Chapter 1

On the eve of our wedding, my fiancé embarked on a trip with his young assistant.

That evening, he posted a photo of the two of them embracing in the golden desert sunset. The caption read: [Love at Sunset.]

I quietly liked the post and left a message of blessing.

Moments later, his call arrived, his voice laced with accusation. "We're on the brink of marriage, and this is what you do? Do you have any idea how much your comment has upset Emily?"

Through the phone, I could discern his assistant's stifled sobs in the background.

Before I could utter a single word, he abruptly ended the call.

Then, he posted another photo of their fingers intertwined.

I knew he was attempting to provoke a reaction from me. But my heart remained unmoved; I no longer cared.

It was late when I got home, and Alex Grant showed up right after me. "Sophie, open the door," he called, his voice impatient.

We'd been together for five years, and he always called me Sophie, never any nicknames. I'd even argued with him about it before.

But Alex always did things his own way. He said all those sweet nicknames were too childish for him.

But I'd clearly heard him call his assistant Emily "baby" before. It was obvious that he didn't love me.

I opened the door, and Alex's impatient face immediately leaned in, practically invading my space.

"Still mad?" he grumbled, pulling a gift box from his pocket and tossing it into my arms. "I even bothered to bring you something, and this is what I get..."

He muttered the last bit under his breath, but I still heard it. He said, "An ungrateful girlfriend."

I opened the box and found a necklace inside. The metal was already tarnished and lost its shine.

Compared to the pendant he gave Emily, the difference was glaring. He really treated Emily like a princess.

"I got this for you at the souvenir shop," Alex said, acting all proud, like buying a cheap fake necklace from a tourist spot was something worth showing off.

Back when we first started dating, he promised that once he made some money, he'd buy me a whole set of jewelry.

His career was getting started, and I didn't want to add to his burden, so I gently turned him down.

I never thought that after all these years, he'd hand me something so fake, like he didn't even care enough to put in the effort anymore.

Not getting the reaction he wanted, Alex looked annoyed. "Are you seriously still upset? Why are you making such a fuss over Emily?

"I haven't even called you out for this yet. Do you realize how much your comment yesterday affected Emily?

"How do you think people at work see her now? Apologize to her and we'll call it even."

I kept my face blank, ignoring him.

Alex thought I was agreeing, so he nodded, pleased with himself. "That's more like it. Good girl. I'm exhausted from being away for so long. Go run me a bath."

He walked in, kicked off his shoes, and plopped down on the couch. Even though the glass of water was right in front of him, he naturally ordered, "Pour me some water first.

"Oh, and I heard the blueberries are really good lately. Go downstairs and buy some later, and—"

I cut him off. "I have plans with a friend. I'm heading out now. You can get it yourself." With that, I grabbed my coat, turned to leave, and didn't look back.

Alex frowned, his eyes full of disbelief. In his mind, I used to do whatever he asked without a second thought. Hearing me say no for the first time threw him off completely.

Before he could react, I'd already slipped on my shoes and pulled the door open.

"Where are you going? Didn't I tell you not to go out at night?" he called after me.

I ignored him and closed the door behind me.

Janiverlle at night was all flashing lights and packed streets. It was way crazier than daytime. I'd never realized how alive this city could be after dark.

Back then, because Alex wanted to be the breadwinner and have me play the housewife, I quit my job and took care of everything at home for him.

Thinking about it now, I couldn't believe how stupid I was. All for love, I gave up my freedom and totally lost myself.

When my friend, Amelia Finch, heard I was actually heading out after 10 p.m., her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

She asked, "Seriously? You actually want to go drinking with me? Sophie, are you out of your mind or something?"

I kept my voice steady. "I'm breaking up with him."

There was a long silence on the other end. After a few seconds, Amelia finally spoke up. "Send me your location. I'm coming to get you."

At the bar, Amelia kept asking if I was really breaking up with Alex, her face full of surprise. "Seriously? This is so sudden. I thought you two were fine."

I took a sip of my drink, the bitterness lingering all the way down to my heart. For some reason, I felt exhausted.

I wished I could ask Alex the same thing.

But I couldn't say it out loud. Deep down, I knew he hadn't left all at once. He'd been drifting away bit by bit, getting further and further from me.

Seeing me go quiet, Amelia wrapped her arms around me. "It's okay. You still have me. Tonight, we're not going home until we're totally smashed."

We went round after round, never mentioning Alex's name, reminiscing about the old days.

By the end of the night, I couldn't even remember how we made it home.