Chapter 1

On our seventh anniversary, Nathan Cross broke up with me, as usual.

It was the fourth time.

At Skyline, Midgard's top private club, the floor-to-ceiling windows framed the dazzling night view of Cedar Park.

I stood in the middle of the crowd, holding a glass of white wine that was almost finished.

"To Elena, the future Chief Brand Officer!" someone raised a glass and cheered.

Nathan stood behind me, his long fingers plucking the commemorative badge from my trench coat.

It was a worn silver badge we had custom-made for our fourth anniversary.

He leaned close to my ear, his voice low and magnetic. "Happy breakup, Elena. Same old rule. See you in a month."

The private room erupted in the familiar roar of cheers.

Someone shouted, "Nathan's free again!"

Another chimed in, "What do you bet? Will they get back together or finally call it quits this time?"

The electronic music blared. Under the crystal chandeliers, everyone celebrated wildly this annual spectacle they had watched four times already.

Only I sat quietly in the corner, watching Nathan walk straight toward the woman with chestnut hair, Victoria Blake.

She wore a red dress, like a flame, standing out sharply against the crowd.

Nathan put his arm around her waist and led her to the dance floor, not even glancing back at me.

I pressed a hand to my throbbing stomach. I had pulled an all-nighter finishing a proposal last night, and my stomachache had flared up again.

This time, Nathan, the game was over.

I wouldn't wait for you anymore.

*****

Seven years ago, Nathan and I fell in love at first sight at Concord College.

He was a genius in the whole school. He had double degrees and a 3.98 GPA. He was hired by Morgan Stanley even before graduation.

My paper was published in the Concord Quarterly when I was a sophomore.

We were the perfect couple everyone envied.

But everything changed on our fourth anniversary.

Nathan looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Elena, to keep our love from going stale, I've decided that from now on, after every anniversary, we take a one-month break.

"We can each explore other options. If we find someone better, we'll separate rationally. If not, we'll start over in a month. It's called 'relationship reset.'"

He reached out his hand. "Deal?"

I should have refused.

But I looked into his deep eyes and was afraid that saying no would make me lose him forever.

"Deal," I said.

That month, I couldn't sleep every night. I called him late at night.

He answered immediately and coaxed me to sleep with his gentle voice.

On the 26th day, we got back together.

"See?" he said, pulling me into his arms. "We passed the test."

I thought it was a one-time experiment.

But it ended up becoming our annual ritual.

Every September 15th, he would "reset" for a month.

He would go find other women.

If he didn't find anyone better, he would come back to me.

Four years, and we've broken up four times.

But this time, I didn't want to wait anymore.

*****

In the middle of the dance floor, Nathan and Victoria danced an intimate waltz.

"Only five minutes in and he's already found his target? Looks like Elena's in for a rough time this year," someone snickered.

Another person chimed in, "Wait, wasn't she the one from last year?"

Yeah, it was Victoria last year, too.

Victoria Blake, a socialite from Midgard, had chestnut hair and a noble temperament. She was the complete opposite of me. I was rational and calm, while she was passionate and outgoing.

During last year's "breakup" period, she traveled the world with Nathan. They went to Borovia Fashion Week, Avalon Biennale, and Sanrovia Auction.

Their last stop was an expedition to Eldoria.

I was so worried that I couldn't sleep all night. The weather forecast said there would be a blizzard, and that sea area was off-limits to navigation.

I made more than a dozen phone calls, but Nathan didn't answer any of them.

I booked the fastest flight and rushed to Tierra Port.

In the blizzard, I stood in front of them. "It's too dangerous. You can't go."

Nathan didn't even look at me. He continued checking his equipment. "Victoria wants to see emperor penguins. I promised her."

Victoria clung to his arm, flashing a triumphant smile. "Elena, you're being too controlling for an ex-girlfriend, aren't you?"

The blizzard was so fierce, my words froze in my throat.

I stepped aside, watching as they vanished into the blinding snow.

Ten minutes later, Nathan caught up to me. "Elena, I'm not going."

We walked back together, supporting each other through the storm.

When we got back to the dock, we saw the coast guard rescuing people. "A woman fell into the icy sea. Her name is Victoria Blake."

Nathan's face changed instantly. He shot me a look filled with resentment, then turned and rushed back into the blizzard.

*****

Nathan was the one who carried Victoria down on the stretcher.

Victoria had severe hypothermia, and her injuries were so bad I could barely stand to look at them.

When she saw me, she cried and grabbed my hand. "Elena, I don't blame you. But please stop pestering him."

Everyone around looked at me with contempt and disgust.

It was as if I were the homewrecker here.

After seven years of dating, I had become "the clingy ex-girlfriend."

Nathan had inhaled too much cold water in the icy sea and had a lung infection.

After returning to Pinehurst City, he took care of Victoria in the hospital every day. He fed her, bathed her, changed her dressings, and was meticulous.

When I was hospitalized with a high fever, his assistant, Madison, told me, "Nathan said he can't leave. Victoria has no one but him to take care of her. He asked us to take care of you."

On the phone, I could hear Victoria's clingy voice. "Nathan, will you give me a massage?"

*****

It had been three months. Everyone was convinced Nathan and Victoria were actually together now.

Then Nathan suddenly broke up with Victoria and came back to me.

Victoria blocked his apartment door, her face ashen. "Nathan, I'll die without you."

Nathan told me to go inside first. Half an hour later, he came in and pulled me into his arms. "The doctor said she needs three months to recover. I didn't want to owe her.

"This doesn't count as breaking the rules. You're the only one I want to marry."

I looked at the rain outside the window. "Then let's get married. Let's have a wedding."

He stayed silent.

He turned over and went to sleep.

*****

The dance ended, and the lights focused on the center of the dance floor.

Nathan dropped to one knee and pulled out a red Cartier box from his pocket.

Victoria covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

It was a bracelet. The base was made of Eldorian ice crystals, and diamonds formed flowing auroras. The main stone was dazzling.

"You took me to see the aurora in Eldoria," Nathan said softly. "Today, I brought it down for you. This bracelet has a guardian stone. It will protect you from getting hurt again."

Victoria nodded through her tears. Her teardrops were refracted into colorful light by the gem.

I clenched my champagne glass so hard that my fingertips turned white.

Three months ago, Nathan asked me to design a brand logo with the theme "Aurora Guardian."

I thought he was finally going to propose. Back in college, when we watched the aurora together, he said he would propose to me under the aurora.

I stayed up countless nights. From concept to design, from color to material, I poured my heart into every detail. It was all my imagination of the future.

I thought that was supposed to be my engagement present.

But he gave it to her instead.

He used my creativity, my memories, and my hard work to give to another woman.

My stomach suddenly cramped violently, and my vision blurred.

Steadying myself against the wall, I stumbled toward the restroom.

The pain was unbearable.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard someone calling out to me.

And then everything went black.