Chapter 1

My award-winning A-list actor boyfriend announced his engagement live at the awards gala.

I walked up to the stage in tears of joy, only for him to shove me aside.

“Can you please back up? You are blocking the camera for my fiancée.”

Before I could process his words, the leading actress shoved me off the stage.

Seven years of silent sacrifice and devotion.

I was sick and tired of being his invisible ghost.

Watching them make out under the flashing cameras, I walked away without saying a single word.

Back at the apartment, I packed my bags and sent him one final text:

“May you two live happily ever after.”

1

It was two in the morning when Chase finally sauntered back home.

Seeing my packed suitcases, he casually grabbed the glass of honey water from the counter and downed it.

“Winnie, what was that ridiculous text supposed to mean? The engagement with Stella was just a PR stunt cooked up by the studio. She had some bad press lately, and we needed the buzz to protect the movie’s box office.”

“It is all just a show for the fans, and you actually bought it? Can you stop acting so immature?”

As his former manager, I knew every dirty trick in the industry.

Tonight, Chase had just won Best Actor for his hit series.

It was supposed to be the biggest night of his career.

It was also our seven-year anniversary.

He had promised me he would finally tell the world about our relationship.

He swore he would give me my rightful place, instead of keeping me in the shadows as his nameless “assistant.”

Near the end of the ceremony, Chase took the microphone and confessed he had been in a long-term relationship.

The audience went wild, while my palms grew slick with sweat backstage.

“All these years, my girl has stayed by my side in silence. Without her dedication, I would never be standing here today.”

Tears welled in his eyes, his voice choked with emotion.

I carried the flowers and gifts onto the stage, my heart hammering with joy.

Yet the moment Chase took the bouquet, an annoyed scowl crossed his face.

“Assistant Hayes, what are you just standing there for?”

“Can you please back up? You are blocking the camera for my fiancée.”

Dazed, I stumbled back.

I watched Stella Scott slide up to his side, their fingers tightly interlaced.

She purposely bumped her hip into me, knocking me off the stage.

Then, right before the blinding flashes of the press, they locked lips in a passionate embrace.

Watching that spectacle, I turned and left in dead silence.

Seven years of devotion had turned into nothing more than a cruel joke.

I was done waiting.

When I zipped my suitcase shut, Chase’s irritated expression finally softened.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his deep voice sounding exhausted.

“Winnie, I know this hurts, but my hands were tied.”

“I cleared my schedule for next week. Didn’t you say you wanted a vacation in the Maldives? I bought our tickets. It will just be the two of us.”

This was not the first time Chase tried to brush things under the rug with sweet distractions.

I gently pulled away, reached into my pocket, and dropped a diamond ring into his palm.

“Since you are getting engaged, you will need this.”