Chapter 1
After I announced my withdrawal from the girl group, I was forced into an arranged marriage with a man I never met.
The groom didn't even show up at the wedding. He only called me.
He said, "The marriage was my family's decision. As long as you don't cause trouble, I won't interfere in your life.
"I already loved someone else. We'll divorce in two years. I'll compensate you fully then."
Then what was the diary in his room, the one filled with pages about loving me?
*****
Back in school, I used a fake name and signed up as a girl group trainee.
I worked my butt off, practicing late into the night, even slept while stretching in a split. But in the end, I wasn't popular enough, so I missed my shot at debuting.
My parents were thrilled when they found out. They were practically ready to throw a parade.
As soon as I graduated, they dragged me back to marry Kelvin Whitten, the heir of the Whitten family.
But I'd never even laid eyes on the guy.
All I knew was, people said he was icy, merciless, and had a heart of stone.
My friends all said Kelvin had that gentle, refined look.
It was the kind of face that made strangers want to get close to him without even realizing it.
But in reality, he was cold and merciless, with a reputation for ruthless tactics. People called him the Grim Reaper.
As my friends kept chatting, the conversation gradually turned into a pity party for me.
[How's Joan ever going to handle that ice-cold guy? Seriously, I'm worried for her.]
[She's really in for a rough time.]
I turned off my phone and stared into the void, feeling numb inside.
In the end, all I could do was laugh miserably.
I logged out of the group chat and switched over to my account on the platform, one with just a few lonely followers.
Then I posted the farewell announcement I'd been drafting for ages.
Even though I wasn't exactly popular among the other trainees, I still had a few loyal fans who genuinely cared about me.
Right after I posted my regretful farewell announcement, my inbox started filling up.
All my regular fans began sending me DMs, reaching out one after another.
Amidst the flood of messages, one fan with the username "KW" really caught my attention.
During my four years as a trainee, any post that featured me would always have KW popping up in the comments, showing his support.
He was always the first to like and comment on every single update I posted.
Whenever I attended an event, he'd always post gorgeous, high-res shots of me online.
He'd drop cash and go all out just to help me trend and cheer me on. He was the ultimate superfan, totally obsessed.
A lot of fans even called him my unofficial hype man.
His profile was packed with all my coolest moments from training, and he'd even make highlight reels and pin them right at the top.
Every time I posted a beat-sync dance challenge, he'd always join in and try to nail the moves himself.
He always covered his face in the videos, and his moves were kind of awkward, but one could feel the genuine effort and sincerity from start to finish.
But what really made him memorable wasn't just all that. What stuck with me were his simple, sincere well-wishes, always so genuine.
He typed: [Hope you're happy and everything goes well.]
No dramatic praise, no passionate confessions, just simple words wishing me well.
But now, KW was acting totally unlike himself.
He started sending me tons of messages, each one so long it was basically a wall of text.
He went on about how he first noticed me at an event, describing exactly how I caught his eye.
He shared how, during his darkest days, I was the one he leaned on. Following my journey online helped him make it through.
He said that catching my latest updates was the highlight of his day, and he lived for every new post I made.
His last message felt like the last bit of sanity he was holding onto after all that emotional outpouring.
He wrote: [Sorry if all this freaks you out.
[But I just can't help it. Joan, you're the light in my life, the only splash of color in my boring days.
[Ever since I first saw you four years ago, you've been the reason I look forward to every day.
[You're already a part of my life. I can't imagine my world without you.]
Reading through his messages, I noticed some were so messy. It looked like he could barely type straight, like his hands were shaking the whole time.
He must've been so overwhelmed, his fingers trembling so badly that by the end, he could hardly keep his phone from slipping out of his hands.
Reading his heartfelt words, my eyes started to blur with tears.
After I finally calmed down, I sent him a genuine reply.
I wrote: [Thank you for all your support and affection over these past four years. I hope you're happy and everything goes smoothly for you. Hope our paths cross again someday.]
Once I'd replied to everyone, I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.
Feeling drained, I was ready to shut down this account for good.
Suddenly, my fiancé, the one everyone calls the Grim Reaper, had his name blow up online and hit my screen.
The hashtag "Kelvin Whitten Cries His Eyes Out" was all over the Internet.
Curious, I tapped on it, and the trending video started playing.
Under the dim car lights, Kelvin's striking features were crystal clear.
He slumped back in his seat, his tear-streaked eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. His face twisted in pain until he finally broke down, burying his face in his hands and sobbing uncontrollably.
He looked utterly shattered, like all hope had been ripped away from him.
The comments section was blowing up.
[Oh my god, the Grim Reaper is actually crying? Did I miss some kind of apocalypse today or what?]