Chapter 1

"Alex, let's put our wedding on hold for now. I need to marry Ethan Blake first," Emily Carter said.

"What did you say?" I stared at her.

Emily didn't look at me as she slipped her arm through the man beside her.

Frowning, she added, "It's a formality. Once things settle down, I'll divorce him and still marry you."

I let out a cold laugh. "Then what does that make me?"

She finally looked at me, impatience flickering across her face. "Haven't you always been the rational one? If Ethan gets forced into that arranged marriage, his whole life is ruined."

"So?" I asked.

She said, "So help me out.

"You should be able to understand."

That was when I finally understood: she wasn't asking me.

She was informing me, she'd already decided what my place was.

*****

"Alex, let's put our wedding on hold. I'll marry Ethan first. You can understand me, right?" Emily asked.

The moment she said it, my mind went blank for a second.

Under the glaring crystal chandelier, Emily stood in front of me with flawless makeup and a gentle tone, as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing in the world.

Before I could answer, she slipped her arm through Ethan.

The move was so natural it felt like she'd practiced it a thousand times.

"Alex, help me this once," she said, a hint of pleading in her eyes but no hesitation at all. "If the Foster family really forces Ethan into that arranged marriage, his life is over."

That was when I finally came back to myself.

Over?

Then what about me?

"Help you?" my throat tightened, but my mind had never been clearer. "Then what am I supposed to be?"

I pulled my hand away from hers. I didn't use much force, but she still froze.

I kept my voice low. "We grew up together. Our engagement was decided by the elders in both families, and the news spread through the whole circle six months ago.

"Now you're calling it off to marry the student your parents sponsored. Did you think about me? About the Collins family? About what people at the company will say about me?"

I'm Alex Collins, the man currently running Collins Enterprises. This engagement was never only about love.

Emily frowned, clearly annoyed by my questions, but she still forced herself to explain. "Don't make this into something so serious. I'm marrying Ethan on paper first. Once the fuss dies down, I'll divorce him and still marry you."

She spoke quickly, like she'd rehearsed it. "We've been together for years. What difference could it possibly make?"

I stared at her and suddenly felt like I was looking at a stranger.

What she called a "formality" would turn me into a laughingstock in front of everyone. What she called "no difference" meant she fully expected me to stay where I was and wait for her.

Ethan hadn't said a word the whole time.

He stood beside her in an ill-fitting suit, his back straight and his eyes lowered, as if avoiding something, or waiting for someone else to speak for him.

I knew him.

Ethan, the scholarship student supported by the Carter family, good grades, quiet personality. Over the years, he'd been in and out of the Carter house more often than many relatives.

I never thought he'd stand here in front of me like this.

"You really think I'd agree to this?" I asked.

Emily's expression paused for a second, then relaxed.

"You will," she said with absolute certainty. "You've always been the rational one. You've always been the sensible one."

Sensible.

The word landed lightly, like a slap across my face.

She wasn't asking me at all, she was assigning me a role.

All at once, old memories came back.

When she canceled dates at the last minute, I had my assistant, Kevin Evans, move my schedule around. When she was in a bad mood, I scrapped meetings to stay with her. When she said Ethan had it rough, I gave him an internship.

Again and again, my compromises had become something she took for granted.

"Did it ever cross your mind that I might not understand?" I asked.

She was clearly caught off guard. "Alex, don't be like this. I don't have a choice either."

Even as she said that, her hand was still resting on Ethan's arm.

I looked at it and suddenly found the whole thing laughable.

I let out a humorless laugh. "I'm the one with no choice here, aren't I? You agreed to the engagement. Your family announced it. And now you're the one backing out.

"And one 'I had no choice' is supposed to make me swallow all of it?"

Emily finally ran out of patience. "Why do you have to make it sound so ugly? I've already been considerate enough of your feelings."

I nodded.

Considerate enough to stand in front of me and tell me she was marrying someone else.

Ethan finally spoke. "Mr. Collins, I'm the one who wronged you in this."

He finally looked up, and I saw it all in his eyes, guilt, nerves, and a hope buried deep down.

I got it.

He was waiting for me to step aside.

"You don't need to apologize to me," I said flatly. "Who you marry is none of my business."

His expression stiffened, but Emily let out a breath, clearly thinking my attitude had softened. "Alex, I knew you'd understand. Once this passes, we..."

"You've got the wrong idea," I cut in.

The living room went dead quiet.

I continued, "That's as far as my understanding goes."

Her face changed instantly. "What do you mean?"

I looked at her and said each word clearly. "The moment you decided to marry him, it was over between us."

Emily parted her lips like she wanted to argue, but no words came out. She probably never thought I'd say something like that. All these years, she'd gotten used to me being on her side. "Don't be impulsive. This is only temporary."

"You don't need to explain anymore," I said calmly. "What road you take is your choice."

I turned, picked up my coat, and walked to the door. Pausing once, I said, "This ends here."