Chapter 1

I spent five years running the business operations for Clarissa Miller after we got married. For the first time, she took me on a vacation to Paris.

But when my chronic stomach issues flared up, she abandoned me in a foreign city.

She left because her childhood friend called, claiming he had accidentally slipped in the shower.

I collapsed on the street from the agonizing pain. Meanwhile, I saw a new post on the couple's account they shared.

The caption read, "The one who loves you will always find their way back to you, no matter the distance."

In the video, Clarissa, who usually hates germs, was kneeling patiently in front of the man.

She was gently cleaning a small scratch on his foot. He looked down at her, stroking her face with a blissful smile.

Later, after I was discharged, I spent seven days exploring Paris on my own.

Clarissa, who hadn't reached out for weeks, suddenly started calling me like she had lost her mind.

"Lukas Brooks, why aren't you looking after me anymore?"

1

After returning from Paris, I finally picked up the thirty-second call Clarissa made to me.

Her impatient voice immediately barked through the phone. "Where have you been? Why haven't you been home the past few days?"

Faced with her aggressive interrogation, I didn't even feel like answering.

I simply sent her a pin of my current location.

It didn't take long for her figure to appear at the airport entrance.

She walked toward me with a dark face and snatched my suitcase with force.

"I thought you died abroad," she said sarcastically. "You didn't even bother to send a single text."

She reached for the car door, but the passenger side opened from the inside first.

Asher Sterling waved at me with a smirk, a new cashmere blanket I had recently bought draped over his legs.

The heavy scent of his cologne hit me instantly.

I frowned, standing by the door as I met Clarissa's eyes with clear displeasure.

Seeing me stand there, she said with a hint of guilt, "Asher's leg still hasn't healed from the fall. Just sit in the back for now."

A flash of triumph crossed Asher's face.

"Mr. Brooks, I just got out of the hospital and my leg is still weak. Sorry to make you take the backseat."

I gave a half-hearted hum, pulled out some tissues to cover my nose, and sat in the back to rest.

I used to believe that the passenger seat was my exclusive spot.

I had even decorated it with custom stickers and my favorite blankets.

But that didn't stop Clarissa from making me give it up for Asher over and over again.

Since then, I stopped caring about that seat entirely.

Clarissa and Asher spent the whole drive talking about the fun things they had done recently.

I sat in the back like a complete stranger, unable to get a word in.

She noticed my cold expression in the rearview mirror, and her face stiffened.

She was about to turn around and talk to me when Asher grabbed her wrist.

It perfectly showcased the matching couple's rings they were wearing.

"Clarissa, the video we posted a few days ago has already hit ten million views!" Asher said excitedly.

Then he turned to me. "Lukas, did you see that video? The fans are saying Clarissa and I are a perfect match. Personally, I still think you two look better together."

"I don't know what's wrong with those netizens. Some of them actually went to your page just to leave nasty comments."

I didn't even lift my eyelids at his obvious manipulation.

Asher turned away with a hurt look, staring at Clarissa with watery eyes.

He looked so pathetic, as if he were about to burst into tears.

"Clarissa, is Lukas mad at me because I've been taking up all your time lately?"

Clarissa couldn't stand to see him so upset. The anger she had been suppressing finally exploded.

She slammed on the brakes by the side of the road and stormed to the back.

She pulled the door open and dragged me out of the car.

"Lukas Brooks, you've been acting like a corpse all day. Have I given you too much slack?"

I stumbled and fell onto the pavement. Sharp pain immediately shot through my palms and knees.

Clarissa's expression tightened when she saw my pained face.

She started to reach out to help me up.

Suddenly, Asher's voice rang out from the car. "Clarissa, hurry! My leg hurts so much!"

Without a second thought, she turned around, leaving me on the ground.

She hopped into the car and rolled down the window.

"I'm taking Asher to the clinic. Take an Uber home yourself."

I lay on the ground in pain, watching the car disappear into the distance.

Tears blurred my vision. I let out a bitter, hollow laugh.

I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and tossed it into the dark river nearby.

In that moment, I felt a strange sense of peace.

I had waited seven years for her to truly love me back.

Instead, I watched her choose someone else with absolute certainty, time after time.

This time, I was done waiting.