Chapter 1

After several unsuccessful attempts at intimacy, Emily Rivers discovered that her fiancé, Andrew Sterling, was secretly dating a college student.

During the day, Andrew maintained a normal relationship with Emily.

However, at night, he spent his time with the college student.

One day, Andrew accidentally injured the college student while playing with toys, leading to an emergency room visit. As an ER doctor, Emily had to treat the girl's injuries.

As she approached the hospital room to discuss further care, Emily heard a familiar voice coming from the stairwell.

"Emily is great in many ways, but she's not as sexy as Sophia. Even when hurt, Sophia could still make me feel better," Andrew said.

Emily froze, tears welled up in her eyes.

She realized that the man she loved and trusted had been seeing someone else all along.

Since childhood, Emily and Andrew had been inseparable.

He had always treated her with utmost care and affection, giving her all the attention she needed.

But now, Emily felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss, her world shattering around her.

She returned to her office and immediately called her department head, Candice Blount.

"Emily, it's so late. Is everything okay?" Candice asked.

Emily cleared her throat and said firmly, "Ms. Blount, I've made up my mind. I want to go to Arland for further studies. The sooner, the better."

*****

After several failed attempts at intimacy, Emily discovered that her fiancé, Andrew Sterling, had been secretly seeing a college student.

By day, Andrew acted like the perfect partner, maintaining a normal relationship with Emily.

But at night, he spent his time with the other woman.

Things came to light when Andrew's recklessness sent the student to the hospital.

Emily, working as an emergency room doctor, happened to be on duty that night and was sent to treat her.

The girl smirked and said, "You can tell if a man loves you by whether he desires you. If he doesn't even want you in bed, how could he ever really love you?"

Emily didn't care.

But then she overheard the nurse on duty whispering, "That college girl's boyfriend looks just like Dr. Rivers' fiancé."

That was when Emily suddenly panicked.

She whipped out her phone and called Andrew. Andrew's voice was soft. "Emily, why are you calling me so late? Did you have a nightmare? I'm working overtime at the office right now. Once I'm done, I'll grab breakfast and come get you up."

Hearing his calm tone, half her worries melted away.

But as she walked up to Sophia Lane's hospital room, about to step inside and talk to her, she suddenly caught a familiar male voice from the stairwell.

"Emily is great in many ways, but she's not as sexy as Sophia. Even when hurt, Sophia could still make me feel better," Andrew said.

Hearing that, Emily felt like she'd just been doused in ice water and started shaking uncontrollably.

Turns out, the fiancé she trusted and loved had been sleeping around behind her back all along.

Andrew's friend warned him, "Are you crazy? A week before your wedding, you get so wild with Sophia. You land her in the hospital, and it's the same hospital where Emily works. Aren't you worried she'll catch on to your cheating?"

Andrew just brushed it off. "I didn't really think about it. When I saw Sophia hurt, I panicked. Good thing Emily's not on duty tonight. As long as nobody blabs, she'll never find out."

Emily's body went rigid.

She really wasn't supposed to be on duty tonight, but her coworker had something come up and swapped shifts with her.

She never thought she'd run into her fiancé bringing his side chick to the hospital.

His friend looked worried. "Knowing how Emily is, she'd never let you keep a mistress. So, what's your plan for Sophia?"

Andrew let out a long sigh. "The more time I spend with Sophia, the more I realize I can't live without her.

"Being with Emily is steady, but only Sophia can give me that thrill. If it weren't for our families' reputation, I'd probably call off the wedding and marry Sophia instead."

His friend was shocked. "But you and Emily have been together for years, and you've only known Sophia for three months."

Andrew cut him off immediately. "Emily's always been like a little sister to me. It's Sophia I'm truly in love with."

Emily stood frozen, tears welling up and spilling over.

Ever since she could remember, she and Andrew had always been together.

Andrew treated her like she was something delicate and rare, always giving her his undivided attention.

Every year on her birthday, he'd drop a fortune on her presents.

If she said she liked something, he'd even reach for the stars to get it for her.

But in the end, he said he only ever saw her as a little sister.

Emily felt like everything inside her just shattered. It was as if she'd fallen into an icy pit, and the spark in her eyes vanished.

She went back to her office and immediately called her leader, Candice Blount.

"Emily, what's up? Why are you calling me so late?" Candice asked.

Emily cleared her throat and said with determination, "Ms. Blount, I've made up my mind. I want to go to Arland for further study as soon as possible."

Candice sounded both shocked and thrilled. "Emily, you finally came around. This is a rare chance. Only two people get picked from all of Cluria.

"But just so you know, the program lasts five years, and you'll be in closed-off training the whole time. No visits home.

"Aren't you about to get married? You won't even be around for the honeymoon. Aren't you worried he'll sneak around behind your back?"

At that, Emily gave a wry, self-deprecating smile. She didn't need to wait for the wedding because Andrew was already cheating.

But she didn't want to talk about it. She just assured Candice she was ready to represent the hospital and take on the challenge.

Candice locked in her departure date and promised to process her leave of absence paperwork first thing tomorrow.

After hanging up, Emily let out a sigh of relief.

She knew that once she was in Arland, Andrew would never be able to find her.

Because of who they were, no one from the Sterling family could get a visa to go abroad.

From now on, she and Andrew would have nothing to do with each other.

Some betrayals left scars that last a lifetime.

Since Andrew couldn't cut ties, she'd make the choice for him.