Chapter 2

We grew up in the same gated community in Greenwich. We were typical childhood sweethearts.

I fell for Jesper the moment I hit puberty, but he always saw me as nothing more than the little girl next door.

Once I realized he didn't feel the same, I buried my feelings deep. I was terrified that speaking up would ruin our friendship forever.

In high school, girls swarmed him like moths to a flame. They all wanted to be the one to melt the ice king's heart.

But Jesper was cold by nature. He rejected everyone, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him.

When we got older, Jesper moved to London for university while I stayed stateside.

During one of our calls, I found out he had finally found a girlfriend.

That was the first time I truly felt the sting of a broken heart. I wanted to hop on a plane right then, but my parents held me back.

Years later, Jesper returned home alone.

The moment I heard he was single again, my heart, which had been locked away for so long, finally began to breathe.

I stopped hiding my feelings. I went all in.

I created every excuse to see him. I brought him breakfast and wrote him letters, refusing to give up.

My persistence finally paid off. A year later, Jesper agreed to be with me.

But there was a catch. He wouldn't let me go public with our relationship.

He claimed the timing wasn't right and that he didn't want things to be awkward between our parents if it didn't work out. I cried over it, but I eventually let it go.

His tender care and soft words made me forget my doubts. I convinced myself I was the luckiest woman alive.

Then, six months ago, I was using his laptop for work and accidentally opened a hidden folder.

Inside were hundreds of photos of the same girl.

Was she an ex? A secret lover?

I didn't know how to describe the mix of rage and humiliation I felt. After a long night of crying, I chose to bury the truth and maintain our perfect facade.

But suspicion is a slow poison. A few months ago, a model named Alaina Moore skyrocketed to fame.

She became the face of Sterling Group's bridal line.

When I first saw her, I went cold. I couldn't stop shaking.

The truth finally hit me. In our three years together, Jesper's heart hadn't belonged to me for a single second.

The girl from his hidden files had finally arrived to wreck my peaceful life.

Alaina started appearing at every event with Jesper. People were already calling her his girlfriend.

He never denied the rumors. He never explained anything to me.

The answer was staring me in the face: he didn't love me. But I was stubborn. I chose to endure it.

Until today. Until the "Alaina" dress appeared. Now I knew my happiness was just a hallucination I had built for myself.

The shower stopped. I grabbed the remote and killed the TV.

For the first time in three years, I felt a bone-deep exhaustion. I wanted to let go.

I refused to be his backup plan. I was done waiting for a man whose heart was occupied by someone else.