Chapter 1

I'd been with Cason Burton for five years, and he was always stingy about spending money on me.

Even on Valentine's Day, he'd just give me some flowers someone else had tossed out.

But on my best friend, Clara Dorsey's birthday, I caught him taking Clara on a vacation to Bareon Island, the place I'd always dreamed of visiting.

He even threw her a huge birthday party.

I demanded answers from Cason, tears rolling down my cheeks, but he just shrugged, unfazed. "She's just a friend. Stop overreacting."

Later, he started spending lavishly, hoping I'd take him back.

But I was already holding my husband's hand, and I didn't even look Cason's way.

*****

It was Clara's birthday.

I'd made a reservation at her favorite restaurant weeks in advance.

I even splurged on a bag she'd been eyeing for ages but never let herself buy.

But I waited at the restaurant until they closed up for the night, and Clara never showed.

I called her again and again, but she never picked up.

My boyfriend Cason didn't answer his phone, either.

I thought it was strange, but I never suspected anything between them.

After all, those two were always at each other's throats. Neither of them could stand the other.

When the restaurant finally closed, I stood outside with her gift, still trying to contact Clara's colleagues and relatives.

But no one was able to reach her.

I was freaking out and dashed to the nearest police station, ready to report her missing.

Just as I was about to walk in, my phone rang.

But it wasn't Clara. It was Daniel Gardner, our college class president.

Daniel and I had barely spoken back in college, so getting a call from him now felt pretty strange.

But I didn't think much of it before picking up.

Daniel's voice came through, calm but serious. "Edith, are you still with Cason?"

Cason and I went to the same university, though we studied different subjects. He was a big deal on campus.

So pretty much everyone in our year knew about us.

I frowned. "Daniel, what are you getting at?"

He let out a gentle sigh, sounding like he wasn't sure how to start.

I was running out of patience, so I pressed him. "Just tell me what's going on."

He finally spoke, "I saw Cason and Clara on Bareon Island. Is today Clara's birthday?

"Cason threw her a huge party, and he even declared... Clara is the love of his life."

It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me. My mind went blank.

After a long moment, I stammered, barely able to process it. "No, this can't be real. How could Cason ever be with Clara..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, Daniel sent over some photos and videos.

In the photos, Clara was wearing a bikini, applying sunscreen to Cason on Bareon Island's beach.

There were also shots of them enjoying water sports together, acting all lovey-dovey, both smiling like they didn't have a care in the world.

And then there was a photo of them kissing passionately on the sand, ignoring everyone around them.

The video captured the whole party scene.

Cason strode over to Clara with a bouquet in hand, then, right in the middle of the celebration, he pulled out a diamond ring and dropped to one knee, proposing to her in front of everyone.

Bit by bit, my eyes filled with tears until the screen was just a blur.

But I could still make out Cason's voice, earnest and heartfelt.

He said, "I, Cason Burton, will only ever love Clara Dorsey in this life. She's my one and only, my true love, now and forever."

My hands were trembling so much that I couldn't even hold onto my phone. It slipped from my grasp and crashed to the floor.

I was in utter disbelief. I couldn't believe this was the man I called my boyfriend.

We'd been together for five years, and Cason never spent a dime on me.

I paid the rent, bought all the essentials, and picked up the tab every time we went out.

Every anniversary, I was the one giving gifts. The best he'd do was take me to the restaurant downstairs.

And he wouldn't even let me order anything fancy with meat, saying the meat there was sketchy.

There was only one time, just once, on Valentine's Day, that Cason brought me a bouquet of roses after work.

I was so happy that I couldn't wait to share it online.

But as I admired the flowers, I realized the name on the card wasn't mine.

When I asked Cason about it, he confessed he'd found them next to a trash can.

Honestly, I couldn't help but laugh at how absurd it was.

My boyfriend would rather dig through the trash for tossed-out flowers than spend a dime on me.

I told Cason we were done, right then and there.

But Cason showed me his bank account, tears streaming down his face.

He said he'd been saving every penny all these years to buy us a house. He said he wanted to marry me and give me a real home.

He even told me I shouldn't care so much about money and material things.

Back then, Clara kept telling me to dump Cason, saying he was not good enough for me.