Chapter 1

I pursued Nina for seven years, and I finally thought she was mine.

But while I stood alone at our engagement party, she was jetting off to another country with her celebrity ex to get him treatment.

To protect him from a media scandal, Nina cut off all contact with everyone we knew.

I searched for her, country after country.

Finally, on a romantic island getaway, I found her, lying in the arms of that same celebrity, Kai Steele, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

When I tried to confront her, she accused me of harassment.

I almost ended up in a foreign prison.

Months later, Kai's illness took a turn for the worse, and she brought him back home.

But what she didn't know was that I was about to marry the new love of my life.

I was at a high-end jewelry store, picking out the perfect pieces for my bride, Elara, to wear on our wedding day.

One set, a diamond necklace and earring combination, was exquisitely elegant, a perfect match for her.

Another, a more traditional collar-style necklace, was royally opulent.

The sheer number of choices was dazzling.

But honestly, any of them would be lucky to be worn by her.

The thought of Elara becoming my wife filled me with a quiet joy.

As I was smiling to myself, a voice from behind me said, "Julian, everything you're holding would look great on me."

I turned, and my heart stopped. It was Nina.

"Long time no see, Julian. Your taste has improved. This jewelry really suits me."

She reached for my hand, trying to get me to put a necklace on her, but I pulled away.

The salesclerk, thinking I was just shy, rushed over to Nina, showering her with compliments and helping her try on the pieces.

"Sir, you and this lady make a beautiful couple. A match made in heaven."

Nina basked in the praise, but all I felt was a growing sense of annoyance.

After she put on the necklace, she twirled in front of me. "Julian, let's wear this set for our wedding, okay?"

I stared at her for a long moment.

This was the girl I had chased for seven years. The girl who had abandoned me at our engagement party to run off with another man.

Did she really think I would just be waiting here, holding on to a love she had treated like garbage?

The moment I got back from that disastrous trip, I had announced to all our friends and family that the wedding was off.

The salesclerk was still gushing, trying to get me to pay.

But these jewels, now tainted by her touch, were no longer worthy of my fiancée.

"I don't want any of this."

At my words, a flicker of panic crossed Nina's face. She stepped in front of me. "But we've taken up so much of their time. We can't just leave without buying anything."

As she got closer, I noticed a small star tattoo on her right shoulder.

If I remembered correctly, Kai Steele was a Sagittarius.

I had been following Kai's activities abroad on a burner account.

Just yesterday, he had posted a new picture.

It was an artsy shot of a couple's shoulders, side-by-side. The man's shoulder had a Leo constellation tattoo - Nina's sign.

Kai was a massive star. Even though he'd been out of the spotlight for a year, he still had a huge fanbase.

Yesterday, the entire internet had exploded. Kai was trending everywhere.

"A-LIST CELEBRITY'S SECRET ROMANCE EXPOSED."

"KAI STEELE TO MAKE COMEBACK WITH MYSTERY GIRLFRIEND."

The news was impossible to miss.