Chapter 1
The day Mia won first prize at the Uchon Architecture Design Awards, Liam proposed to her.
"Mia, we've known each other for nine years and been in love for seven. From campus to the workplace, you're the most beautiful masterpiece in my life," Liam said.
Mia's cheeks flushed, and her eyes shimmered with tears.
Below the stage, their college classmates, colleagues, and friends and family had already started chanting in unison, "Marry him! Marry him!"
Liam knelt on one knee, smiling as he opened the ring box. Then his smile froze.
Inside the box was not a diamond ring, but a pregnancy test, with two clear red lines.
There was a moment of silence from the audience, followed by a wave of suppressed whispers.
"A pregnancy test? Is she pregnant?" someone whispered.
*****
Liam's face went from flushed to pale, then turned ashen.
He shot to his feet, scanning the crowd. "Who? Who's pulling this prank?"
The ring box fell to the floor with his sudden movement, and the pregnancy test rolled onto the carpet.
The media's cameras flashed wildly, capturing the dramatic scene.
Someone in the crowd stood up and shouted, "There's a line you shouldn't cross! Who would do something so messed up?"
Someone else echoed, "Seriously, everyone knows how much Mr. Reed cares about Ms. Steele."
Mia stared at the pregnancy test lying on the floor for a long moment. She said, "I need some time alone this year."
She gathered up her dress and quickly made her way backstage.
When they got home, Liam had an answer for everything.
"It's our rivals messing with us. They're just bitter we won," he said.
He dropped to one knee in front of the couch, gripping Mia's hand. "The ring I ordered comes with a certificate. I'll go to the store tomorrow and sort this out."
Mia looked at him in silence, her eyes searching his face.
"I believe you," she said.
Liam let out a sigh of relief, but just then, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and quickly silenced it.
"It's the media. I've already gotten dozens of calls today," Liam explained, though his smile was a bit forced.
Over the next few hours, his phone kept buzzing.
Each time, Liam found some excuse not to pick up, and finally just switched it to airplane mode.
Right before bed, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I'll take care of this. Nothing's going to ruin what we have, Mia. You're my whole world."
Mia just murmured a quiet "okay," her back turned to him.
In the middle of the night, Mia woke up to find Liam nowhere beside her.
She quietly got out of bed, barefoot, and slowly approached the half-open balcony door.
"I was drunk that night, and you were the one who seduced me! Afterwards, you even lied and said you'd taken the pill. And now you pull out a pregnancy test during my proposal. What are you trying to do?"
A cold wind slipped through the crack in the door, making Mia shiver.
On the phone, the girl sounded desperate to defend herself.
Liam's voice grew increasingly impatient. "I'll take responsibility, but you need to understand. The only person I love is Mia. I'm giving you enough money to get the best care you need."
Mia had to grab onto the doorframe just to keep herself upright.
Her instincts had been spot on all along. It wasn't a prank, and it wasn't their rivals. Liam really had betrayed her.
She quietly lay back down in bed, closing her eyes and forcing herself to breathe evenly.
A few minutes later, Liam crept back into bed beside her.
Just like always, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his face in her hair.
A wave of nausea surged up Mia's throat, and she bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from gagging.
The next morning, Mia sat down for breakfast with Liam like nothing had happened.
She watched as he frantically tried to clear his name, calling the jewelry store to double-check, contacting security to review the surveillance footage, and even drafting a lawyer's letter to hold the "prankster" accountable.
His performance was flawless.
Mia finished her coffee and stood up.
"I'm heading to the office. There are still a few things I need to wrap up for the project," she said.
Liam immediately looked up. "Should I go with you? I'm worried the media might still be lurking outside," he said.
Mia bent down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
"No need, I can handle it myself," Mia replied.
As Mia drove out of the gated community and stopped at a red light, she glanced down at the photo of the pregnancy test saved on her phone.
Liam would never know that the gentle kiss she'd just given him was her final farewell to trusting him.
Mia pushed open the doors to Limia Creations, and the receptionist looked awkward the moment she saw her.
"M-Ms. Steele, you're here," the receptionist said, a little flustered.
"Yes," Mia replied. She gave a slight nod, her gaze sweeping calmly over the open office space.
The moment the employees saw her, they froze, their eyes filled with sympathy, curiosity, and speculation. It felt like she was being poked by a thousand needles.
It seemed yesterday's drama had already spread like wildfire through the whole company.
As she passed the break room, she could hear people talking inside.
"It's definitely true! My cousin was there, and she said Mr. Reed's face went totally green when he opened the box!"
"Oh my god, so the pregnancy test really belonged to someone else?"
"Obviously! If it was Ms. Steele's, it would've been double the celebration. Why would he be pissed?"
"Who do you guys think it was?"