Chapter 1

On the eve of the engagement, my fiancé, Grayson Austin, threw a bachelor party.

When I rushed to the hotel, I overheard them praising the overwhelming charm of the woman he could never forget.

Egged on by his friends, Grayson's eyes reddened.

He said, "No matter how many people I meet, I'll only ever love her in this lifetime. Even my current fiancée's just her replacement. I've been waiting for her to come back. If she wants, the bride can be replaced anytime."

Later, I learned that his sweetheart was returning.

I returned the engagement ring—and my fiancé—to her.

But after I truly let him go, he panicked and asked me, "Why don't you want me anymore?"

*****

When I arrived at the hotel, Grayson Austin's bachelor party was still going strong.

Hearing the laughter and rowdy voices from inside, I hesitated at the door.

After all, before the party, Grayson had reminded me over and over that this was just for him and his buddies. He didn't want me to kill the vibe or crash the party.

But not long after Grayson headed to the hotel for his bachelor party, a sudden downpour started.

The rain just kept coming, with no sign of letting up.

Worried about him, I went out in the pouring rain and rushed to the hotel, so I could take him home right after the party.

I paused, my mind drifting to the engagement ceremony tomorrow.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for the door, ready to step inside.

But then I overheard one of Grayson's buddies joking, "Hey, we've all spilled about our first loves. Don't even think about dodging this. Just because you're getting engaged tomorrow doesn't mean you get a pass."

Amid the rowdy cheers of his buddies, Grayson's eyes turned red with emotion.

He lowered his head, looking down at his phone. "My fiancée is just a stand-in for her. No matter how many people I meet, I'll only ever love her.

"She was my first love, my first kiss, my first sex... She was my first in so many ways. No matter how many people I meet, I'll only ever love her. I could never love anyone else the way I loved her."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

When I saw the sadness on Grayson's face, waves of pain washed over me.

I wanted to ask him, "What about me?"

All these years, I had completely obeyed him and carefully loved him, yet I still hadn't won his heart back.

I held back my tears, feeling like the Grayson everyone adored was a complete stranger to me.

After a while, one of his friends said awkwardly, "We all know you're the most devoted one, but you're getting engaged tomorrow. Maybe keep those feelings to yourself. Don't let Alondra find out, or she'll start something."

Grayson snorted dismissively at that.

His gaze was dismissive and distant; when he talked about me, it was as if I was nothing more than a stranger.

Grayson said, "Getting married doesn't mean anything. People get divorced all the time. An engagement? That's even less. I've been waiting for her to come back. If she wants me, I'll swap out the bride in a heartbeat.

"If Alondra ever found out what I really think, she'd just get even more clingy. She's so crazy about me that she'd never have the guts to leave.

"By the way, today's actually Alondra's birthday, but I didn't mention it, and she wouldn't dare ask to celebrate. I don't want to do anything for her birthday because it's the day Shannon went abroad."

Hearing Grayson's words, his friends exchanged glances and grinned. "Man, you really know how to handle her."

The room quickly returned to its lively, rowdy atmosphere.

But this time, everyone was way more interested in Grayson and his old flame.

Grayson was totally open with his friends, answering every question without hesitation, so different from how he always kept his distance from me and avoided talking about anything real.

I used to wonder why Grayson acted so cold toward me whenever we were out together.

He always said he hated public displays of affection, that our relationship was private and didn't need to be shown off to anyone else.

I respected Grayson, so I just went along with whatever he wanted.

But I loved him so much that, no matter how distant he was, I kept giving him everything I had.

Watching Grayson holding court with his friends, my heart felt like it was steeped in misery.

I had to get out of there. I was terrified I'd lose it completely.

Just as I was about to leave, Grayson's gentle tone cut through the noise. "I texted Shannon. She said she's coming back tomorrow, and I'm going to pick her up."

Hearing him say that, I stopped dead in my tracks.

One of his friends asked, "But tomorrow's your engagement day."

Grayson just shrugged, saying carelessly, "Doesn't matter. That's not important. Honestly, if it wasn't just to make Shannon jealous, I wouldn't have even considered getting engaged to Alondra."

Just those two sentences felt like a knife twisting in my chest.