Chapter 1

I'd been crazy about Ryan Cooper for three years. To build our post-marriage nest, I'd drained my savings.

I even had the living room with the perfect wall painting all imagined.

Before moving into our new home, Ryan's newly-divorced sister, Jessica Cooper, moved in with him, always in tears.

Ryan felt terrible for her. "Sophie, don't you fret. I'm just gonna let her stay for a bit. It won't change a thing between us."

Like an idiot, I believed him and helped Jessica find a job and a place to rent.

Touched, Ryan gave me a squeeze and said, "Sophie, you're gonna be the first one with a key to our new home."

But then, yesterday, I was scrolling through Ryan's family group chat, and there was a bombshell. Jessica had posted a high-resolution photo of our new apartment, all decked out in fancy finishes.

The caption read: [Thanks, Ryan! This housewarming gift is the best. Now I finally have a place to call my own.]

Right below that was a message from the real-estate agent: [Mr. Cooper, the deed's been rushed through. It's solely in Ms. Cooper's name, just as you asked.]

Because of the unexpected shock, my phone slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with a thud.

The screen cracked like a spider's web, but I hardly noticed.

My eyes were fixed on that retouched photo.

I'd labored over the house inside the photo.

Every line, every shade was the result of sleepless nights, my dream for the future.

Yet, this future had been handed over as a housewarming present.

And the one presenting it was my fiancé, the man I was on the verge of marrying.

My blood rushed straight to my head, thunderous and hot rage burning through me.

Grabbing my car keys, I stormed out.

My sports car screamed like a wild animal as I hit the gas—forty minutes' worth of road, gone in just twenty.

But when I stood in front of the high-tech door I'd carefully picked, my feet refused to move.

Inside, the party was in full swing. Music thumped, glasses clinked, and there were the sounds of laughter and chatter.

It was so lively, yet so out of place.

My hands were shaking so hard, I couldn't even line the key up with the lock.

After three tries, the door finally swung open.

The living room was blazing with light, buzzing with people, their voices rising in a chaotic roar.

Ryan and Jessica stood center stage, reigning like king and queen, with all their so-called friends fawning over them.

The champagne tower sparkled like gold, bubbles popping in time with the cheers.

"Congrats on the new place!"

"Jess, your brother is seriously one in a million! Who just gives away a whole apartment like it's pocket change?"

Jessica was rocking the latest Chanel dress—fresh off the runway, and honestly, I'd never seen anything like it.

She wore a smug grin that screamed "I won", absolutely beaming with unapologetic triumph.

She held her glass like a queen surveying her domain, her gaze sweeping across the living room.

Then her eyes landed on my favorite gray wall—the one I'd put my heart into.

Her brows pulled into a frown.

"This wall's way too dark—so depressing," she snipped, turning her nose up.

She immediately started bossing around the friend next to her, as if she owned the place.

"Get someone to paint it Barbie pink tomorrow. Girls should be into cute, soft colors like that," Jessica said.

It was like a cold hand wrapped around my heart and started squeezing, making it almost hard to breathe.

That shade was Morandi gray—the color I'd chosen myself, the one I loved.

I'd told Ryan over and over just how much that color meant to me.

I'd imagined a thousand times: sunlight streaming through those giant windows, spilling across that wall while Ryan and I curled up together on the couch—reading, watching movies, picturing us growing old in our little sanctuary.

Suddenly, a guy with bleached hair elbowed Ryan, shooting him a mischievous look.

"Damn, Ryan! Looks like you spoil your sister way more than your future wife! Does Sophia know you're being so lavish?"

Ryan just grinned and didn't even bother to deny it.

I'd seen that smile a thousand times before.

I used to think that smile meant kindness and that I was the center of his world.

But now, it felt like a poisoned blade, cutting right through me, sharp and toxic.

My whole world just went still.

It was like the music, those phony grins—everything just warped and tore apart right in front of me, falling to pieces.

One step at a time, I walked straight toward them.

My heels struck the marble floor—sharp, deliberate, each tap ringing out with icy precision.

Every single click sent a stab of pain through my shattered nerves, rattling the fragments of my composure.

At once, all eyes were on me, and the room fell into a sudden hush as the music stopped and the chatter faded away.

A pin could drop in the living room and be heard clearly.

Ryan's smile faded as he stared at me like a deer caught in the headlights, his face etched with panic.

"Sophie? What are you doing here? I..."

He started toward me, reaching out like he always did, trying to take my hand.

I stepped aside, dodging him.

That hand disgusted me now—it'd touched another woman. I couldn't bear it anywhere near me.

I looked right past him, my eyes locked on Jessica behind him.

"Ryan." My voice was icy calm—so steady, it was almost frightening, even to myself. "Care to explain what's going on?"

He couldn't even look me in the eye, his gaze darting everywhere but at me.

Ryan lowered his voice, a mix of pleading and impatience in it. "Sophie, there are too many people here. Can we talk at home? Please?"

Which "home" did he have in mind?

The tiny rental, crammed with Jessica, where I could barely move without bumping into her?

Or this place—the home that should've been mine, but got handed over to someone else?

As I glanced around, I found all those so-called friends gathered around, completely engrossed in the unfolding drama, eagerly anticipating the most exciting parts.

Some faces showed sympathy, others barely hid their glee, but most were just coldly spectating—here for the mess.

Jessica crossed her arms and stared down at me from above, that mocking smile curled on her lips like the sharpest blade, cutting my last shred of dignity to pieces.

A tidal wave of shame and fury roared through my chest, like an ancient volcano finally bursting loose.

Why should I be the one to choke down all this overwhelming humiliation and gutting betrayal, shut the door behind me, and suffer through it all alone?

Utterly stunned, everyone in the room watched as, with every bit of strength I could summon, I delivered a resounding slap across Ryan's face.

The sharp crack of that blow instantly filled the entire living room.

It was so sudden and forceful that it left Ryan completely dazed, his mind taking a moment to catch up with what had just happened.

Five blazing red fingerprints bloomed on Ryan's left cheek, clear as day.

He gawked at me, eyes wide, like I'd totally lost my mind.

I fixed my gaze on him. At last, my tears, which had been held back, came pouring out like a broken dam.

However, my voice was as cold as frigid ice. With a steely resolve, I uttered, "Ryan, it's over between us."