Chapter 1

Everyone in Solviora knew Solomon and me were the couple people envied, the ones one would call perfect.

I had risked everything for him. I'd jumped off a building, donated my kidney, and at nineteen, given myself to him completely.

Solomon had thrown punches for me over other guys, and when the earthquake hit, he didn't hesitate—he covered me with his own body, putting my safety above all else.

But when my mother was on her deathbed, I begged Solomon to marry me, just to fulfill my mother's last wish.

He smiled and agreed, but on the day of the wedding, he walked in hand-in-hand with my stepsister Luciana Hensley, right in front of everyone.

Solomon said, "That whole perfect couple act? It was just for show. You didn't actually fall for it, did you?"

"I like girls who are pure. Luciana's nothing like you. She's the kind I bring home and treat like a princess."

When those suggestive photos and chats between us were exposed on the big screen, looping for everyone to see, I finally understood that these past years, I had been nothing but a game to him.

After my mother passed away, I deleted everything related to Solomon and left Solviora on my own.

Five years later, we met again.

Right in front of all our old friends, Solomon held Luciana's hand and shot me an arrogant smirk. "I thought you had some self-respect, that you'd keep avoiding me. But as soon as you heard I was looking to get married, you came running back?"

I just smiled and quietly saved a photo of my family of three on my phone.

What he didn't know was that I was already married.

*****

When I came back to Solviora for a class reunion, it was snowing like crazy.

As I stared out the window, bored out of my mind, someone tapped me gently on the shoulder.

"Jolene, I thought you weren't coming," he said.

"Last time you had a falling out with Solomon and went off the grid for five years. Do you have any idea how nuts Solomon went trying to find you after you disappeared?" said a man.

It was Jairo Dunn, Solomon's old sidekick.

He'd never liked me before, always thought I wasn't good enough for Solomon. Seeing him being so warm and welcoming now was a first.

I nodded politely. "It's been a while."

He smiled. "It's good you're back. Solomon's been searching for you all these years, worried sick something might've happened. Now that you're here, just stay with Solomon and quit messing around."

He kept lecturing me, every word dripping with reproach.

He blamed me for being stubborn and vanishing for five years, for not even being able to take a joke, and for throwing away five years of Solomon's youth.

"Honestly, it's all because you were so desperate to get married, always pushing him about tying the knot," he said.

"You know what Solomon's like—the more you pressure him, the more he pulls away," Jairo added.

Those familiar accusations threw me off for a moment.

Five years ago, my mom was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer.

She was so thin, her eyes brimming with tears as she held my hand. "Jolene, the only thing I can't let go of is you."

By then, I'd been with Solomon for seven years. His company was just getting off the ground, and we were barely scraping by, crammed into a tiny basement apartment.

He'd gently rub my cold, red hands and promise he'd marry me as soon as I graduated.

But year after year went by, and he never brought it up again.

I knew my mom couldn't stop worrying about me, so I begged Solomon—even if it was just for show—to have a wedding with me, just to put her mind at ease.

He just gave me a cold look and said, "Jolene, you're acting like some clingy, marriage-obsessed woman, obsessed and dull."

He slammed the door and left, and I just sat there in the room all night, feeling completely numb.

But the next day, he came back to apologize, saying he'd had a rough day at work and was just in a bad mood.

He promised me with all sincerity and started running around, making all the arrangements for the wedding.

But on the day of the wedding, he showed up holding Luciana's hand and caused a total uproar at the venue. That was when I realized he was just standing up for Luciana, helping her get her revenge on me.

After that, my mom's illness took a turn for the worse. She went downhill fast.

Jairo kept going on and on, nagging me without a pause.

I dropped my gaze, trying to hide how much it hurt, grabbed my bag, and headed straight for the private room.

As soon as I opened the door, the room went silent in a snap.

I looked up and found myself locking eyes with Solomon, who was sitting at the head of the table.

Five years had gone by, and Solomon looked a lot more mature. He was rocking a crisp black suit, hair perfectly styled, and right beside him sat a gorgeous girl.

It was my stepsister, Luciana.

As soon as I glanced at Luciana, the classmates who'd been quiet started whispering and gossiping under their breath.

"Who thought it was a good idea to invite Jolene? Just wait, she's gonna make a scene when she sees Luciana sitting next to Solomon," someone snickered.

"She's pushing thirty and still doesn't know how to act. Seriously, does she even know what embarrassment is?" another whispered.