyes and said, "I agree to call off the engagement.

"I won't run in the election anymore, and I'll change the name to Jaida. Last thing—I wish you both happiness."

As soon as I finished, not only Felipe but his friends stared in shock. Then the jeers rolled in, one after another.

"Damn, I never thought Estella could be this pathetic. To win Felipe back, she'll agree to anything."

"She's the ultimate simp. Felipe says call off the wedding and she does it. She even hands over her career. So devoted—too bad Felipe's heart will always be with Jaida."

"Enough. Cut it out," Felipe said, stopping them for the first time.

Felipe stared at me, his face shadowed. "Estella, do you seriously have no self-respect?

"I say it and you just do it. You never fight for yourself. I say cancel the wedding and you don't even push back?"

I dipped my head and let out a thin, bitter smile. 'When it's the wrong person, what's there to fight for?'

I said, "At this point, none of it matters."

Something in my quiet must have set him off; a tremor flickered in his eyes.

Irritation flashed there. Felipe grabbed my hand. "Estella, you—"

"Felipe." Jaida finally spoke after watching in silence, her gaze low and sad as she looked at him. "Should we step out of the room and let you talk to your fiancée alone? Really talk?"